BLACKPOOL was an extremely lively place this week. There were, of course, hundreds of Labour party delegates lurching from conference events to pubs, restaurants and hotels.

But there were also scores of Glaswegians in town as well. Apparently, they visit at the same time every year for a festival based around the illuminations and drinking a heady mixture of booze and Irn Bru.

On Wednesday morning, I spotted a small group of people heading into the freezing October sea dressed in little more than a pair of swimming trunks or - in the case of the ladies - very small bikinis.

I turned to a colleague and said: "That is one brave Glaswegian family." He replied: "No, it's not. It's Michael Meacher, two hired lovelies from the Sun and a couple of special advisers."

After heading over, it became clear Mr Meacher, the Environment Minister, had not gone barmy. He was honouring a long-standing bet.

He promised to take a dip in the Irish Sea if Blackpool managed to clean up its act and win a Blue Flag water quality award. It did, and so he did - accompanied by his small, but dedicated band of publicity-seeking chums.

After emerging from the blue(ish) water, he said: "Come on in, the water's lovely." Even managing a smile, he continued: "It's a lot better than I thought it would be."

Mr Meacher was not the only MP to get in the seaside spirit this week. Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell changed his name - by deed poll - to Austin Haddock.

The aim was to highlight a nationwide campaign to promote the British fishing industry. He is changing it back in two weeks - but that didn't stop him from insisting on being called Mr Haddock throughout the five-day get-together.

Try as they may, neither man's antics could - in the eyes of the punters - steal the show from the main attraction, however.

Nor, for that matter, could Tony Blair. The leader gave his usual rousing speech - repeating this year's "we must be bolder" mantra at least five times and wiping sweat from his nose as the grim conference hall almost roasted him alive.

He fronted up to his union critics and shocked us with the frank admission that, in the past, he had been a little too interested in "popularity for its own sake".

He even sold a few videos - £10 for members, £20 everybody else - on the back of his performance.

However, the real stars of Blackpool 2002 were a double act all the way from the US of A. Bill Clinton and - quite bizarrely - Kevin Spacey.

It had been known for some time Mr Clinton would be making a speech to the conference, as a favour to his close friend, the Prime Minister.

But a Hollywood legend and Oscar winner? In Blackpool?

The odds would have been long on that one this time last year.

It transpires "Kev and Bill" have become good buddies in the wake of a recent shared trip to Africa.

So, with Hilary Clinton tied up running New York, he persuaded Mr Spacey to hop on the plane instead.

They arrived to a flash of cameras shortly after Mr Blair's speech on Tuesday - but they didn't just put their feet up in the Presidential suite. Instead they headed to a Northern Labour party function and charmed delegates with an anecdote of how they were working on a movie together.

It was about Tony Blair and how he had managed to outlast the 42nd US president in office, they said - and Mr Spacey was going to take the lead role.

Kevin Spacey as Tony Blair. That really would sell some videos.

Updated: 11:02 Friday, October 04, 2002