I’m at the Lib Dem Party Conference in Liverpool today and tomorrow.  The sky is set fair and the sea is calm and so seems the conference mood by and large.

I went to a good fring meeting at lunchtime Chaired by Julian Huppert MP and hosted by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Diabetes UK and Stroke Association – entitled ‘Research to the Rescue.’  All are AMRC members.  Baroness Northover, a Lib Dem Whip, also joined the panel of charity voices.

The panel were asked to respond to questions posed by a clinician, scientist, patient and allied health professional in some video clips.

It was a good meeting with a well-presented case on medical research and the need for Government to back it strongly.  I was pleased that there was a good audience of 50+ to hear it – not bad considering I’ve spoken to a meeting of less than ten people before (and I knew everyone there!).

Baroness Northover said the Government was well-aware of the science concerns of non-EU migrants and that there was likely to be more from the Government soon on mental health issues. 

All three charities are leading funders in their fields and the best quote for me came fromProfessor Peter Weissberg at BHF (which funds 55% of all cardio research in the UK)  who said: ‘We are not the icing on the cake, we are the cake.’

Here’s a photo.  Tonight I’m off to some more fringes and a Royal Society reception.