FORMER Pendle MP John Lee spent 20 years attending Tory conferences but this week found his natural home at the Liberal Democrats gathering in Bournemouth.

Since switching parties just before the last election, it was his first trip to such an occasion.

And he told me how much he preferred it to the Conservative conferences he attended as an MP and minister.

He said: "I think its cosy and friendly.

"Much friendlier and more civilised than any of the 20 or so Tory conferences I attended.

"People are much happier to engage in proper debate and it's much more tolerant of descent and discussion than the Conservative conferences I attended were.

"Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed those too and I must have attended almost every one as an MP and a minister and indeed for some time before then."

Mr Lee, who quit as a minister over the poll tax and lost his seat in 1992 to Gordon Prentice, let his membership lapse from the Conservatives in 1997 and joined the Lib Dems just a few days before the last General Election.

He said: "This is much more civilised than any of the Tory gatherings.

"Its also been very nice because I have been able to meet and talk to some of my former opponents, including Lord Tony Greaves and Age Concern's Gordon Lishman, who fought against me in Pendle.

"I have also met Lord William Wallace, the Lib Dem defence spokesman in the Upper House, who fought me in my first seat of Moss Side in Manchester.

"I have met a lot of former Parliamentary colleagues and thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Its been altogether much more relaxed and I am looking forward to attending the next one."

CHARLES Kennedy's qualified support for Tony Blair and US President George Bush's war on terrorism caused some concern among East Lancashire delegates to the Lib Dem conference.

Mr Lee, as befits a former Tory, was the most gung ho.

He said: "I support Charlie Kennedy's position. I think its 100 per cent right.

"We have to support the American response but we do have to show our concern about ensuring that it is accurate, precise and proportionate."

Bill Greene, who fought Hyndburn in the last election, was slightly more cautious.

He too supported the action but wanted to make sure it was appropriate.

He feared that careless action could actually make things worse and breed more terrorists of the sort of attacks on the World Trade Centre's Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, that sparked the latest crisis.

Former Pendle councillor and now Lord Tony Greaves was, as befits a lifelong Liberal, the most concerned.

While he accepted that some action was necessary, he agreed strongly with Mr Kennedy's view that it was not a "war."

He was deeply concerned that unthinking support for indiscriminate American action could be disastrous.

He was clearly one of the Lib Dems trying to urge Mr Kennedy to be careful and to make sure that Mr Blair does everything he can to restrain President Bush from rash action.

LANCASHIRE-born Liberal Democrat Transport spokesman Don Foster had a confession to make at the Lib Dem conference this week.

He kept his strong county accent and the result is that many of his constituents seem to belong to a different seat than the one he represents.

They believe they live in a city called Bath, which rhymes with half, while he is convinced he is the MP for Bath, which in the Lancashire manner rhymes with giraffe.