:00:42. > :00:45.Afternoon folks. Welcome to our third and final Daily Politics
:00:46. > :00:53.Special on the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton. Today, two
:00:53. > :00:56.shows for the price of one. Yes, this one will run until 1:00pm.
:00:56. > :01:04.Then we'll be back from 2:30pm until 4:30pm with live coverage and
:01:04. > :01:06.analysis of Nick Clegg's conference speech. In which he's going to tell
:01:06. > :01:12.the party faithful to return to their constituencies and prepare
:01:12. > :01:16.for more vitriol and abuse. Yes, amid dire poll ratings, the Deputy
:01:16. > :01:19.Prime Minister will tell his flock they have to grin and bear it, but
:01:19. > :01:26.that he is paving the way for a better, more meaningful future for
:01:26. > :01:29.the Lib Dems. We'll be talking to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
:01:29. > :01:35.Danny Alexander, and asking him how all his deficit and spending cuts
:01:35. > :01:45.are going. Adam has been out with his balls - again - asking if Nick
:01:45. > :01:46.
:01:46. > :01:50.should stay or go. He's got a massively difficult job and he
:01:50. > :01:53.deserves free balls. And David Cameron is to appear on one of
:01:54. > :02:03.America's best-loved chat shows. But will he have a bad hair day
:02:03. > :02:07.like Boris Johnson? How long have you been cutting your own hair?
:02:07. > :02:10.LAUGHTER All that in the next hour and with
:02:10. > :02:12.us for the duration journalist and commentator John Kampfner and
:02:12. > :02:16.Stephen Tall, the editor of the website Liberal Democrat Voice.
:02:16. > :02:20.Welcome. So Nick Clegg takes to the stage at just after 3:00pm. It's a
:02:20. > :02:22.tough gig for him and he'll need to craft a mesage not just for his
:02:22. > :02:27.disillusioned supporters, but the even more disillusioned wider
:02:27. > :02:30.electorate. There is no challenge to his leadership in Brighton, but
:02:31. > :02:40.if things don't improve in the next 12 months that might not be true of
:02:40. > :02:44.the 2013 Lib Dem conference. Is he living on borrowed time? He's got a
:02:44. > :02:50.year in which to hope that the economy starts to rise and nobody
:02:50. > :02:54.will use the term green shoots. The economists can decide where we are
:02:54. > :02:58.in terms of beginnings of recovery, growth or bottoming out or whatever.
:02:58. > :03:03.He also needs to show the party there is a purpose. It's not just
:03:03. > :03:07.being in government for the sake, but bringing forward real liberal
:03:07. > :03:10.measures and the thing I've been saying for some time now is it's
:03:11. > :03:19.one thing to have negative compromise, trying to make the
:03:19. > :03:24.Tories a little less nasty to a reason to vote, but it's bruthing.
:03:24. > :03:28.You have to have positive -- grudging. You have to have positive
:03:28. > :03:33.compromise, to have liberal things that people are going to be happy
:03:33. > :03:38.to go out on to the doorsteps and really persuade people to vote for
:03:38. > :03:42.them. Do you agree he has a year to sort it out, or he will face
:03:42. > :03:51.leadership problems? I think he has got a year's grace and I think I
:03:51. > :03:53.agree with John, the economy will be key. There's a new word,
:03:53. > :03:59.proalition and it's about getting away from the idea that the Lib
:03:59. > :04:03.Dems are in government is to block the nasty Tories doing eve. That's
:04:03. > :04:10.what everyone has been saying. Mr Clegg has been saying that and
:04:10. > :04:16.Vince Cable has said nothing but that. He saved us from the Tory
:04:16. > :04:21.headbangers. Tim Farron has been using the phrase, distinctive, not
:04:21. > :04:25.distructive and he's trying to get the measure - Where do they get
:04:25. > :04:29.them from? Soundbites are fantastic. It's the balance between stopping
:04:29. > :04:32.the Tories doing the stuff if they were in majority and proving that
:04:32. > :04:38.the Liberal Democrats have prosive ideas put forward in government.
:04:38. > :04:43.Are you surprised, if you agree with what he was saying -- if you
:04:43. > :04:50.agree with what I was saying. always agree. I like a challenge.
:04:50. > :04:55.Are you surprised that Vince Cable - if Mr Clegg was to fall under a
:04:55. > :05:00.bus that Vince Cable is a clear alternative? That seems to be the
:05:00. > :05:05.case. Tim Farron seems to be saying, "Remember me." What I said in
:05:05. > :05:08.columns about Vince Cable is he's in danger of almost repeating but
:05:08. > :05:15.in reverse Nick Clegg's biggest mistake in the first year, which
:05:15. > :05:20.was being seen to be too close to David Cameron. Vince Cable and his
:05:20. > :05:24.love-in with Ed Balls, I think that does in reverse. I've always said
:05:24. > :05:31.to the Lib Dems, you've got to say this is a business relationship.
:05:31. > :05:35.This is two companies coming together. We advocate A and they B
:05:35. > :05:41.and for the national interest we have agreed on C. Rather than this
:05:41. > :05:45.sort of, we really like these people. You can do this without
:05:45. > :05:50.being confrontational and tachy. You do it in a prove -- tetchy. You
:05:50. > :05:54.do it in a professional way. That was the mistake and they're still
:05:55. > :05:59.trying to recover from that and to put to the people a very clear
:05:59. > :06:04.proposition in which you can also say, if, as we hope, there is a
:06:04. > :06:11.hung Parliament in the next election, the Lib Dems can choose
:06:11. > :06:15.on the basis of who is the largest party and who is more - They may
:06:15. > :06:21.not win whatever happens? That's not a great possession for the
:06:21. > :06:26.people? You often say the electorate gets the government in a
:06:26. > :06:29.Parliament system what it likes. would never be that rude. What has
:06:29. > :06:34.made this difficult for us to cover is a whole host of ideas have been
:06:34. > :06:39.thrown out. Some new and some recycled, but the moment you ask
:06:39. > :06:42.questions about them there's total confusion over what they are
:06:42. > :06:48.standing for. What did Nick Clegg mean by the top 10% and wealth tax?
:06:48. > :06:52.How would you establish the property values for a mansion tax?
:06:52. > :06:55.All sorts of other things, that we can't get any flesh on the bones in
:06:55. > :06:58.You have two different bits there. You have the Liberal Democrats
:06:58. > :07:02.within the conference trying to establish broad principles, because
:07:02. > :07:08.a lot of what we hear from the media is no-one knows what they
:07:08. > :07:11.stand for now. You have to get that across in simple terms. The slogan
:07:11. > :07:14.was fairer taxes in tough times. We are moving away from income taxes
:07:14. > :07:18.on the poor to wealth taxes on the rich. That's the big picture, but
:07:18. > :07:22.the detail has to be worked up. That's what you are after,
:07:22. > :07:25.understandably, but in terms of what we are trying to make sure is
:07:25. > :07:29.the headline that people hear, that's the key. Gentlemen, thank
:07:29. > :07:39.you very much. $$YYELLOW Let's get a sense of the mood at conference
:07:39. > :07:40.
:07:40. > :07:45.and talk to the Guardian's Polly Toynbee and Sam Coates of the Times.
:07:45. > :07:49.Do the party faithful want to here vitriol and abuse? Ehave a lot of
:07:49. > :07:53.members and they know that. They've lost half of the votes. They know
:07:53. > :07:56.that well and they seem rather stunned, very loyal. I think they
:07:56. > :08:02.mostly believe there is no alternative for the time being, but
:08:02. > :08:05.you have to remember how many have already departed. They made a bold
:08:05. > :08:09.stand this time, with some of the things that Liberal Democrats
:08:09. > :08:15.really do stand for, on assisted dying for instance. On planning.
:08:15. > :08:18.Also on secret courts. These are good civil rights issues for them.
:08:18. > :08:21.On the really important things, what this Government is doing,
:08:21. > :08:27.they've made no difference at all. Sam Coates, we'll talk about those,
:08:27. > :08:31.which is targeting wealthy pensioners, about Nick Clegg. Is
:08:31. > :08:37.that brave or mad? I think it's probably sensible. There are
:08:37. > :08:41.growing numbers of people. The Sun is running a campaign saying take
:08:41. > :08:45.away the benefits from more wealthy pensioners. Why someone like me is
:08:45. > :08:49.getting a bus pass? It's not a huge amount of money, but it's sensible.
:08:49. > :08:54.What's the point in talking about it when it's after the next
:08:54. > :08:59.election. A lot of things are after the next election. Some time in the
:08:59. > :09:04.distance. Wish lists. Not things actually happening. Sam Coates,
:09:04. > :09:09.talking of mansion tax, we have mentioned it briefly. Is George
:09:09. > :09:13.Osborne totally cold on that idea, do you think? Oddly enough I think
:09:13. > :09:17.he's a bit more reacceptive. The big problem is that David Cameron
:09:17. > :09:21.isn't in it. He has been pleased with the way he's managed to block
:09:21. > :09:24.that in negotiations to date. I think we are getting to the stage
:09:24. > :09:27.in this Parliament where I suspect that Nick Clegg thinks it's
:09:27. > :09:30.unlikely to happen in the next two- and-a-half years and he'll put it
:09:30. > :09:34.in the back pocket for the next general election. There are all
:09:34. > :09:37.sorts of complicated questions over quite how you would value the top-
:09:37. > :09:41.rate properties that you would target with the superrate tax.
:09:41. > :09:45.David Cameron doesn't want to do it. I can't quite see why they're going
:09:45. > :09:50.on about it now, given it's unlikely to happen. What about the
:09:50. > :09:57.level of Tory bark, Sam? You always expect there to be a little bit. Is
:09:57. > :10:01.there a point on which it can go too far and be detrimental? I think
:10:01. > :10:06.there's a wider problem. There has been over the last ten days just
:10:06. > :10:13.quite a lot of whinging. We started with an apology and attacking the
:10:13. > :10:15.Tories for various stances that they've taken on the environment
:10:15. > :10:19.and their attitude to the less well-off. The challenge for Nick
:10:19. > :10:24.Clegg today is that he's got to present a big and bold and positive
:10:24. > :10:28.version of what liberal government would look like, rather than
:10:28. > :10:31.indulging the activist in what the Tories won't let them do. You can
:10:31. > :10:34.end up talking about the fantasy world of stuff that happens after
:10:34. > :10:37.the next general election, but to the extent that the public are
:10:37. > :10:40.listening, they want to hear what difference they'll make in
:10:40. > :10:45.government now. That conversation is remarkably missing from quite a
:10:45. > :10:50.lot of the discussions that you have here. Finally, Poly, is there
:10:50. > :10:56.a sense of a disconnect between the Parliamentary party and the party
:10:56. > :11:00.faithful? I don't think there is very much discorrect between the
:11:00. > :11:04.two. The party faithful are a dwindled band. A lot of parties
:11:04. > :11:08.have nobody left in them. They are losing councillors by the shed load
:11:08. > :11:12.every May. I think what we are getting though is a world of
:11:12. > :11:17.fantasy where you are going to have Nick Clegg saying, "We are on the
:11:17. > :11:22.path to prosperity." That's the reason for the coalition, but the
:11:22. > :11:27.truth is we are not on the path to prosperity. The deficit is rising
:11:27. > :11:32.and it's very scary where we are now. It hasn't worked. Austerity
:11:32. > :11:40.hasn't worked here or in Europe. Austerity is the great disaster and
:11:40. > :11:44.it's never been a Liberal Democrat policy. Now they're having to
:11:44. > :11:49.present Conservatives and obey the policy. That is the great disaster.
:11:49. > :11:52.Thank you both very much. Enjoy the speech. You may have seen pictures
:11:52. > :11:55.earlier this week of a special mug at Lib Dem Conference carrying Nick
:11:56. > :12:00.Clegg's tuition fees apology. For reasons that are unclear they've
:12:00. > :12:06.sold out. Perhaps they were incredibly popular. Or perhaps they
:12:06. > :12:10.didn't make very many. Anyway, the good news is you can still get your
:12:10. > :12:17.hands on a better mug that's not sold out. It's not even sold. And
:12:17. > :12:20.it's not remotely sorry, just proud to be a Daily Politics mug. If you
:12:20. > :12:23.want one all you have to do is win our Guess the Conference Year
:12:23. > :12:33.competition. We'll remind you how to enter in a minute, but let's see
:12:33. > :12:36.
:12:36. > :12:41.if you can remember when this happened. As midnight struck 11
:12:41. > :12:44.countries combined their currencies for the first time since the Rome
:12:45. > :12:49.an empire. # We've come a long, long way
:12:49. > :12:55.together # Through the hard times... #
:12:55. > :13:01.# Oh, I want to get away # I want to fly away
:13:01. > :13:06.# Before he even began he received a standing ovation, which he
:13:06. > :13:16.greeted with his characteristically rye remark. I bet you wouldn't have
:13:16. > :13:21.
:13:21. > :13:26.done that if I was staying! moment the last rays of light
:13:26. > :13:31.disappear as the moon covers the face of the sun.
:13:31. > :13:41.MUSIC No, he wasn't looking aloft for
:13:41. > :13:42.
:13:42. > :13:52.divine guidance. # Give it to me baby
:13:52. > :14:08.
:14:08. > :14:12.# Give it to me baby... # To be in with a chance of winning a mug send
:14:12. > :14:16.your answer to us to our special quiz e-mail address, which is: You
:14:16. > :14:24.can see the full terms and conditions for the competition on
:14:24. > :14:29.the website. That's: While many are worried about paying next month's
:14:29. > :14:35.bills and Christmas is only 89 days away, folks, just to depress you,
:14:35. > :14:41.the Liberal Democrats are already getting hot and bothered about how
:14:41. > :14:44.they'll make savings after 2015. The Liberal Democrats know they
:14:44. > :14:49.need to make even more savings after the next election, but they
:14:49. > :14:52.would rather the rich paid more to help plug the gap. So, is Danny
:14:52. > :14:56.Alexander Robin Hood? The Chancellor announced last year that
:14:56. > :15:02.austerity will continue into the next Parliament. And set the target
:15:02. > :15:07.of savings �16 billion in 2015-16. Mr Osborne is thought to favour a
:15:07. > :15:11.freeze in benefits and cuts of �10 billion to the welfare budget. This
:15:11. > :15:16.is unpopular with Liberal Democrats, who would rather target the wealthy.
:15:16. > :15:26.Their first is tax avoidance and they hope to raise �9 billion by
:15:26. > :15:30.There has been a lot of talk at this conference about a mansion tax
:15:30. > :15:33.- and the Lib Dems want any home worth more than �2 million to be
:15:34. > :15:36.subject to a 1% annual charge. And Nick Clegg told the BBC yesterday
:15:36. > :15:39.that it might be time for universal benefits for wealthy pensioners to
:15:40. > :15:42.end. The Lib Dem leader said it can't be right that hard up working
:15:42. > :15:52.people are paying for free bus passes, the winter fuel allowance
:15:52. > :15:55.and free TV licences for millionaire pensioners. The Chief
:15:55. > :16:01.Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, can join us now from
:16:01. > :16:05.Brighton. Let's start with the current situation about cats. You
:16:05. > :16:11.say repeatedly that cutting the deficit is at the core of the
:16:11. > :16:20.purpose of the coalition. Why it is the deficit 22% higher than last
:16:20. > :16:25.financial year? Part of an hour... Reducing the deficit and dealing
:16:25. > :16:30.with the financial problems is the core purpose of the coalition. We
:16:30. > :16:35.set out in 2010 plans that would reduce public spending by a �2
:16:35. > :16:40.million, as well as tax rises. Part of the thing that people need to
:16:40. > :16:45.understand about the plan is there are also flexibilities built in.
:16:45. > :16:51.There Rupp automatic stabilisers where benefits, payments and tax
:16:51. > :16:55.receipts are just an borrowing response to deal with adverse
:16:55. > :16:59.economic circumstances. They are operating to the fold. But as
:16:59. > :17:05.appropriate as you go through difficult times in the economy. --
:17:05. > :17:10.the full. This has proved to be more tough and the euro crisis is
:17:10. > :17:15.more severe. Those automatic stabilisers should respond in the
:17:15. > :17:23.way they do. It has the practical effect of your deficit-cutting
:17:23. > :17:31.strategy now going into reverse. On current trends, this year's deficit
:17:31. > :17:40.will be bigger than last year. Look! We have had three, four
:17:40. > :17:49.month... Five months figures. saw tax receipts fall in the early
:17:49. > :17:55.months. I do not want to know - as I do I do not know what will happen
:17:55. > :17:58.the -- I do not know what will happen with the next figures. There
:17:58. > :18:04.is a lot of uncertainty about the forecast. I was not get into the
:18:04. > :18:11.business of trying to forecast the forecasters. We have had five
:18:11. > :18:16.months and you have 22% last year. Let's stick to the deficit. It is
:18:16. > :18:24.at the core of your purpose. You claim public spending needs to be
:18:24. > :18:29.cut to balance the books. Why is total public spending down of only
:18:29. > :18:33.1% in two point five years of coalition government? In real terms,
:18:33. > :18:38.total public spending has fallen substantially. We have made
:18:38. > :18:44.substantial savings in welfare and departmental budgets. We have cut
:18:44. > :18:48.administration budgets across government by 33% and, in some
:18:48. > :18:54.departments, up more than that. The spending cuts happen progressively
:18:54. > :19:04.year after year. We have set out a plan that reduces in real terms
:19:04. > :19:18.
:19:18. > :19:24.You say you are cutting public spending. Why is current spending
:19:24. > :19:34.3% higher than last year? Current spending is ever-so-slightly below
:19:34. > :19:35.
:19:35. > :19:43.the forecast for this stage in the air it is below the forecast
:19:43. > :19:47.overall. We are seeing the automatic stabilisers helping deal
:19:47. > :19:53.with the difficulties in the economy. That is part of the plan
:19:53. > :19:58.we have for the economy. It means the deficit also rises. Of can I
:19:59. > :20:05.just finish? The underlining reductions and departmental
:20:05. > :20:12.spending carry on regardless. deficit is rising as it that is
:20:12. > :20:17.contrary to everything you stand for. I can give you the same
:20:17. > :20:23.answers. This government is totally committed to dealing with the mess
:20:23. > :20:26.in our public finances - to bring the deficit down. That is what we
:20:26. > :20:31.set out to do when we started. We have a clear and credible plan that
:20:31. > :20:41.commands confidence in the markets. It is keeping interest rates very
:20:41. > :20:44.
:20:44. > :20:51.low. There is a flexibility and pragmatic sense in that plan.
:20:51. > :20:56.except that to save a decent sum of money it would have to affect the
:20:56. > :21:00.affluent pensioners? Look! We need to look at a whole range of ideas.
:21:00. > :21:10.We have not make decisions on any particular spending reductions as
:21:10. > :21:18.
:21:18. > :21:23.yet. A one not engaged in a process of elimination we need to look at
:21:23. > :21:29.these things in the next Parliament. When you are making decisions
:21:29. > :21:33.elsewhere, I think this needs to be tested to see if it is justifiable.
:21:33. > :21:37.That is a proper place to look, given what we have to do is make
:21:37. > :21:41.difficult decisions affecting every single person in this country. The
:21:41. > :21:48.burden of those reductions must be shared fairly. But as were a lot of
:21:48. > :21:54.the conversation this week has been about going further. -- that is why
:21:54. > :21:59.a lot of the conversation. Beth we come on to that. With a mansion tax,
:21:59. > :22:04.how do you establish what properties are worth over �2
:22:04. > :22:08.million? How long would it take you to do that? Probably a year or two
:22:08. > :22:13.to work through all the processes we need to put in place with a
:22:13. > :22:19.mansion tax. That is something that is practically deliverable. It
:22:19. > :22:23.affects a small number of properties. You would have to value
:22:23. > :22:27.them. The Valuation Office Agency would be able to carry out at work.
:22:27. > :22:32.What we're doing at this conference is making the case for a mansion
:22:32. > :22:36.tax, the case for an argument that those living in the most expensive
:22:36. > :22:41.properties over �2 million should pay an additional amount to help us
:22:41. > :22:46.do with his big puncher problems we have. I just wondered how long it
:22:46. > :22:52.would take to do the valuation. You have said two years. How much would
:22:52. > :22:57.that raised? That would depend on what you set the rate tax. What
:22:57. > :23:01.would you do? The proposal we put forward in our manifesto at the
:23:01. > :23:09.last election Reserve would raise �1.9 billion. That will have
:23:09. > :23:14.changed slightly. You could set a lower rate which would raise less.
:23:15. > :23:21.The order of �2 billion is what our proposals would raise. A rounding
:23:21. > :23:25.error in the accounts. When it came to your stand-up routine... Can I
:23:25. > :23:31.take you are on that? I would not call it a rounding error. A
:23:31. > :23:36.substantial sum of money. We are looking for �16 billion of deficit-
:23:36. > :23:43.reduction money. That would be a significant contribution in meeting
:23:43. > :23:51.that gap. When it came to a stand- up routine yesterday, why did you
:23:51. > :23:55.employ Sarah Teather, as a scriptwriter? It was a conference
:23:55. > :23:59.speech. I had serious points to make and if you light hearted
:24:00. > :24:07.remarks as well. It is a proper weight to carry out a speech. I
:24:07. > :24:13.enjoy delivering it. -- a proper way. That is the way of the world.
:24:13. > :24:17.It is nice to see you smile. Thank you for joining us from Brighton.
:24:17. > :24:23.The pointer was trying to make in the questions is not to do with
:24:23. > :24:29.party politics. --. I was trying to make. The way politics is going now,
:24:29. > :24:34.it is starting to rise again. long as that continues, Danny
:24:34. > :24:38.Alexander was making the point, or clutching at straws, that more
:24:38. > :24:42.people would pay tax and may be the first demands of the she would not
:24:42. > :24:49.be as bad when it comes round. These jobs have already been
:24:49. > :24:53.created. There are already paying tax. It depends when. -- they are
:24:53. > :25:02.already. We have only got the employment figures for the last
:25:02. > :25:03.five months. They met in the labour force. The other interesting point
:25:03. > :25:10.ears, even if you get the situation... You look back to 1997,
:25:10. > :25:14.I am old enough to remember that but you are not, Andrew! Labour won
:25:14. > :25:20.on the back of a narrative, which was that the economy is in a big
:25:20. > :25:24.mess and we need to sort it out and public services. The economy was
:25:24. > :25:31.recovering under Kenneth Clarke as Chancellor. The public had tuned
:25:31. > :25:38.out to that. Even if they really dismal scenario for the coalition
:25:38. > :25:41.government, even if in 2013/2014, things start to bottom out and
:25:41. > :25:47.improve, the public will not see that. It always takes a long time
:25:47. > :25:54.from economic statistics to really get into people's psychology.
:25:54. > :25:57.seems to me that the coalition has been remarkably united over deficit
:25:57. > :26:01.reduction. It would be very hard for people like me to get a piece
:26:01. > :26:05.of cigarette paper between them. If a whole deficit plan begins to
:26:05. > :26:11.unravel, as the first five months of this financial year suggests,
:26:11. > :26:17.that is a whole new ball game for the coalition. Danny Alexander
:26:17. > :26:23.cannot see it but I can. Most of the coalition recognises that plan
:26:23. > :26:30.A is not working. It is not surprising the deficit is going up.
:26:30. > :26:36.We are in recession. Those measures are starting to kick in. Going back
:26:36. > :26:41.to 1992, there is an opportunity for the coalition. If you remember
:26:41. > :26:48.Ben, but John Major line was called upon. There was a faltering
:26:48. > :26:52.recovery kicking in. That is what the coalition hopes. Come 2015, you
:26:52. > :26:56.have a coalition with a very slight recovery. That will feed through to
:26:56. > :27:02.income us and mean that Labour will not be able to come back and say,
:27:02. > :27:06.the economy was better under us. is a double benefit. It is also the
:27:06. > :27:10.subliminal message that you cannot trust Ed Miliband with the economy.
:27:10. > :27:14.Now since his last party conference, Nick Clegg's had a bit of a stormy
:27:14. > :27:17.year. It ended in one big apology. But who knows maybe he has a number
:27:17. > :27:27.one to look forward to. We sent the FT's George Parker and his
:27:27. > :27:48.
:27:48. > :27:51.favourite battery-operated toy for When you are the captain of a
:27:51. > :27:55.political party, the sailing can get quite choppy. That is
:27:55. > :27:59.particularly the case if you are happening to work with another
:27:59. > :28:08.captain with his own ship to worry about. Someone who might have a
:28:08. > :28:15.different idea about we were going. -- where you are going. Bustard was
:28:15. > :28:21.supposed to be the time for the S S Lib Dems to steer away from the
:28:21. > :28:25.storm with the tuition fees. Then came the Lords reform bill. In June,
:28:25. > :28:30.he was charting a perilous course through the House of Commons.
:28:30. > :28:35.the heart of this Bill, Mr Speaker, it is the vision of a House of
:28:35. > :28:39.Lords which is more modern, more representative and more legitimate.
:28:39. > :28:44.Within months that Bill was sunk. Torpedoed by backbenchers from his
:28:44. > :28:48.own coalition. Something that Nick Clegg is unlikely to forget.
:28:48. > :28:55.Conservative Party is not honouring the commitment to Lords reform. As
:28:55. > :28:58.a result, part of our contract has now been broken. Clearly I cannot
:28:58. > :29:03.permit a situation where Conservative rebels can pick and
:29:03. > :29:07.choose the parts of the contract they like, while Liberal Democrat
:29:07. > :29:11.MPs are bound to the entire agreement. Lib Dems were left
:29:11. > :29:16.wondering whether they had been sold down the river and what their
:29:16. > :29:19.retaliation should be. Nick Clegg has now made that clear. David
:29:19. > :29:29.Cameron can wave goodbye to the Commons Andrew review that would
:29:29. > :29:31.
:29:31. > :29:36.have helped him win next election. -- boundary review. Nick Clegg was
:29:36. > :29:40.absent from the House of Commons as David Cameron gave his statement on
:29:40. > :29:45.the EU veto. He did pop up on the Andrew Marr programme a few days
:29:45. > :29:51.later. I am bitterly disappointed by the outcome of the sum it. There
:29:51. > :29:54.is a danger that, over time, the United Kingdom will be isolated and
:29:54. > :30:01.marginalised within the European Union. I do not think it is good
:30:01. > :30:08.for jobs or grace. In June, fury among the Conservatives after the
:30:08. > :30:12.Lib Dems refuse to back Jeremy Hunt in the Commons. -- amongst the
:30:12. > :30:18.Conservatives. The Leveson inquiry raised questions about his handling
:30:18. > :30:26.of the Rupert Murdoch bit for BSkyB. Not only Conservative ministers -
:30:26. > :30:36.is that the ministers have faced controversy. Chris Huhne resigned.
:30:36. > :30:46.
:30:46. > :30:49.-- Tory Conservative ministers have The coalition has to get the
:30:49. > :30:55.economy right to stay afloat. There are tensions creeping in on the
:30:55. > :31:01.scale of cuts, investments and how to get banks working. The austerity
:31:01. > :31:04.programme hasn't been universally popular. The people gave the
:31:04. > :31:09.Liberal Democrats a drubbing. Cutting the number of seats to
:31:09. > :31:12.3,000, the lowest in their history and there's a nasty feeling in the
:31:12. > :31:16.party that it could get worst with the Corby by-election and the
:31:16. > :31:20.general election. This summer, David Cameron and Nick Clegg
:31:20. > :31:27.relaunched themselves, presenting a united front at a railway depot in
:31:27. > :31:32.the West Midlands. It's tough to be in Government in difficult times.
:31:32. > :31:36.It's not always a walk in the park or in the rose garden. It's no
:31:36. > :31:41.wonder there are some who lose their nerve a bit at this stage,
:31:41. > :31:45.but I can speak for both of us, we'll not lose our nerve. Nick
:31:45. > :31:49.Clegg will be talking about the positives. Some research suggests
:31:49. > :31:52.that 75% of the Liberal Democrat manifesto has been implemented or
:31:52. > :31:56.is in the course of being so. He'll talk about the fact that millions
:31:56. > :31:59.of people are out of the tax system, that the pupil premium aimed at the
:31:59. > :32:03.children of low-income families has been a success. Some in the party
:32:03. > :32:07.argue that the Liberal Democrats have had a softening effect on Tory
:32:07. > :32:10.legislation. Within Government, the Liberal Democrats are making a
:32:10. > :32:14.difference. Danny Alexander has been praised by his colleagues in
:32:14. > :32:19.both parties. Vince Cable is increasingly being lauded by the
:32:19. > :32:22.groos roots of his party and now David -- grass roots of his party
:32:22. > :32:27.and now David Laws, who helped negotiate the coalition agreement
:32:28. > :32:31.and who is widely respected across party lines as education minister
:32:31. > :32:34.and top Clegg adviser. Showing support for the Government and
:32:34. > :32:38.stressing the party's independence is a difficult balancing act for
:32:38. > :32:43.Nick Clegg to pull off, but it's some the speech will have to
:32:43. > :32:53.achieve. Nobody's said to would be plain sailing. Is this the way to
:32:53. > :32:59.
:32:59. > :33:04.Brighton? Puntastic. Over to Mark Thompson who got to interview Nick
:33:04. > :33:08.Clegg and David haul Matthews. We spoke to him earlier on in the
:33:08. > :33:18.conference. Welcome to you both. Mark, you interviewed Nick Clegg
:33:18. > :33:19.
:33:19. > :33:24.for your blog this week. How did he characterise the year? Well, he
:33:24. > :33:26.seemed pretty calm and pretty happy really with how things have gone.
:33:26. > :33:29.He certainly seemed relaxed and was willing to be very open when I
:33:29. > :33:33.asked him questions, even fairly controversial ones like about drugs
:33:33. > :33:37.policy and the position of the monarchy. He was certainly very
:33:37. > :33:42.happy to talk and I didn't get that feeling you sometimes get from
:33:42. > :33:48.politicians that he's closed -- closing things down. Do you think
:33:49. > :33:52.that's because he feels relieved after that big apology? Well, I
:33:52. > :33:55.think it went reasonably well, certainly in terms of how it was
:33:55. > :34:00.received. The fact it was turned into a song helped to lighten the
:34:00. > :34:07.mood around it, which was a bit of a bonus .. When I arrived here
:34:07. > :34:10.there was a car blasting it out, which was a nice little backdrop. I
:34:10. > :34:13.do think that - the feeling that I've been getting from people here,
:34:13. > :34:20.there is no real appetite for talk about the leadership. We just have
:34:20. > :34:24.to get on with it. I think that message has got through to him.
:34:25. > :34:28.David, the economy is obviously key. We have just spoken to Danny
:34:28. > :34:33.Alexander about the deficit reduction plan. Should the Liberal
:34:33. > :34:38.Democrats now in coalition rg ewe against more austerity and promote
:34:38. > :34:45.-- arguing against more austerity? Yes. I think they are. They don't
:34:45. > :34:49.want to admit that they're doing it. They are investing billions for
:34:49. > :34:52.small and medium enterprises. We have the Green Investment Bank and
:34:52. > :34:57.further investment and also in fairness, as well, new
:34:57. > :35:00.announcements for children who are struggling in schools. All of this
:35:00. > :35:06.is not consistent with George Osborne's plan A of slash first and
:35:06. > :35:09.don't do anything positive for the economy until the deficit is
:35:09. > :35:16.reduced. I think it's obviously politically impossible for Danny or
:35:16. > :35:20.Nick to say, no, no, we disagree with the original plan. But they're
:35:20. > :35:24.quietly arguing against it and I personally wish they would shout a
:35:24. > :35:28.bit more and say the Liberal Democrats are making Britain fairer
:35:28. > :35:34.in difficult circumstances. I think that would help us in the opinion
:35:34. > :35:37.polls. What they are doing is in the right direction and doing more
:35:37. > :35:43.and more. In terms of differentiation, Mark, there seems
:35:43. > :35:51.to be more of that, but talking about coalition partners negatively
:35:51. > :35:56.is that good for morale? I think there's a delicate line to be
:35:56. > :36:00.trodden. People like Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander have to be careful
:36:00. > :36:05.about how they say it. That didn't stop Vince Cable from having a jibe
:36:05. > :36:11.at Andrew Mitchell when he made some reference to the pleb comment
:36:11. > :36:15.- the alleged pleb comment and that went down well. He got a big laugh
:36:15. > :36:18.and applause. Little things like that. Let's face it, it's not as if
:36:18. > :36:24.the Conservatives not above little digs rkes so it's our conference
:36:24. > :36:28.and there's -- digs, so it's our conference and there's bound to be
:36:28. > :36:31.a few things. The line between the two is getting blurred and we're in
:36:32. > :36:35.the position where things are being done, but it's done under the radar,
:36:35. > :36:40.because they can't turn around and say they've got to change. They
:36:40. > :36:42.have to do it in a political way. David, is there a tipping point for
:36:42. > :36:49.Liberal Democrats if the polls don't improve that Nick Clegg's
:36:49. > :36:52.out? I don't think it's up to Liberal Democrat MPs and it
:36:52. > :36:57.certainly isn't up to conference delegates like us. I think Nick
:36:57. > :37:03.Clegg will make that decision. He's a smart cookie. If the poll ratings
:37:03. > :37:06.are much, much worse than the party's or if there is specific
:37:06. > :37:10.polls showing we would do better and the election is closer, I think
:37:10. > :37:16.he'll take that into account. I agree, it's not the time now to
:37:16. > :37:20.talk about a leadership challenge. What we want to say is nick, please
:37:20. > :37:27.differentiate a bit more, please shout a bit more proudly and a bit
:37:27. > :37:30.more specifically about what we ask for as well as achievements and
:37:30. > :37:33.recognise that a lot of Lib Dems are a little concerned about the
:37:33. > :37:37.way the economy is going. If he does that then I think the ratings
:37:37. > :37:44.will start to improve. Certainly, the mood in the party will improve.
:37:44. > :37:48.Gentlemen, thank you. Down in blight tonne, Nick Clegg's been
:37:48. > :37:52.giving interviews to the regional newspapers and the Birmingham Post,
:37:52. > :37:55.is carrying a story quoting with him saying, "If you don't like me,
:37:55. > :37:58.vote Labour." David Cameron will appear on the David Letterman show
:37:58. > :38:07.in the United States. He's the first serving British Prime
:38:07. > :38:11.Minister to do so. It's late at night. Will it be the lamb to the
:38:11. > :38:14.slaughter or his credibility take a hit? Does he have a sense of
:38:14. > :38:21.humour? Look at this from another British politician, who was on the
:38:21. > :38:25.show earlier this year. So, how long have you been cutting your own
:38:25. > :38:32.hair? Laugh 456
:38:32. > :38:37.-- LAUGHTER. Don't you think that was a low blow.
:38:37. > :38:41.I think it was. Look at mine! That's true. I thought I was
:38:41. > :38:45.beginning to think I can got through this more or less unscathed.
:38:45. > :38:51.Is there a possibility you could become Prime Minister? I think that
:38:51. > :38:55.is vanishing. I've about as much chance of being reincarnated as an
:38:55. > :39:02.olive. Do you think the hair is holding you back? Until you
:39:02. > :39:06.mentioned it tonight I've never regarded it as a drawback. Well, it
:39:06. > :39:15.was quite funny. The American writer and broadcaster Bonnie Greer
:39:15. > :39:19.is with us. Welcome back to the programme. You can see Boris
:39:19. > :39:23.handled him because he's a comedian, but do you think David Cameron can
:39:23. > :39:30.handle him? No. I first thing that I thought when I heard this, I just
:39:30. > :39:36.went, why is he doing this? I had to examine why I thought that. I
:39:36. > :39:41.think a lot of people think that Letterman's a chat show, because
:39:41. > :39:46.he's in the guise and it's late at night, but it's the landscape of
:39:46. > :39:52.his mind and as a New Yorker it's also about New York. You have to be
:39:52. > :39:57.able to play that and be there. Especially as an English man of the
:39:57. > :40:05.Prime Minister's class. Hugh Grant pulled it off after the Miss Divine
:40:05. > :40:09.Brown thing. He came on in the guise of a man they would expect a
:40:09. > :40:14.guy to come on. Cameron doesn't foe how he'll be dealt with. You have
:40:15. > :40:19.to know what the whole thing is. I just hope that Cameron isn't a fan
:40:19. > :40:23.of Letterman because the audience will smell that and they'll grill
:40:23. > :40:26.him. By British standards he's not a very tough interviewer. American
:40:26. > :40:33.interviewers aren't tough, but he comes out with a quip when you left
:40:33. > :40:39.expect it, like the one with the Boris hair? That's my point. Three
:40:39. > :40:43.million watch the show, so he can come off of left field while
:40:43. > :40:52.Cameron's talking about the agenda. You can't do that on that?
:40:52. > :40:58.course, not. They'll ask about The Duchess and her breasts and plebs
:40:58. > :41:02.and all this kind of stuff. He'll have to balance that out. Here's
:41:02. > :41:08.the question - why is he doing it? As I said before, I hope he doesn't
:41:08. > :41:14.ask to do this show. I hope he didn't set it up. I hope he didn't
:41:15. > :41:21.say, "I'm a real fan." When British States they appear on the Today
:41:21. > :41:26.Show and Meet the Press and on Good Morning America and do 60 Minutes.
:41:26. > :41:34.They don't do the funny. Has Tony Blair done it? He did. He was known.
:41:34. > :41:41.He was - Everybody knew him in America. I think we have a few
:41:41. > :41:48.clips from David Cameron's outings on previous these type of shows.
:41:48. > :41:55.Can I ask you a question? How old where you were when now laidy
:41:55. > :42:02.Thatcher was first elected? About 12, 13. That's a time in a boy's
:42:02. > :42:08.life when you look around for women who are attractive. This is the
:42:08. > :42:14.moment I realise why politicians never come on this show. I put it
:42:14. > :42:21.to you, Sir, that as a young man you may have rejected the
:42:21. > :42:28.possibility, but I think you probably considered Margaret
:42:28. > :42:36.Thatcher in a Khanal fashion? -- carnal fashion, as we all did?
:42:36. > :42:39.We are not talking about politics. I wasn't really following it all
:42:39. > :42:43.very closely. I'm concerned did you think of her as a woman? Pin-up
:42:43. > :42:48.material? No. You didn't want to see her in stocksings?
:42:48. > :42:58.Politicians have to think about what we say and the trouble with
:42:58. > :43:01.
:43:01. > :43:04.Twitter, the instance too many twits might make a twit. Do you now
:43:04. > :43:07.regret when once asked what your favourite joke was you relied Nick
:43:07. > :43:17.Clegg and Deputy Prime Minister, what do you think of that? We are
:43:17. > :43:22.all going to have, I'm afraid I did say that once. We are all going to
:43:22. > :43:28.have things that we said thrown back at us. Quickly, how do you
:43:28. > :43:31.sleep at night? I've always been able to sleep OK. If you work hard
:43:31. > :43:34.in the day and try to get your stuff done and try to get it behind
:43:34. > :43:37.you, because at the end of the day if you are exhausted you'll make
:43:37. > :43:44.wrong decisions so you have to get a good night's sleep. On that note,
:43:45. > :43:48.we're all off to bed. We're not. He's had some practice. He comes
:43:48. > :43:52.across as the charming publishman and the Americans will like that.
:43:52. > :43:56.He's quite good on his feet, but I would suggest to you that the only
:43:56. > :44:05.reason for doing this programme can be that you want to be better known
:44:05. > :44:10.in America? And he'll be better known for being a sprendrick --
:44:10. > :44:15.spendrick. Letterman will use him to make a point he might feel about
:44:15. > :44:22.Britain. This week, with the Emmys, there was a point made about all of
:44:22. > :44:26.the English and British actors in American TV. There's not a lot of
:44:26. > :44:31.warm feeling going on in the media, because so many great English and
:44:31. > :44:35.British actors are taking jobs. That's about acting. The American
:44:35. > :44:44.public love it. Downton Abbey is huge. I know, but they made a note
:44:44. > :44:49.of it and made a point at the Emmys, so Cameron will be put up against
:44:49. > :44:53.that. The Duchess of Cambridge will figure. That may be the case. I
:44:54. > :44:59.think he'll survive. Letterman will be kind. He's not like us. Do you
:44:59. > :45:04.want to make a bet? We have had some suggestions here. We asked
:45:04. > :45:13.people to tweet questions that he should be asked. Frankie says,
:45:13. > :45:23."What's a pleb? How are he and Sam coping with austerity?" Maurice,
:45:23. > :45:32.
:45:32. > :45:36."Should people who abuse and swear I think that if he is on the show,
:45:36. > :45:41.he wants him to be on the show. He will be kind to him but he will
:45:41. > :45:49.make fun of him. Cameron one need to be it on his toes because the
:45:49. > :45:52.audience will demand it. That is what they like. Now who's got the
:45:52. > :45:56.balls to vote against Nick Clegg being Lib Dem leader at the next
:45:56. > :46:01.election? Here's Adam. Yesterday we were talking about leadership. We
:46:01. > :46:08.were asking delegates, in 2015, do want to be led by Nick Clegg or
:46:08. > :46:17.not? I am for Nick. He has taken a lot of flak. That would have
:46:17. > :46:26.crushed a normal politician. Go on then. I will put that in in a
:46:26. > :46:32.moment. Is that a coded signal? seat if I can get it in. Missed
:46:33. > :46:37.again. -- let's see. Are you pondering for dramatic effect?
:46:37. > :46:44.pondering. I do not have a viable alternative in mind. I think Nick
:46:44. > :46:50.Clegg is very good. I'm not sure how much good it will do us in 2015.
:46:50. > :46:58.Did any of you see ourselves as leaders of the party? -- do any of
:46:58. > :47:04.you? I would like to be. I would not want to be leader of the party.
:47:04. > :47:10.I would rather be Chief Whip. not? I think the apology was the
:47:10. > :47:15.right thing to do. It was two-and- a-half years to make. We have lost
:47:15. > :47:22.many councillors, including myself. We lost seats at the last election
:47:22. > :47:32.and we did not gain seats. We need a fresh start. Have you seen what
:47:32. > :47:32.
:47:32. > :47:39.we are doing today? This is not who should stay as BBC political editor.
:47:39. > :47:46.That would look like a political judgment. What if he belt out and
:47:46. > :47:56.went to work in Brussels in 2014? - - bailed out. Would you be upset?
:47:56. > :47:58.
:47:58. > :48:05.would be upset. I would vote for Tim Farron. Definitely! You are
:48:05. > :48:14.ruling yourself out for the leadership. Why on earth should we
:48:14. > :48:21.dump Nick Clegg? I need to take out two off his balls. I saw you voting
:48:21. > :48:31.for not. I was hoping no one would notice. I think it is a Gordon
:48:31. > :48:36.Brown effect. Regretted afterwards. -- you regret it afterwards. Some
:48:36. > :48:42.party members do not want you to hang around until 2015 but look at
:48:42. > :48:46.the massive majority that does. say, stick that in your ball box,
:48:46. > :48:53.media. That is the real story and not what the media wants to tell.
:48:53. > :48:58.She told him. John Kampfner and Stephen Tall are still with us. Is
:48:58. > :49:02.that a fair reflection of what the party things? Are they being
:49:03. > :49:08.dutifully loyal? I think it has been the conference that did not
:49:08. > :49:14.bark when it comes to leadership. A lot of speculation coming in that
:49:14. > :49:21.there would be chapter in the park at night. There has been idle
:49:21. > :49:26.speculation. -- chatter in the bath. I think now, Nick Clegg is
:49:26. > :49:35.determined to fight the next election as leader of the Lib Dems.
:49:35. > :49:39.Let's have a brief look at the potential successes. -- successor
:49:39. > :49:45.was. Vince Cable and Tim Farron. Are there others who could
:49:45. > :49:51.potentially takeover? Any of these figures, when you are asked, you
:49:51. > :49:54.say he is doing a fantastic job and long may he continue. When there is
:49:54. > :50:01.a campaign, the Lib Dems have proven themselves remarkably adept
:50:01. > :50:05.at getting rid of leaders. They have got rid of quite a few.
:50:05. > :50:15.Tories are far more fractures. The Parliamentary Party is pretty much
:50:15. > :50:23.open season now. The only person who is consistently - almost daily
:50:23. > :50:32.denouncing Nick Clegg and Plan A - is in the House of Lords. That is
:50:32. > :50:35.Lord Oakeshott. The extent of the discipline is... A standing.
:50:35. > :50:41.point that Polly Toynbee made earlier, a lot of those who are
:50:41. > :50:46.really cheesed off have just left the party. If you agree with that,
:50:46. > :50:51.is that the reason? The question about who might succeed Nick Clegg
:50:51. > :50:54.if he were kicked out come step down whatever, if the polls do not
:50:54. > :51:01.improve. Of a seat in -- implications and that he they
:51:01. > :51:06.should do the coalition revs. -- obviously implications. It is hard
:51:06. > :51:12.to imagine how that should happen. Can he looked down the camera lens
:51:12. > :51:16.at the next leaders' debate and say trust me? That is the crunch
:51:16. > :51:21.question that the Lib Dems and Nick Clegg have to answer. It was the
:51:22. > :51:28.policy on tuition fees from Vince Cable that landed Nick Clegg in hot
:51:28. > :51:31.water. It is interesting that Vince Cable is being touted as caretaker
:51:31. > :51:36.leader who might win back some of the deserters from the party but
:51:36. > :51:42.Nick Clegg had to make the apology for it. He could do we do with
:51:42. > :51:48.Labour, couldn't he? I also think Nick Clegg could. Labour would not
:51:48. > :51:53.do a deal with him. There is wrong number sides of this was they have
:51:53. > :52:00.both had a lot of personal acrimony to get in there. -- sides of this.
:52:00. > :52:04.It is entirely right and proper. It may be out of their hands and one
:52:04. > :52:12.party gets majority. You should remove all acrimony and polite the
:52:12. > :52:16.deal with whoever there is to do a deal with. I will politely mediate
:52:16. > :52:21.on. And we're joined now by Lib Dem Party President, the man who told
:52:21. > :52:28.Conference that he looks good on the dance floor, Tim Farron. You
:52:28. > :52:32.chose, don't vaulter by Lauren Laverne, as to warm up song at the
:52:32. > :52:42.rally. You lost the House of Lords reform and the Porsche a
:52:42. > :52:43.
:52:43. > :52:48.representation. You have lost hundreds of councillors. -- and
:52:48. > :52:54.proportional representation. have had to end a half years in
:52:54. > :52:58.government. You are banned -- to end a half years in government. You
:52:58. > :53:01.are bound to make decisions which will make people uncomfortable. It
:53:01. > :53:06.is hardly surprising we found ourselves not doing well in many
:53:06. > :53:10.elections. There has been a turning around in the last six months or so.
:53:10. > :53:14.The local elections were poor but significantly better than the year
:53:14. > :53:19.before. Three times more seats from the Tories than make took from us.
:53:19. > :53:24.Almost all the incumbent seats we won and we took seats from Labour
:53:24. > :53:28.that we had lost the previous year. Not all rosy and wonderful but this
:53:28. > :53:33.Gwynedd again turning point was that you can see it there are
:53:33. > :53:39.growing resilience and complement - - confidence. It will be hard for
:53:39. > :53:44.us at a time like this. The last seeing a resilient and well lead
:53:44. > :53:48.party to win the battles, making sure we will do well at the next
:53:48. > :53:53.election. You said that voters who abandoned your party were
:53:53. > :53:58.disappointed, angry and perplexed, why? I met many of them. Many
:53:58. > :54:02.people who voted for as would perhaps not have assumed we would
:54:02. > :54:05.get elected. You make decisions in relatively good times that are
:54:06. > :54:10.bound to offend people, if you wander into power and find people
:54:10. > :54:16.in government. Many people thought issues like tuition fees come at
:54:16. > :54:24.the factory working coalition at all, has made people confused. --
:54:24. > :54:31.like tuition fees, the fact we are in a coalition at all. Nine times
:54:31. > :54:36.out of 10, when I speak to people on the doorstep, they come back to
:54:36. > :54:45.us. You say that the Tories do not care about a fairer and more equal
:54:45. > :54:50.society or the green economy. The tree they have as a logo should be
:54:50. > :54:56.replaced by a 747. Having never been on a jet liner yourself?
:54:56. > :55:00.for a few years - deliberately. I take the point are that the
:55:00. > :55:03.Conservatives do want to see the economy recover. If you take as
:55:03. > :55:07.your definition of fairness, where there are those who are the
:55:07. > :55:09.wealthiest, pay affair burden, and those who are the least well-off
:55:09. > :55:14.and struggling on middle-income scholar should not be squeezed
:55:14. > :55:19.further than they already are, we do dig from that definition of
:55:19. > :55:26.fairness. The second half of this Parliament is about the Liberal
:55:26. > :55:36.Democrats arguing politely and cutely in front of the public gaze
:55:36. > :55:36.
:55:37. > :55:43.in favour of Ferrer taxes. -- favour of a fairer taxes. I make
:55:43. > :55:48.the Commons I do, Tiley -- teasing them a little bit over the Tory
:55:48. > :55:54.agenda. They tried to adopt a softer green approach in the run-up
:55:54. > :56:01.to the election. That was quite encouraging. What is not
:56:01. > :56:07.encouraging us some of the rhetoric recently. I think you have a hard
:56:07. > :56:10.road to follow. If this is what you really think about the Tories - you
:56:10. > :56:17.think they do not believe in fairness - they're not interested
:56:17. > :56:24.in economy and their green words do not add up... It be think they are
:56:24. > :56:30.the evil scumbags of the World Cup when you in bed with them? They are
:56:30. > :56:36.your words and not mine. I do not think that. I am involved in
:56:36. > :56:42.politics because I believe very passionately in liberalism. I am
:56:42. > :56:48.passionate about politics. Part of that his understanding pluralism.
:56:48. > :56:55.If I belong to a party that gets a 23% of the boat, I need to talk to
:56:55. > :57:00.other parties. -- the vote. Many of the Tories are reasonable people -
:57:00. > :57:03.most of them. That does not mean I have to agree with them. The
:57:03. > :57:09.wonderful thing about this coalition and how it differs with
:57:09. > :57:15.the last one, this coalition means we can have an upfront argument on
:57:15. > :57:19.the issues that still treat each other like decent human beings. The
:57:19. > :57:24.last Tony Blair/Gordon Brown government had rancorous fighting
:57:24. > :57:29.in the background. You must be very depressed at the polls which show
:57:29. > :57:34.that if Mr Clegg fell under a bus, Vince Cable would be the clear
:57:34. > :57:40.favourite to take over from him. would be very depressed if Nick
:57:40. > :57:44.Clegg went under a bus. I want him to be our leader. I think that he
:57:44. > :57:49.should be and will be our leader for a very long time to come. If
:57:49. > :57:58.you look at what has happened to this party, we have grown hugely as
:57:58. > :58:02.a party in government. You must be depressed that Mr Cable is ahead of
:58:02. > :58:06.you. You are talking about the race that does not exist. I'm talking a
:58:06. > :58:11.what is best for the Liberal Democrats. We need to unite in get
:58:11. > :58:17.behind Nick Clegg and back him all the way to the next election and
:58:17. > :58:20.beyond. -- getting behind. I spoke to Nick Clegg before the apology. I
:58:20. > :58:25.was struck by the fact that had come completely from the heart. No
:58:25. > :58:29.one told him to do it. There he said this was the moment to do that.
:58:29. > :58:37.I think we will see an unblocking of pupils is and respect for him as
:58:37. > :58:42.a person needing a party for many years to come. -- people's ears.