reflections on Harrogate

Several people have written on the events of the LibDem spring conference in Harrogate.
Alex Wilcock has a good textual analysis of the leaders speech. I didn't go into the hall to hear it, but watched it on a relay screen (the only time I was in the hall was for Trident, see Colin Ross). I suspect the production values of the relay screens weren't quite that of the BBC, so we didn't get the Ming training montage, or the music at the end. From watching it, you didn't realise he'd finished it as he just seemed to stop, start waving and shadow cabinet jumping on the platform, no rising crescendo of rhetoric.
I quite like Harrogate as a venue, lots of nice small food places that I've found over the last 3 years:
Est est est - italian on the main food drag. Nice window seats, and staff who don't badger you to leave.
Biscaya bay - a basque restaurant near the conference centre. Book early to avoid disappointment.
Loch Fyne - seafood here. Again book early as the leader and his entourage will be taking up several tables.
Salsa Posada - mexican. No bookings on Fri/Sat night. Short stroll from the conference centre, and no libdems in sight!
Unfortunately we're not going back next year, but rather to capital of culture 2008, Liverpool.