What's wrong with Blackpool? Quite a lot, it seems, if you're a New Labour disciple. This will be Labour's last party conference in the Winter Gardens for quite some time. Nothing to do with Blackpool itself, honest guv. It's just not very convenient, and it's only fair to take New Labour's roadshow to New places.

Let's face it. Blackpool is not exactly New Labour. It's very Old Labour. It's the scene of so many bloody conference battles, humiliations for the leadership, and deals sewn up in (literally) smoke-filled rooms.

For those of us who've attended far too many party conferences to count, recollections of any Labour gathering in Blackpool immediately prompt a quasi-Proustian experience. But where Marcel was transported by the stimulus of tea and cake, my Blackpool visions are of mountains of cod and chips, barm cakes (bread rolls to you and me), and the sour stench of beer-soaked hotel carpets.

The perfect New Labour resort would offer a Conran-designed hall (minimalist decor), several health bars offering grilled vegetables and crostini, gallons of chilled mineral water at exorbitant prices, and equally exorbitant bottled foreign beer. The last two will probably feature this year, but Blackpool has some way to go before fitting the full Conran pattern. And long may it be so!

Seaside drama expected

Blackpool is the best conference resort in Britain. I'm not joking. It's given stiff competition by Brighton, admittedly, but it beats Bournemouth and the rest hands down. And it's by far the best backdrop for some high-powered political drama. And with a bit of luck, this year's party conference season should provide plenty of drama.

Labour's week in Blackpool will be a very different affair to years gone by. The changes voted through last year mean that the conference has lost a great deal of power to change policy. Indeed, this year will see a series of "discussions" rather than "debates". Some of the sessions will even be behind closed doors! Mr Blair does not want to be ordered about by the conference, and he's always been determined to avoid the fate of former Labour prime ministers like Harold Wilson and Jim Callaghan, whose policies were routinely voted down by angry delegates.

The main interest in Blackpool will be the extent to which delegates complain about the government's economic policy. There is widespread concern within the party that Gordon Brown's policies are fuelling rather than defusing today's economic problems. There will be the usual entertaining rebels on the conference fringe, but opportunities to make trouble in the conference hall proper will be severely limited.

A fine line for Paddy to tread

Labour's relationship with the Liberal Democrats is another bone of contention - in both parties! When Paddy Ashdown's party meets in Brighton in a few days time, the extent of the Lib-Lab pact will once again provoke debate. But Mr Ashdown is determined to make the conference a ground-breaking one in policy terms.

He is keen for the Lib Dems to provide (as the Liberals did for many years) a genuinely radical source of fresh ideas. This year's conference will debate the elements of the party's comprehensive policy review, and the LibDems should emerge with the makings of a new election manifesto.

The economy, health, and education seem to be the most fruitful areas. But the party leadership will be wary of stepping out in directions which are clearly at odds with government policy. It's a difficult line to tread, if not an impossible one. But they need to keep their influence within government (via the special cabinet committee) while offering an alternative agenda. As I said, it's almost impossible.

Europe again for the Tories

And talking of impossible lines to tread - William Hague's Tory conference in Bournemouth threatens to become a rather ugly affair. It's all about Europe again, of course, and the only question is whether Mr Hague's "snap" ballot of members on the European policy will succeed in silencing the pro-Europeans. The betting is that it won't, and never would.

The likes of Kenneth Clarke and Michael Heseltine are playing a very clever game, refusing to campaign in the ballot, and preparing the ground to ignore the predictable result. They'll then carry on as before, condemning the Hague policy (no single currency for about ten years) as illogical and unsustainable.

So there's plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks. I have just one gripe. Why can't all the conferences be in Blackpool?

Huw Edwards and Diana Madill will present Conference Live for the BBC beginning on 21 September. Each programme will be available live in RealVideo from this site. Huw will also write a weekly conference round-up for BBC News Online.