Perhaps we should pay for the conference week’s press operation out of the party purse and ensure that neither member nor taxpayer is being screwed?

On a point of info…

Unless, things have changed in the last two years (and I’m pretty certain they haven’t), the press office staff are all paid for by POLD (i.e. Short Funds). POLD also pays the Federal Party for rent of the office space in Cowley Street and the accompanying services (phones, payroll, toilet paper etc). The payment to the party is…cough…at the high end of market prices. Membership subscriptions are certainly not being used to fund the press team.

The press office staff are taxpayer-funded to provide public information about the activities of the LibDem MPs.

The guidelines are notoriously unclear, but it would not be total hyperbole to say that it would be illegal for the professional press team to be promoting the FPC line. Certainly, if Vince and the FPC disagree on polcy X, the press officers are duty bound to spin (sorry…”provide public information about”) Vince’s position.

This might raise a whole range of other problems – but not the ones you highlight here.