Today’s conference baddie was not David Cameron or Nick Clegg, for a change.
Instead, Eric Pickles was the subject of conference hall jeers.
The final-day debate was about local government, so the big man was likely to be name dropped at some point.
And he was, before Caroline Flint had even stood up to give her speech.
One young man stood up and lamented sadly that Pickles was his local MP. The hall erupted into pantomime booing.
Shadow communities and local government secretary Caroline Flint nodded. “It sums it up about Eric and the rest of his team… They know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Her speech was based on reclaiming localism. Much like how Labour want to safeguard the NHS, or become the party of the armed forces.
“The Tories like to talk the language of localism,” said Flint.
“But it's a strange localism that imposes cuts that fall deeper and faster on local councils and communities, than on almost any central government department.
“It's a strange localism that dismantles local services and puts blind faith in volunteers taking up the reins – because, as Ed Miliband has said, you can't volunteer in your local Sure Start centre or library when it's already been closed.
“It's a strange localism that sees Eric Pickles take to the TV studios to smear local councillors with cynical, politically motivated attacks…
“Labour councils are showing that we are the real party of localism.”
It all got a bit personal about her Conservative counterpart.
“It's a supreme irony that a man of Eric Pickles' stature is the Minister for Meals on Wheels.
“And barely a day goes by without another missive from Mr Pickles to local councils.
“Frankly, it would take more than a weekly bin collection to get rid of his rubbish.
The anti-Cameron and anti-Clegg rhetoric in Liverpool has been pretty strong.
But the one that the grassroots really hate is Eric Pickles. He’s a Tory’s Tory, rather than this new brand of coalition Tory.
And that’s much easier to hate.
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