The waiters serve a decent glass of champagne on the crowded decks of the Tory Titanic. No matter that the Conservatives suffered their worst electoral defeat in history; members were reveling in their four-cornered contest for a vacant leadership at their annual party conference recently in Birmingham.

The Tories are still the "party party" — so for all the travails, the band plays on.

Labour, in contrast, back in power with a 170-seat plus majority after 14 years in the wilderness, had everything to celebrate at their recent annual get-together in Liverpool, as well. But Members of Parliament had to console themselves with lukewarm white wine (at least the ones who weren’t invited to expensive dinners by lobbyists swarming the first meet-and-greet of a new administration).