Crick’s picks: how to show your Boris/Dave love stylishly

The people who organise the conference stalls seem to have a mischievous spirit. This is first time that the party’s LGBTory group – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Tory – have had a stand on the fringe.  And where were they placed? Just around the corner from the Coalition for Marriage and just along from  the Church Society’s “Keep Marriage Special” campaign.

But what most attracted me was the cuff-link stall selling sets of “I love Dave” and “I love Boris” links – £30 for both sets. Good news, as I’d forgotten to bring any cuff-links with me to Birmingham.

Rumours here suggest there’s a deal in the offing between the coalition parties on party-funding. The idea is that the Conservatives would create more of a level-playing field, and so benefit the Lib Dems (and no doubt dish Labour over union money). In return, it’s suggested, the Lib Dems would change their mind on the proposed boundary changes, and come back on board and support the new boundaries again.

It’s probably only Conservative spin.  “They keeping briefing that,” one of Nick Clegg’s top aides told me. “There’s nothing they could offer that would change our position on boundaries, and we have made that crystal clear.”

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