"Lord Mandelson is just plainly wrong," she told the BBC.
As well as a keynote speech from the government's adviser on big society, Lord Wei, delegates will also hear first hand accounts of how other local government managers are implementing big society in their councils and the best practice they have developed.
In 2006 Lord Phillips, then lord chief justice, argued that politicians and judges had been pushed into handing down increasingly long sentences in England and Wales.
Leese was on good terms with Wigan's leader, Peter (now Lord Smithh, and with the region's only Tory, Trafford's dynamic 27-year-old boss, Sean Anstee.
The old chestnut about Nato's purpose voiced by the first Nato secretary general, Lord Ismay – "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in" – looked hopelessly anachronistic.
Lord Adonis, the former Labour transport minister, said the speech amounted to "a systematic hatchet job" on the culture at Network Rail, adding: "I don't think I've ever heard a CEO be so critical of his own organisation".
Lord Hattersley is entitled to his views, which are well known.' Hattersley's comments will be difficult to dismiss.
I have now read Lord Steyn's Attlee Foundation lecture.
But, just two days after polling from Lord Ashcroft put Clegg two points behind Labour in the constituency, the visit also marked the beginning of a long Easter weekend of hard canvassing for the Liberal Democrat leader.
The Lord Mayor, Mike Gibbons, who is a Conservative councillor, confirms the project is finally due to open as the city experiences a welcome upturn in fortunes.
Lord knows how all this may be abused by future governments which in terms of numbers may be rather more ambitious than yours.
