i Deputy Editor's Letter: Welcome to party conference season

Children are back at school, the weather has turned, and holidays are a distant memory. Summer is well and truly over. Still, with 101 days to wait until Christmas, at least the party conference season is upon us.

No? You clearly don’t share the same enthusiasm as me for listening to overpaid buffoons our elected MPs revealing their latest propaganda policies to a delegation of bored party loyalists enthusiastic activists.

Earlier this week, I touched on the importance of politicians re-engaging with the electorate, presenting their ideas in a clear manner with an understanding of what life is really like for Joe Public. Of course, they all claim they already know, but talking over criticism, rather than listening to what people really think, does no good at all. For the next few weeks, this is their stage, their big chance to show that they really do care, and show us what difference they can make.

The TUC provided the warm-up act last week, and now, as with previous years, the Liberal Democrats have first go with the microphone, opening up in Glasgow today (see page 4). For once, the three main parties have spread far and wide, with Labour following on 22 September in Brighton, and the Conservatives a week later in Manchester. I should also mention the Green Party (which started yesterday), UKIP, Plaid Cymru and the SNP, also holding events in the next six weeks – all of which we will do our best to bring to you in our own unique, concise, quality format.

So unplug those earphones, pay attention and cross your fingers that Newsnight’s Ian Katz won’t have anything “boring snoring” to tweet about in the weeks to come. But if he does, just remember that Christmas will be closer at the end of it all!

i@independent.co.uk

Twitter.com: @jonesrhodri