Have Compass lost their direction?
I'm hearing a lot of grumbling about the decision by the left-wing pressure group Compass to invite the leader of the Green Party and MEP for South East England Caroline Lucas to a debate on the conference fringe.
Labour supporters really worry about the chance for protest votes that Greens offer in certain constituencies.
One of those is Brighton Pavilion, where the conference is being held and where Lucas is hoping to take the seat from Labour at the election.
But it's not just that Compass invited someone from a rival party to speak in a constituency Labour is defending.
There's a lot of sympathy around for the Greens, and one cabinet minister said anyone thinking that way had simply got it wrong.
"They're not cuddly, they're ruthless," he said.
"We can't afford to give them an inch."
Welcome to the hustings! I'm Peter Henley, the BBC's political reporter in the south of England. From parish councils in Sussex, to European politics in Oxford, this is the blog for you. 
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