The Wales@Westminster weblog, BBC Wales' Parliamentary correspondent David Cornock's diary on political life, is in Brighton for the Liberal Democrats' conference.

Thursday, 21 September

Something's missing, Ming

posted by David | 1600 BST |

Has Sir Ming snubbed Wales? The Lib Dem leader brought his conference to a close with a speech focusing on his objective of turning the Lib Dems into a party of government.

Delegates loved that, especially the bit where he predicted that the Lib Dems have a chance of being the largest party in the Scottish Parliament after the elections next May.

"As in Edinburgh," he said, "so in Westminster."

Er, call me a Welshman with a chip on my shoulder, but has he forgotten something?

There are rather crucial elections in Wales next May, but, unlike their Scottish equivalent, they didn't rate a mention in the half-hour leader's speech.

We did try to get Sir Ming onto Radio Wales to discuss this. His office offered us an interview next week - during the Labour conference.

Most delegates went home happy, but the MP for Brecon and Radnorshire had something of a sense of humour failure.

Roger Williams had to withdraw from a fringe meeting organised by the League Against Cruel Sports due to a diary clash.

The organisers responded by replacing him on the platform with a tub of lard. That sounds like a cruel sport of its own.