HARRINGTON likes to check in on the political conferences every autumn and so was down in sunny Bournemouth this week to see how the Liberal Democrats are getting on.

Last time they met in the Dorset town they were showing off marquee signings like Sam Gyimah, who had defected from the Tories and Chuka Umunna, who stood for the party in the Two Cities parliamentary constituency – and vanished shortly after having his backside returned to him by the voters.

This time members seemed relieved there was less showing off and more motions to debate in technical detail on the conference floor.

Say what you want about the Lib Dems but their local activists soldier on with their clipboards however unlikely it is they are going to see the offices of government again.

Which is why it’s silly and downright rude of former leader Tim Farron to tell them that they were silly for demanding the party’s 380,000 a year national house-building target was kept; in an unfunny speech he called them “Thatcherites”.

The Young Liberals were furious, and later thanked former London mayoral candidate Luisa Porritt (pictured on the main stage) for pushing back in a speech of her own.

“We are not Tories, Tim, we just want people to have somewhere to live,” she said.

It was a smart contribution which helped the rebels wearing “build more bloody homes” T-shirts defeat Ed Davey and his leadership in a final vote.