Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers may be working together well enough in government at Westminster, but it seems that partnership doesn’t stretch to Welsh conference arrangements.
Welsh Conservatives recently announced, with some pride, that the UK party is to hold its Spring Forum in Cardiff at the same time as the Welsh party’s annual conference. It’ll mean up to 2,500 delegates at an event that usually attracts a few hundred. There’ll be leadership figures, UK media interest and the move has been warmly welcomed by party chiefs in Wales and Westminster.
Unfortunately nobody consulted the Welsh Liberal Democrats who are already holding their conference in Cardiff on that same weekend, which will now almost certainly be overshadowed by their coalition partners’ jamboree just down the road. And that’s before you take into account the fact that the conference was already going to be overshadowed by the result of the Assembly powers referendum which is due on the Friday of that weekend.
At a time when the Lib Dems are struggling to assert their party’s individual identity outside the coalition, this clash makes that task a little more difficult. Although, as one party source in search of a bright side said to me, at least it shows the coalition parties don’t always work hand-in-hand.
ITVAdrian 
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