Note to Welsh Lib Dems: Attacking the BBC is not a clever idea

There is a story on the BBC News site that begins:

The first word of their values statement is "open". And they have a new UK leader to sell to the voters.

So why did the Welsh Liberal Democrats decide to hold their autumn conference in private?

The two-day gathering attended by the party's new UK leader Sir Vince Cable was even advertised as "public" on their Facebook page but public, press and potential new members were clearly not welcome.

Ouch.

Of course there are times when even Liberals want some privacy for their discussions, but I note that the BBC quotes the unfailingly sensible Peter Black as asking on Facebook:

"Entire @WelshLibDems conference this weekend held in camera. When did we decide talking to ourselves more important than talking to voters."

But what really disturbed me about the report was the statement from "A Welsh Lib Dem spokesperson" it quotes. That statement ends:

We note the irony in this story that BBC have traditionally refused invitations to attend autumn Conference.

Speaking as a PR professional (darling), it is rarely a good idea to attack the very journalists you want to cover your proceedings in the future.

When you are a political party that no longer has any MPs in Wales so finds it hard to command attention, and the journalist in question is the BBC's Welsh parliamentary correspondent, it is mind-numbingly stupid to do so.