Listening to a speech at the Conservative party conference this week, I found myself sitting behind Simon Hoggart, the Guardian's political sketchwriter. He appeared for the most part to be quite profoundly asleep, oblivious to the parade of senior politicians at the front of the hall, resting his head on the wall and sitting back with a beatific smile playing on his lips. But very occasionally, and for no apparent external reason, his eyes would suddenly pop open and there would be furious scribbling on his note pad, before he sunk back into somnolence once more.

The Fira Gran Via conference centre is little more than a giant airport hanger with moveable walls – a sprawling space that can be carved up according to the needs of each particular conference.  These walls have been arranged into meeting rooms for the UNFCC and they hang suspended from the ceiling, dividing up negotiations from work areas and cafeterias, and open spaces from the closed meetings.

The big frustrating aspect around the negotiations today is high-level politicians disussing a 'politically-binding' agreement at Copenhagen as opposed to a 'legally-binding' agreement. Kevin Grandia wittily summarises the utility of this concept along with the disappointment of all parties working on climate change when he wrote:

With all the long hours I've been putting into to covering these climate talks, I'm sure my wife is wishing our marriage was a politically binding agreement, as opposed to a legal one.

With just a month to go until vital change negotiations in Copenhagen, Progressio staff and partner representatives are observing the "intersessional" meeting of the UNFCCC in Barcelona - the last opportunity for UNFCCC delegates to meet before December.                      Progressio is particularly lobbying delegates on the issue of water in poor countries, and how it can best be managed under a new climate change agreement.

It has been a remarkable political year in Ireland- economic depression, tripling of unemployment, halving of property prices, bankrupt banks and businesses and crippling imbalances between government spending and tax revenue. It all started just about a year ago and it has amounted to a chastening experience for a Green Party in government for the first time.

Postscript to my last post on Greg Clark and climate change. Looks like I was wrong. For journalists on the Sun, climate change is "hardly a riveting topic"....."save me the lecture, Greg" says Sun political columnist, "Posh Totty".

If it's Monday, it must be the Labour Party conference...past the x-ray machines and gun-toting police and into  a melee of party activists, MPs, ministers and cameras.

“Are you a climate leader?” asked the green alien as I approached the Gran Via conference centre on our last day of climate change negotiations.   “We are from planet B.  Our planet was destroyed when we failed to take action on climate change.  Is Copenhagen in this galaxy?”

“Yes”, I reply as I show them my badge.

“Ah, you are not a climate leader!” they say, as they NON-GOVERNMENTAL in huge letters next to my face.  No, I think, I’m not.  And I’m not sure what I’d do if I were.

This morning I reluctantly left the Barcelona sunshine and entered the convention centre where the UNFCCC is meeting for the last round of negotiations before Copenhagen.  Like many delegates, I hesitate before entering, wanting a few more moments in the sun before entering the chaos inside.  Although everyone is here because we think climate change is important, as usual, things aren’t going to plan – which I imagine has left many of us wishing we could simply walk in the