Conference Special

:00:05. > :00:10.The Liberal Democrats continue their autumn party conference in Glasgow

:00:10. > :00:12.with debates on the economy, taxes and benefits and a keynote speech

:00:12. > :00:54.from Business Secretary Vince Cable. Afternoon, folks, welcome to the

:00:55. > :00:58.Daily Politics Conference Special. Today's headlines from Glasgow: Lib

:00:58. > :01:01.Dems get down to business with a debate on the economy. Nick Clegg

:01:01. > :01:12.wants conference to back Government policy, but some activists want more

:01:12. > :01:47.focus on employment and growth. Vince Cable

:01:47. > :01:59.All that in the next hour, as well as an interview with the Energy

:01:59. > :02:03.Secretary, Ed Davey. And with us for the whole programme today is the

:02:03. > :02:10.writer, broadcaster and prominent Lib Dem supporter John Kampfner.

:02:10. > :02:14.Welcome to the Daily Politics. Well, Nick Clegg was out and about early

:02:14. > :02:16.in his sandals this morning doing the media rounds. I know you were

:02:16. > :02:24.in his sandals this morning doing probably all still in bed, so here's

:02:24. > :02:30.what he had to say to BBC Breakfast when he was asked about a poll in

:02:30. > :02:33.the Independent that suggests 59% of all those who voted Lib Dem at the

:02:33. > :02:36.last election believe the party has got worse in the last three years,

:02:36. > :02:44.last election believe the party has and only 9% believe it has got

:02:44. > :02:50.better. We are in government in difficult times. We came in, stepped

:02:50. > :02:53.up to the plate, rolled up our sleeves, got our hands dirty and got

:02:53. > :02:56.involved in this crucial once in a generation task of rescuing and

:02:56. > :03:02.repairing the British economy, which really was teetering on the edge of

:03:02. > :03:05.repairing the British economy, which the precipice in 2010. Without the

:03:05. > :03:09.Liberal Democrats holding our nerve, we would not now be starting to get

:03:09. > :03:11.a flow of better economic news. It is because we held our nerve. I

:03:11. > :03:14.understand that has unsettled some people, but it was the right thing

:03:14. > :03:17.for the country. Nick Clegg, not set to music!

:03:17. > :03:21.I would suggest he is having quite a good Conference. There is no

:03:21. > :03:25.possibility of any sort of leadership challenge. A confident

:03:25. > :03:30.interview on BBC breakfast yesterday morning, a confident interview on

:03:31. > :03:35.the today programme this morning. We understand he has just won the

:03:35. > :03:44.economy debate. The left-wing alternative was beaten, he won. He

:03:44. > :03:47.is. If you compare it to his first year, year and a half, with

:03:47. > :03:49.situation fees, he said he used to have things thrown through his

:03:49. > :03:53.letterbox and pretty unpleasant thing shouted at him in the Street.

:03:53. > :03:55.It was wondered whether he would survive a couple of years into the

:03:55. > :03:59.Government. You never survive a couple of years into the

:03:59. > :04:05.happen with voters, that he could be the kingmaker again and potentially

:04:05. > :04:09.the next deputy. Given they have been right in the middle of

:04:09. > :04:13.headwinds in terms of the recession and the general mood of gloom in the

:04:13. > :04:19.country, it is a pretty robust performance. But whether you get

:04:19. > :04:23.votes and plaudits for being tough and robust, whether you need to

:04:23. > :04:27.offer a different vision, that is how they are being challenged, how

:04:27. > :04:31.they show they are different from the other two parties. He still has

:04:31. > :04:35.about 18 months to do that. Let's get a sense of the mood at

:04:35. > :04:40.conference and talk to Andrew Grice from the Independent and Isabel

:04:40. > :04:45.Hardman of the Spectator. Isabel, cut to the chase, what is Vince

:04:45. > :04:50.Cable up to? It is a little bit unclear what he was thinking he was

:04:50. > :04:53.doing. He did not want to go into the economy debate because he was

:04:54. > :04:59.doing speech crap, then he decided he would have to come and vote in

:04:59. > :05:04.favour of Nick Clegg 's motion. It is probably because this was

:05:04. > :05:07.supposed to be Vince Cable 's leadership bid conference. Two years

:05:07. > :05:12.ago, people were expecting him to ride on the shoulders of activists.

:05:12. > :05:15.That has not happened. When he walked into the conference hall

:05:15. > :05:21.earlier, the cameras watched him sitting down, looking miserable. He

:05:21. > :05:28.managed to cause a stir but the economy motion was passed without

:05:28. > :05:32.his support, quite overwhelmingly. Are we making too much of the

:05:32. > :05:38.alleged split between Nick Clegg and Vince Cable? There is some

:05:38. > :05:44.substance. Vince Cable has always wanted the coalition to be more

:05:44. > :05:48.flexible with economic strategy. Nick Clegg thinks that as the

:05:48. > :05:52.economic tide is turning and there is a return to growth, it is a

:05:52. > :05:57.stupid time to reopen that argument. If they go back to calling for a

:05:57. > :06:02.Plan B, in Nick Clegg 's words, the Lib Dems will get no credit for the

:06:02. > :06:06.recovery, it will go to George Osborne and the Conservatives. There

:06:06. > :06:10.is confusion about why Vince Cable wants to show difference between

:06:10. > :06:16.himself and Nick Clegg. Even internal polls show that this is a

:06:16. > :06:19.party full of activists who are on the left. Mystic leg is a party full

:06:19. > :06:22.of activists who are on the left. Mystic laggards governing and

:06:22. > :06:28.leading -- leading his party from the centre. Can he do that

:06:28. > :06:32.indefinitely? I think what the debate we have just seen showed is

:06:32. > :06:37.that the left-leaning faction of the party may be the loudest but not

:06:37. > :06:44.necessarily the most powerful. That is dominated by the very well-known

:06:44. > :06:50.Social Liberal Forum, but Liberal Reform, which is more market-based,

:06:50. > :06:55.is going in to the ascendancy. Many people are backing market-based

:06:55. > :06:59.speeches. What is the overall mood in bars go? Every time I have been

:06:59. > :07:04.to a Lib Dem conference since the coalition they are torn between, on

:07:04. > :07:06.the one hand, being happy they are finally in government after all

:07:06. > :07:11.these years and able to do some things, on the other hand, not that

:07:11. > :07:17.happy that they are in power with the Conservatives? That is true.

:07:17. > :07:22.They are growing up as a party. Yesterday they accept that they

:07:22. > :07:25.could not go into the election saying that they would get rid of

:07:25. > :07:29.university tuition fees, a big change since last time. They

:07:29. > :07:35.embraced nuclear power, a big U-turn. They have rallied behind

:07:35. > :07:39.Nick Clegg on the economy. Is a painful process, but I think they

:07:39. > :07:44.are along the road what Nick Clegg want, a party of permanent

:07:44. > :07:48.government, not a protest party in the comfort zone of opposition where

:07:48. > :07:50.they can vote against anything the Government was doing. I think we are

:07:50. > :07:59.seeing a transformation along the lines that Nick Legge wanted. Do you

:07:59. > :08:03.agree? I think the votes vindicate the leadership strategy of

:08:03. > :08:08.confronting activists. One MP said it is a scab picking conference,

:08:08. > :08:12.where they talk about some of the difficult issues. The scab picking

:08:12. > :08:17.has paid off so far, although we have a debate on the 50p tax, which

:08:17. > :08:21.the leadership is briefing that they will lose. I gather from yesterday

:08:21. > :08:29.pulls-macro speech that Ed Davey is now using Sarah tether 's joke

:08:29. > :08:37.right? It was that bad? Is that right? It was quite painful. He had

:08:37. > :08:42.a good narrative about fighting Owen Paterson but he peppered it with

:08:42. > :08:48.terrible jokes. Where they bad, Andy? He tried to say he was

:08:48. > :08:53.fracking responsible for exposing the hyperbole of the Tories on

:08:53. > :08:59.fracking. But after his first joke fell flat he should have drawn

:08:59. > :09:05.stumps, skipped a few pages and got onto his serious message. It was a

:09:05. > :09:09.joke too far. When I interviewed him later, I will tell him to avoid the

:09:10. > :09:11.jokes. Thank you both for joining us, enjoy your time in the fair city

:09:11. > :09:14.jokes. Thank you both for joining of Glasgow.

:09:14. > :09:17.Now it's time for our daily quiz. The question is, which sport did

:09:18. > :09:21.Nick Clegg not try his hand at yesterday? Table football, pitch and

:09:21. > :09:28.putt or beach volleyball. At the end of the show, John will give us the

:09:28. > :09:35.correct answer. You will get is the correct answer? You don't know it,

:09:35. > :09:37.do you? I saw a photograph of one that he certainly did. That is not

:09:37. > :09:40.the question. Whisper it quietly, but after three

:09:40. > :09:46.years of little or no growth the economy appears to be recovering. A

:09:46. > :09:49.bit. Somewhat. At last. And one half of the coalition certainly seems to

:09:49. > :09:53.be happy to take the credit, with George Osborne boldly declaring last

:09:53. > :09:56.week that the UK is turning a corner. What is around that corner

:09:56. > :10:00.is another matter. But what of the other half of the coalition? Well,

:10:00. > :10:03.Nick Clegg certainly thinks Lib Dems should be loud and proud about their

:10:03. > :10:06.economic achievements, while those on the left of his party feel pretty

:10:06. > :10:09.uncomfortable about any taking credit for what they call

:10:09. > :10:13.Osbornonomics. The internal Lib Dem row over economic policy is in the

:10:13. > :10:16.spotlight today in Glasgow. Nick Clegg wanted party members to

:10:16. > :10:18.endorse the coalition's deficit reduction plan, but left-leaning

:10:18. > :10:21.activists from the Social Liberal Forum tabled an amendment calling on

:10:21. > :10:34.the plan to be rebalanced with more flexible policy on the pace of

:10:34. > :10:38.deficit reduction. Ie slower deficit-reduction. They also want

:10:38. > :10:42.some councils to be allowed to borrow more to build an extra

:10:42. > :10:50.300,000 new homes a year, as well as the reintroduction of the 50p higher

:10:50. > :10:56.rate of tax. There was some speculation over whether Vince Cable

:10:56. > :11:04.would even turn up today. He was thought to be unhappy. When did that

:11:04. > :11:09.happen? ! He was thought to be unhappy that the motion did not draw

:11:09. > :11:14.on some of the amendments tabled by the party. There are rumours that he

:11:14. > :11:17.is not entirely happy with some of the Government 's economic policies.

:11:17. > :11:21.He is particularly concerned that the recovery is not sustainable,

:11:21. > :11:25.especially with the potential for another housing bubble thanks to the

:11:25. > :11:29.Government 's help to buy mortgage scheme. In a newspaper interview

:11:29. > :11:32.over the weekend he said the danger lights had been flashing for some

:11:32. > :11:35.time over rising house prices. Well, this morning Lib Dems have backed

:11:35. > :11:43.Nick Clegg in his motion on the economy. Here are some highlights

:11:43. > :11:49.from the debate. On Sunday the 9th of March 2008,

:11:49. > :11:54.Nick made his first speech as Lib Dem leader. I would like to remind

:11:54. > :11:57.you of what you said and how much we welcomed these words. You said, I

:11:57. > :12:02.will never allow the Liberal Democrat to be a mere annex to

:12:02. > :12:08.another party pulls-macro agenda. Conference, unamended, this motion

:12:08. > :12:11.would do just that. We must not vote for an ideological merger with the

:12:11. > :12:16.Conservative Party 's economic odysseys.

:12:16. > :12:21.We are the balancing force for whichever party is in Government, we

:12:21. > :12:26.are able to put Labour 's spending excess in check and we are able to

:12:26. > :12:31.make sure the Conservative Party remains fair. That is the message I

:12:31. > :12:35.need to be able to say on the doorstep to win in Hampstead and

:12:35. > :12:39.Kilburn. That will only resonate if we stay the course on this motion,

:12:39. > :12:43.if we stay the course with the fiscal mandate.

:12:43. > :12:49.I want the party leadership to talk more about housing, to shout about

:12:49. > :12:54.it from the rooftops. The shortage of private and public housing is a

:12:54. > :12:57.social and, yes, economic crisis in this country that never seems to get

:12:57. > :13:02.to the Cabinet table. We should be building more new homes, social and

:13:02. > :13:07.private. We should not be inflating another housing bubble.

:13:07. > :13:10.The evidence is that the original planning of George Osborne has been

:13:10. > :13:16.a disaster. If you look across the piece, if you not selective, such as

:13:16. > :13:20.the proposals of the motion, if you look across the piece, the original

:13:20. > :13:24.Osborne planning has been a disaster. Fortunately, people like

:13:24. > :13:28.Vince Cable and others have gently finessed away from the original

:13:28. > :13:34.planning. There is a lot of good in the body of this motion, which I

:13:34. > :13:38.wholly support. But what I am asking you to do today is a vote in favour

:13:38. > :13:44.of three things. Amendment one, Amendment two and intellectual

:13:44. > :13:47.honesty. If we reject the two amendments we will be going into the

:13:47. > :13:51.election with a miserable little compromise. 50 years ago this

:13:51. > :13:55.weekend, we talked about marching towards the sound of gunfire. I want

:13:55. > :14:04.the ammunition to fight that battle and win. In government, the Liberal

:14:04. > :14:09.Democrats have delivered. I will not repeat everything everybody else

:14:09. > :14:12.says that, time is short. But it there has been a lot of pain in that

:14:13. > :14:18.process. And to now think about jumping ship just as things are

:14:18. > :14:24.starting to improve seems to me to not be a very rational or sensible

:14:24. > :14:34.decision. Nick, I bid you to accept the whole amendment. You are not

:14:34. > :14:39.alone Ranger and we are not Tonto. Please show the world that we are an

:14:39. > :14:42.independent policy and we have a better taken on a policy than the

:14:42. > :14:46.Tories. That was the flavour of the economic

:14:46. > :14:50.bait. It was thought to cause problems for the party leadership

:14:50. > :14:51.but in the end, the party one. Jeremy Browne joins me now from

:14:51. > :15:04.Glasgow. Vince Cable says there are dangers

:15:04. > :15:16.signs of a housing bubble. The Vince Cable says there are dangers

:15:16. > :15:22.Government is right. It has the right policy. It is about slowly

:15:22. > :15:27.implementing policy - getting the country back on its feet. Part of

:15:27. > :15:30.that is about recovery in the housing market. We want a boy

:15:30. > :15:40.galloping ahead and escalation of house prices -- we want to avoid a

:15:40. > :15:44.galloping ahead. We do not want to repeat the problem. That is why the

:15:44. > :15:48.Government is being cautious in its problems generally inquiry are not

:15:48. > :15:53.getting ahead of ourselves and taking things step by step. I think

:15:53. > :15:59.we have the right policy. You say the Government is right. Both Vince

:15:59. > :16:06.Cable and Mr Alexander are members of the Government. It would seem

:16:06. > :16:11.you side with Danny Alexander. That is the Government's policy. Danny

:16:11. > :16:15.Alexander is a Treasury Minister, which is the responsible government

:16:15. > :16:22.department. I think the whole government is united behind that

:16:22. > :16:23.policy. Is it true that bins Cable and Danny Alex Song are barely on

:16:23. > :16:38.policy. Is it true that bins Cable speaking terms? -- Vince Cable and

:16:38. > :16:45.Danny Alexander. I am not able to see the relationship in the Cabinet.

:16:45. > :16:48.They seem to be working together as far as I can see. The Government is

:16:48. > :16:53.They seem to be working together as united in its purpose. The Liberal

:16:53. > :16:57.Democrats in the Government a very determined we see through the

:16:57. > :17:04.economic rebuilding of our country after the ruinous state it was in

:17:04. > :17:09.three, four, five years ago. We are on part to get our country back on

:17:09. > :17:13.track. It is a slow and incremental process. The Liberal Democrats were

:17:13. > :17:19.strongly committed to seeing it through. Isn't it tactically less

:17:19. > :17:23.than the siege - just as many people think the economy is now

:17:23. > :17:29.coming right after three years' hard pounding - for many Lib Dems,

:17:29. > :17:35.led by Vince Cable, to be questioning whether the economic

:17:35. > :17:40.policy was right or not? I strongly agree with your question. The

:17:40. > :17:44.Liberal Democrats have shown commitment to resilience can afford

:17:44. > :17:51.to do in government. We have stuck to our guns. -- resilience,

:17:51. > :17:56.fortitude in government. We are now in a position where the country

:17:56. > :18:01.appears to be starting to turn a corner. We are not there yet. We're

:18:01. > :18:06.off our knees and on our feet again. We are not yet fully up and running.

:18:07. > :18:09.We need to see this job through. The Lib Dems should be unequivocal.

:18:10. > :18:15.We need to see this job through. We have been instrumental to the

:18:15. > :18:18.success of this government. The decisions this government has taken

:18:18. > :18:24.on economic policy have been labelled Democrat decisions as much

:18:24. > :18:33.as conservative decisions. -- Liberal Democrat. There difficult

:18:33. > :18:37.decisions -- the Liberal Democrats need to ask themselves, are we

:18:37. > :18:42.proud of our government of the ashamed of it? We should be

:18:42. > :18:46.unequivocally proud of it. We should not be bashful about our

:18:46. > :18:52.achievements. The achievements are just as much a result of Liberal

:18:52. > :18:56.Democrat policies as they are conservative ones. Talking about

:18:57. > :19:03.your own department, you want to start a debate about banning young

:19:03. > :19:10.Muslim women from wearing the veil. Why do you want to do that? There

:19:10. > :19:13.is a debate already. There is a debate that people discuss at her

:19:14. > :19:24.name, they discuss it in schools and the media. It is legitimate. --

:19:24. > :19:29.at home. Mainstream liberal-minded politician should be engaging in

:19:29. > :19:33.public debates which are matters of the national interest to people

:19:33. > :19:37.across the country. It would be regrettable if the only people who

:19:37. > :19:40.are willing to talk about this issue publicly were people with

:19:40. > :19:45.extremist political views. I want us to value freedom of religious

:19:45. > :19:49.expression. We have a proud tradition in this country of

:19:49. > :20:02.religious tolerance. I do not want religious majority opinion to

:20:02. > :20:06.impose itself. We can talk about how we can have a harmonious

:20:06. > :20:12.society where everybody feels a full participant in that society.

:20:12. > :20:19.There is debate happening. IG not have necessarily fixed fees. I have

:20:19. > :20:23.not necessarily come to a conclusion. We may come to

:20:23. > :20:28.differing conclusions were rethink about and analyse these issues. It

:20:28. > :20:32.is a good subject to debate. We should be confident about

:20:32. > :20:38.discussing how we can make our country a harmonious and inclusive

:20:38. > :20:41.country. You have said in an article or newspaper interview,

:20:41. > :20:50.you're concerned about where the girl should feel a compulsion to

:20:50. > :20:55.wear a veil. -- where the girls. Is it not hard to determine those who

:20:55. > :21:01.are wearing it because they want to and those who wear it because they

:21:01. > :21:07.are being forced to? My starting position is that I am very keen to

:21:07. > :21:12.protect religious minority expression. I ate her in this

:21:12. > :21:15.debate on not going down the path of trying to tell people what they

:21:16. > :21:21.should wear and restrict what they should wear. Most people attending

:21:21. > :21:25.school, at school age, what they wear is restricted. They are

:21:25. > :21:30.obliged to wear school uniform of some sort. I was only making an

:21:30. > :21:34.observation when talking to the newspapers that we, as a society,

:21:34. > :21:39.one people to have freedom of choice but we to restrict that for

:21:39. > :21:44.people under the age of 18 in a whole variety of ways. We think

:21:44. > :21:48.they have not yet got sufficient maturity to exercise those choices

:21:48. > :21:52.they have not yet got sufficient in the way that an adult could. I

:21:52. > :22:00.suppose there is a legitimate debate about whether women should

:22:00. > :22:07.be able to wear veils and because. I am overwhelmingly instinctive

:22:07. > :22:13.with you that they should be. They are adults and expressing that

:22:13. > :22:18.opinion. I have a predisposition to protecting religious opinion. There

:22:18. > :22:23.is escape about whether children are able to exercise those choices

:22:24. > :22:29.in quite the same way as women can. I do not have a conclusive you on

:22:29. > :22:33.it. Nearly every child who goes to school wears a uniform already.

:22:33. > :22:37.There are restricted in all sorts of ways. This is something that

:22:37. > :22:41.mainstream politicians can reasonably discuss. In the party's

:22:41. > :22:46.official talking points that were sent this morning to MPs like

:22:46. > :22:54.yourself, appearing on programme's like this, I'm sure you have a copy.

:22:54. > :23:00.By mistake we were also sent a copy, for which we are very grateful. One

:23:00. > :23:06.talking point is that an example of the Tory backbench being beyond the

:23:06. > :23:22.pale, your party says they wanted to ban the backer. -- burkha. Sarah

:23:22. > :23:27.Wollaston is a Conservative MP in Devon. She is famously independent-

:23:27. > :23:31.minded. I think she occasionally causes some frustration in the

:23:31. > :23:34.leadership or her party and maybe people in other parties as well. No

:23:34. > :23:38.leadership or her party and maybe one would regard her as an extreme

:23:38. > :23:43.political figure. She has mainstream views. She has broadly

:23:43. > :23:48.quite liberal views. She has expressed some opinions on this

:23:48. > :23:51.subject in the media today as well. What I suppose I caution you about

:23:51. > :23:56.is I do not think we should close down debate. I do not want to have

:23:56. > :24:01.a situation where only people with marginal extreme views feel able to

:24:01. > :24:02.discuss these issues. In private, people of all religious Bates to

:24:02. > :24:09.discuss these issues under scour people of all religious Bates to

:24:09. > :24:18.how we can have -- and discuss how we can have a harmonious society.

:24:18. > :24:20.There were five things you had to a member for every interview this

:24:20. > :24:27.morning. I think you got three of them. That is not bad. You missed

:24:27. > :24:32.out the economy and that the Conservatives cannot build a fairer

:24:32. > :24:38.society. Three out of five is pretty good so far. You plug this

:24:38. > :24:46.two and between us we will get the 4th one. You plug them and then a

:24:46. > :24:52.question you! Thank you for joining us. You are deep into freedom

:24:52. > :25:12.issues. Where on view on banning the frail? -- veil or the burkha?

:25:12. > :25:14.It is about people not feeling constrained. It is about

:25:14. > :25:24.termination to take offence. That has been almost elevated into a

:25:24. > :25:28.human right. -- determination. Issues around gender politics or

:25:28. > :25:35.whatever are circumscribed because of this determination by a vocal

:25:35. > :25:42.minority to take offence. The facts of the debate itself, where every

:25:42. > :25:55.it ends up, is a good name. -- wherever it ends up. I am more in

:25:55. > :25:57.the British position of freedom of expression. Yesterday on the Sunday

:25:58. > :26:01.Politics, Paddy Ashdown told me that the Lib Dems are a centre-left

:26:01. > :26:05.party but that it would be up to voters to decide whether the Lib

:26:05. > :26:09.Dems would go into a coalition with the Tories or Labour after the next

:26:09. > :26:12.election. Adam has been busy talking to Lib Dem activists and

:26:12. > :26:20.party members in Glasgow to test Lord Ashdown's theory. Here at the

:26:20. > :26:26.Lib Dem conference there is loads of talk about whether the party is

:26:26. > :26:31.Centre Left, a bit left, a bit right, so, we're asking delegates,

:26:31. > :26:36.who would they rather go into coalition with? The Tories or

:26:37. > :26:44.Labour? Who is your favourite coalition partner? Why Labour? I

:26:44. > :26:49.feel closer to them in underlying philosophy. Has it been tricky

:26:49. > :26:56.being in bed with the Tories? A bit. My heart says layback and my brain

:26:56. > :27:02.says the Tories. You are physically conflicted. -- Labour. The Tories

:27:02. > :27:06.are more likely to compromise in the national interest. Nick Clegg

:27:06. > :27:11.is going to have to separate the head from the rest of your body. It

:27:11. > :27:15.will be a difficult decision to make. I would rather cut of my left

:27:15. > :27:21.leg before they go into coalition with the Tories again. Disabled

:27:21. > :27:27.benefits and benefits in general have been most upsetting. I find Ed

:27:27. > :27:35.Miliband a totally ineffective leader and I would not want to find

:27:35. > :27:40.a government run by such a weak man. We have been at this for quite some

:27:40. > :27:44.time. The boxes are not really getting that full. Loads of people

:27:44. > :27:48.put the balls on the floor because they do not want to vote for either.

:27:48. > :27:55.There will be of the people who will be balanced between the Labour

:27:55. > :28:03.Party and the Tory Party. -- other people. It is quite a tricky

:28:03. > :28:13.proposition. Oh, horror, horror! Dangling in the middle. Down to the

:28:13. > :28:23.voters. The electorate will decide. Where does your heart lead you -

:28:23. > :28:30.Labour or the Tories? You vote in a slot that matches your view. I do

:28:30. > :28:37.not think there are enough slots. It is all about what we can get.

:28:37. > :28:43.That sounds mercenary. It is all about the people who vote for us,

:28:43. > :28:49.what they get out of it. I'm not going to pick. I can predict

:28:49. > :28:53.exactly what you're going to say. I say, who is your preferred

:28:53. > :29:01.coalition partner next time around? You say, we let the voters decide.

:29:01. > :29:13.Dean that down. Let's both go her name. Most of the balls have gone

:29:13. > :29:17.in the Labour box. -- let's both go home. It is coming up to 12:30pm

:29:17. > :29:20.here on BBC Two. Let's take a look inside the conference hall in

:29:20. > :29:22.Glasgow as delegates wait to hear Vince Cable's keynote speech. Our

:29:22. > :29:33.deputy political editor, James Landale, joins me now.

:29:33. > :29:40.A good morning for the leadership, they won the economy debate so they

:29:40. > :29:45.can continue to take credit, but Mr Cable and his people really causing

:29:45. > :29:51.mischief? Mischief is a pretty good word. To allow a story like this

:29:51. > :29:55.about whether he will vote for the leadership or not, will he even

:29:55. > :29:59.attend the debate, to allow that to last for a whole new cycle and then

:29:59. > :30:03.do a rush to the rescue at the end, I spoke to a Lib Dem minister who

:30:03. > :30:10.said it is like Vince Cable being Gordon Brown to Nick Clegg 's Tony

:30:10. > :30:14.Blair. It is a little bit of vanity, some genuine difference about

:30:14. > :30:19.economic tone and a little bit of flirtation with the left of the

:30:20. > :30:22.party. What he says is crucial and we will listen to him fairly soon.

:30:22. > :30:29.Let go straight to the hall and to we will listen to him fairly soon.

:30:29. > :30:35.the Business Secretary, Vince Cable. But Glasgow has experienced one part

:30:35. > :30:41.the, that is Labour, rule for decades. I was part of the Labour

:30:41. > :30:48.political machine here in the 1970s. And on one level, it worked

:30:48. > :30:54.well. In sanitary slums were raised to the ground, we built 30,000 new

:30:54. > :31:03.social homes for rent in a decade. Actually, 5001 year, I think on a

:31:03. > :31:10.scale unimaginable today. -- 5000 in one year. But there was tribalism

:31:10. > :31:16.and a culture in which union bosses had excessive influence in picking

:31:16. > :31:20.candidates and deciding policies. Judging by Falkirk and other Labour

:31:20. > :31:29.fiefdoms, nothing very much has changed. That is one major reason

:31:29. > :31:34.why we must not concede to Labour the mantle of radical progressive

:31:34. > :31:42.politics. We must assert our control. We must assert our

:31:42. > :31:48.ownership of that tradition, which in Scotland runs for over a century

:31:48. > :31:57.- Askwith, Gladstone, Charles Kennedy, Bob MacLennan, many others.

:31:57. > :32:06.The challenge today is to reinforce that liberal tradition, which is at

:32:06. > :32:15.risk of being compromised by working on Clydeside. Like you, I have spent

:32:15. > :32:23.most of my political life fighting the Tories, from Glasgow to

:32:23. > :32:28.Twickenham. But despite that, I believe it was both brave and

:32:28. > :32:35.absolutely right for the party, and a Nick Clegg 's leadership, to work

:32:35. > :32:40.with the Tories in an economic emergency, in the national interest.

:32:40. > :32:44.Theresa May once characterised the Tories a decade ago as the nasty

:32:44. > :32:49.party, and after a few years trying to be nice and inclusive it has

:32:49. > :32:59.reverted to type. We have got dog whistle politics orchestrated by an

:32:59. > :33:11.Australian Rottweiler. We have got hostility towards organised Labour

:33:11. > :33:13.that micro-organised labour, people on benefits and immigrant

:33:13. > :33:16.minorities. The list of people the Tories disapprove of this even

:33:16. > :33:21.longer. Public sector workers, especially teachers, the unmarried,

:33:21. > :33:25.people who don't earn property. I suspect their core demographic

:33:25. > :33:29.excludes pretty much anybody who wouldn't have qualified for a vote

:33:29. > :33:39.before the 1867 reform act. APPLAUSE

:33:39. > :33:43.I think these prejudicial as can perhaps be explained in part by

:33:43. > :33:49.their age profile. I suspect I would qualify, not an ideology but on age,

:33:49. > :33:58.to be a member of the Young Conservatives. But I think the other

:33:58. > :34:06.reason is deeper. A cynical calculation that in difficult times

:34:06. > :34:10.fear trumps hope, and that competence requires callousness.

:34:10. > :34:16.fear trumps hope, and that That is not our kind of politics. It

:34:16. > :34:23.is ugly and we will not be dragged down by it. That is why our Liberal

:34:23. > :34:28.Democrat message, about fairness, is absolutely key. That

:34:28. > :34:31.Democrat message, about fairness, is legitimately claim ownership of the

:34:31. > :34:37.tax policies, which have lifted millions of low earners out of

:34:37. > :34:42.income tax. Remember, it is our policy. Don't let the Tories steal

:34:42. > :34:49.it. I can remember in opposition

:34:49. > :34:53.bringing this proposal to this conference at a time when George

:34:53. > :34:57.Osborne's top priority was cutting inheritance tax for millionaires.

:34:57. > :35:02.And our commitment to taxing unproductive wealth, that is

:35:02. > :35:07.valuable property, through the mansion tax, is economic league

:35:07. > :35:13.sensible and popular and, above all, fair. Don't let Labour steel that,

:35:13. > :35:24.either. -- is economic league sensible. Fairness takes so far

:35:24. > :35:34.but, in my view, not far enough. We're not just a nicer version of

:35:34. > :35:37.the Tories. There are fundamental differences about how we create a

:35:37. > :35:41.stronger economy and more jobs. Remember, we are five years on from

:35:41. > :35:45.the biggest market failure of our lifetime. Financial capitalism

:35:45. > :35:51.collapsed and was rescued by the state. Labour was in charge, they

:35:51. > :36:00.had fallen asleep at the wheel and they were negligent. But the

:36:00. > :36:03.Tories' friends and donors were also at the heart of the greed and

:36:03. > :36:13.recklessness that lay behind that disaster. And today they yearn to

:36:13. > :36:17.return to business as usual. Whilst we work with them, as we have to

:36:17. > :36:22.do, pragmatically and constructively, to clear up the

:36:22. > :36:27.mess, we must not allow them to turn the clock back. In essence, the

:36:27. > :36:34.Tories have a very simple world-view, which is private good,

:36:34. > :36:43.public bad. Labour offers the polar opposite. As Liberal Democrats, we

:36:43. > :36:49.value both private and public sector. I support, of course,

:36:49. > :36:54.Private business, big and small, but I also support mutuals and employee

:36:54. > :37:11.ownership. And I don't think even Tony Benn could have claimed to have

:37:11. > :37:15.launched two state-owned banks. The green investment bank, now based

:37:15. > :37:19.in Edinboro, which was promised three years ago, is already

:37:19. > :37:23.committing £685 million to green project is. And the business bank

:37:23. > :37:25.that I launched at conference exactly one year ago, is mobilising

:37:25. > :37:30.private capital to support new banks and local banks. It is the key to

:37:30. > :37:41.stopping the suffocation of good small companies by the big banks. By

:37:41. > :37:46.contrast, the spiritual home of the Conservatives is the United States.

:37:46. > :37:50.They have become the Tea Party Tories. They want to throw overboard

:37:51. > :37:56.any tax or regulation that get in the view of their blinkered small

:37:56. > :38:02.states ideal Jew. Deep down, they believe their are native to

:38:02. > :38:05.unhindered individual self-interest, and interest that

:38:05. > :38:11.attempts to tackle big disparities of interest and health must be on

:38:11. > :38:17.the road of suicide safe -- socialist safety. Our rejection of

:38:17. > :38:23.that dogma leads us to an eclectic mixture of market and regulation. In

:38:23. > :38:27.government, we are, rightly, getting rid of the red tape that throttles

:38:27. > :38:32.small business and holds back entrepreneurs. But some regulation

:38:32. > :38:44.is essential. That is why I work with Ed Davie to resist Tory

:38:44. > :38:51.pressure as it is in their ludicrous bills. It is why we have seen of

:38:51. > :38:58.demands from a Tory donor to make it possible to fire people for no

:38:58. > :39:08.reason whatever. Let nobody tell you... APPLAUSE.Let nobody tell you

:39:08. > :39:12.that Liberal Democrats have not made a difference. Without is in

:39:12. > :39:16.government, we would be ruled by people who think that the problem

:39:16. > :39:22.with this country is that workers have too much job security. Instead,

:39:22. > :39:27.I propose to act against abusive practices in zero-hours contracts,

:39:27. > :39:30.like exclusivity arrangements preventing workers from seeking

:39:30. > :39:35.alternatives even when they are given no work. I have secured

:39:35. > :39:39.agreement in Government to launch a formal consultation on the best

:39:39. > :39:50.mechanism to tackle this abuse. APPLAUSE

:39:50. > :39:56.. We have had to take some tough and necessary economic decisions with

:39:56. > :40:00.the Tories. There is, of course, common ground with them on the need

:40:00. > :40:05.to cut the structural deficit and to promote private enterprise. There is

:40:05. > :40:11.welcome sign of returning confidence in the economy. And let's not get

:40:11. > :40:17.carried away, and let's not get sucked in to a petty point-scoring

:40:17. > :40:22.Tory/Labour Punch and Judy show on sucked in to a petty point-scoring

:40:22. > :40:26.the economy. It took many years of mistakes to create the financial

:40:26. > :40:34.crisis. It has taken as five years to start to dig our way out. We must

:40:34. > :40:38.not now settle for a short-term spurt of growth fuelled by

:40:38. > :40:49.old-fashioned property boom and bankers rediscovering their Mojo.

:40:49. > :40:54.We have seen it all before. There already and amber lights flashing,

:40:54. > :41:14.warning us of history repeating itself. -- that are already amber

:41:14. > :41:17.lights flashing. You will recall from your reading of the old

:41:17. > :41:22.Testament that Jeremiah was right. David Cameron says I am a Jeremiah.

:41:22. > :41:25.He warned that Jerusalem would be overrun by the armies of

:41:25. > :41:30.Nebuchadnezzar, and in my own Book Of Lamentations I described how

:41:30. > :41:34.Gordon Brown's new Jerusalem was overcome by an army of estate

:41:34. > :41:38.agents, property speculators and bankers. The problem we now have is

:41:38. > :41:43.that the invaders are back. They have got a bridgehead in London and

:41:43. > :41:47.the south-east of England. They have got to be stopped. Instead, we need

:41:47. > :41:55.sustainable growth. That involves got to be stopped. Instead, we need

:41:55. > :42:00.rebalancing the economy across the UK in favour of exports and

:42:00. > :42:04.investment, which is the central purpose of our government's

:42:04. > :42:08.industrial strategy. We should celebrate the success of motor

:42:08. > :42:13.vehicles and aerospace and the creative industries and educational

:42:13. > :42:19.exports and the partnership dream business and government in all these

:42:19. > :42:26.areas. Manufacturing is coming back through rebuild supply chains. We

:42:26. > :42:30.are tackling the country's scandalous neglect of skills through

:42:30. > :42:35.our successful relaunching of large-scale apprenticeships. We have

:42:35. > :42:39.given priority to Britain's world-class science and created a

:42:39. > :42:48.chain of innovation centres, the so-called Catapults, of which there

:42:48. > :42:49.two in Glasgow, promoting new technologies for building,

:42:49. > :42:54.manufacturing and offshore renewables. We are building a

:42:54. > :42:57.genuine cross-party consensus around these Government intervention so

:42:58. > :43:04.that they end you are, that make absolutely no mistake. Without the

:43:04. > :43:11.Liberal Democrats in government, they would never have happened.

:43:12. > :43:21.But if sustainable recovery is to be achieved, we must meet the enormous

:43:21. > :43:28.challenge of house-building. Demand growth has been outstripping supply,

:43:28. > :43:32.pushing up rents and prices. Property is simply unaffordable for

:43:32. > :43:37.families without big incomes or access to the Bank Of Mum And Dad.

:43:37. > :43:41.But we are nowhere near it capturing the level of house-building that

:43:41. > :43:46.pulled Britain out of the slump of the 1950s. Anyone had a thousand

:43:46. > :43:52.homes a year are being compared it. That is a quarter to four was

:43:52. > :43:56.achieved in the 1960s -- barely 100,000 homes a year are being

:43:56. > :44:06.compared it, a quarter of what was achieved in the 1960s. Hence the

:44:06. > :44:10.enormous pressure on families trapped by low pay, rising rent

:44:10. > :44:15.enormous pressure on families tighter benefit rules. The priority

:44:16. > :44:23.now is increasing housing supply through both private and public

:44:23. > :44:27.sector. And, Conference, we took a strong step forward this morning

:44:27. > :44:35.with the proposal to give councils greater capacity to get on and build

:44:35. > :44:42.more social housing. What the country desperately wants

:44:42. > :44:47.is delivery of homes, not a dogmatic argument about tender. Now, I hoped

:44:47. > :44:52.that we would find some common ground with the Tories, at least in

:44:52. > :44:58.one area, which is supporting the idea of an open, outward looking

:44:58. > :45:03.country. Indeed, we said with one voice that Britain is open for

:45:03. > :45:09.business. Sadly, that message has changed. Brazilian and other

:45:09. > :45:12.overseas students who would bring economic and wider benefits to

:45:12. > :45:18.British universities are being told that they are heard in some

:45:18. > :45:22.immigrant, so they go to the United States instead. We have Chinese

:45:22. > :45:27.tourists and businessmen who was so fed up with the hassle and

:45:27. > :45:30.humiliation of trying to visit Britain to make investments here

:45:30. > :45:37.that they are taking their money to Germany and France instead. What are

:45:37. > :45:50.they here is that we are closed for business, that must change.

:45:50. > :45:57.Moreover, our status as a popular destination for job-creating

:45:57. > :46:04.investment from Japan, the United States and mainland Europe will be

:46:04. > :46:09.compromised by careless talk from some of my coalition Cabinet

:46:09. > :46:14.colleagues, let alone the backbench bones and collarbones about leaving

:46:14. > :46:18.the European Union and the single market. Britain's future in the

:46:18. > :46:24.European single market is now being put at risk by the Tories, yet

:46:24. > :46:38.millions of British jobs depend on protecting that relationship. We

:46:38. > :46:42.are leaving that speech at the Lib Dem Conference. You can still

:46:42. > :46:48.follow it live on BBC Parliament and probably on BBC News as well.

:46:48. > :46:51.He began his speech really with a very savage attack on the

:46:51. > :46:56.Conservatives. You would find it hard to believe he was in the same

:46:56. > :47:02.government as them. He kept that theme throughout the speech. His

:47:02. > :47:07.attack on not doing enough visas for Brazilians and Chinese is an

:47:08. > :47:13.attack on the Conservatives immigration policy. He took on the

:47:13. > :47:21.Tory chief spin doctor for the campaign, an Australian Rottweiler.

:47:21. > :47:27.They had seen off demands of a Tory donor he wanted to free up the

:47:27. > :47:36.labour market a bit more. The only people the Tories really like

:47:36. > :47:42.others who had the vote before the 1867 Reform Act. The Conservatives

:47:42. > :47:49.introduced that act. What did you make of all about? As you say, it

:47:49. > :47:52.was pretty full blooded against the Tory side of the Government. It

:47:53. > :47:58.was pretty full blooded against the suggests Vince Cable is becoming

:47:58. > :48:02.increasingly unhappy with being there - sitting around the table

:48:02. > :48:10.with these people. It is fine put that he can do it. He can attack

:48:10. > :48:16.the Conservatives. -- it is fine. The flipside, and this is the side

:48:16. > :48:24.that Nick Clegg and Jeremy Browne and others have not got to grips

:48:24. > :48:31.with, what happens come 2015 if they have to go into bed with

:48:31. > :48:37.Labour? This narrative is clearing up the mess that Labour left behind.

:48:37. > :48:42.In other words, a Labour trashed the economy. How can you go into,

:48:42. > :48:48.for all the differences they have with the Conservatives, how can you

:48:48. > :48:53.go into coalition with a party they regard as... OK, the bankers did

:48:53. > :48:59.their bit Amport the economy to its knees. That bit of it is far harder

:48:59. > :49:04.to reconcile. Nick Clegg is not moving anywhere away from that

:49:04. > :49:07.rhetoric. We shall see. While all eyes today have been on the Lib

:49:07. > :49:10.Dems' mild disagreement over economic policy, yesterday saw a

:49:10. > :49:11.much bigger row, at least in Lib Dem terms, over nuclear policy.

:49:11. > :49:14.much bigger row, at least in Lib Party members were asked to change

:49:14. > :49:19.Lib Dem policy to support new nuclear power. It provoked strong

:49:19. > :49:28.feelings on both sides of the argument. Not one Liberal Democrat

:49:28. > :49:32.MP voted for the national policy statement that committed us to more

:49:32. > :49:37.nuclear. We row right not to support it. Conference has been

:49:37. > :49:44.right every time it has rejected a nuclear power. -- rejected nuclear

:49:44. > :49:49.powerful stuff I'm shocked to hear some of the things I have just

:49:49. > :49:55.heard about nuclear power. I live in Somerset, next they're actually

:49:55. > :50:00.to Hinckley Point power station. A nuclear power station that has been

:50:00. > :50:07.bad for a long time. I was one of the local councillors that opposed

:50:07. > :50:13.the building of the third power station a number of years ago. I

:50:13. > :50:17.have grown up. I now live in the real world. In the end, the party

:50:17. > :50:20.leadership won the argument and got the backing of conference for their

:50:20. > :50:22.policy U-turn. Let's talk about this now with the Energy and

:50:22. > :50:29.Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey, who joins us from Glasgow. In 2006,

:50:29. > :50:31.you said, we will not want nuclear. The alternatives are cleaner and

:50:31. > :50:39.safer for the environment and the The alternatives are cleaner and

:50:39. > :50:44.tax payer. Quite a U-turn? I did change my mind because of the

:50:44. > :50:48.threat of climate change. That is a huge threat to our planet crack our

:50:48. > :50:55.species and we have to do everything possible. -- our planet,

:50:55. > :51:00.our species. The amount we have to do in terms of low-carbon transport

:51:00. > :51:05.and low-carbon heating is massive. I have changed, because I have now

:51:05. > :51:11.realised that the pupils and energy efficiency cannot do it alone. We

:51:11. > :51:15.need all forms of low-carbon on the table. In 2006 you a warning about

:51:15. > :51:21.climate change as well and the dangers of that. -- you were

:51:21. > :51:30.warning. You lodged a press release saying, say no to nuclear. You are

:51:30. > :51:35.right. -- launched. In 2006, what I was hoping in the strategy put

:51:35. > :51:41.forward was that carbon captured storage would come on much quicker.

:51:41. > :51:46.That would be a boost to energy efficiency. I still think that can

:51:46. > :51:50.come on. What I have rarely had to face is the risk of climate change

:51:50. > :51:56.is so big that I am not going to take a risk of tackling climate

:51:56. > :52:04.change. I'm now think we should not take any low-carbon option of the

:52:04. > :52:08.table. A broad mix is the best way to ensure we can tackle climate

:52:08. > :52:13.change. The conference voted that way and it enhances Liberal

:52:13. > :52:18.Democrat credibility on the environment and tackling climate

:52:18. > :52:23.change. As recently as 2010, when people like you a warning that the

:52:23. > :52:28.huge risk of climate change, the Liberal Democrat manifesto, despite

:52:28. > :52:30.talking about these huge risks set, based on the evidence Skype nuclear

:52:30. > :52:37.is a far more expensive way based on the evidence Skype nuclear

:52:37. > :52:42.reducing carbon emissions than promoting renewable energy. I will

:52:42. > :52:48.tell you for a third time and if you want me to say a 4th time and a

:52:48. > :52:53.5th time, I have changed my mind. On the cost issue, that is

:52:53. > :52:57.something that still worries me. The history of nuclear power has

:52:57. > :53:01.been very expensive. Two-thirds of my budget is spent on

:53:01. > :53:06.decommissioning costs, cleaning up the waste from nuclear power in the

:53:06. > :53:11.past. I am cautious to make sure the price we strike with nuclear

:53:11. > :53:13.companies is something that actually is cost competitive was a

:53:13. > :53:19.bit make sure the consumer and actually is cost competitive was a

:53:19. > :53:26.British business is not paying over the odds. -- it is cost competitive.

:53:26. > :53:30.As you have moved towards nuclear power, you have said you would

:53:30. > :53:36.support it providing there was no subsidy for it was you know, as

:53:36. > :53:42.well as I do, there will be no nuclear power stations - the EDF is

:53:42. > :53:47.negotiating now - unless you agree to a price guarantee. A price

:53:47. > :53:53.guarantee way above the market price. That is a subsidy. I have

:53:53. > :54:01.not seen you at any of our negotiations. You seem to be well

:54:01. > :54:09.informed of what is private and confidential. Let me tell you the

:54:09. > :54:15.facts. We are clear that low-carbon electricity has to be compared

:54:15. > :54:25.price Warren with dirty coal or gas. You are wrong to take the market

:54:25. > :54:30.price. The market price is price of dirty power which is causing a

:54:30. > :54:36.climate change problem. You have actually got to compare apples with

:54:37. > :54:40.apples and pears with pears. If you do not commit you come up with

:54:40. > :54:46.spurious arguments against it. With the correct analysis, you will have

:54:46. > :54:50.to wait for our decision to complete the negotiations, you will

:54:50. > :54:56.find that nuclear can be cost competitive. I will not signed a

:54:56. > :55:07.deal where it is not. What do you make of Nick Clegg

:55:07. > :55:12.saying he will not support a party on economic policy and then turning

:55:12. > :55:17.up to do so? I saw Vince Cable vote for the economic policy. I have

:55:17. > :55:20.heard him in private. I have heard him in private as appears very

:55:20. > :55:24.supportive. The Liberal Democrats are playing a critical role in

:55:24. > :55:28.getting economic recovery. I am proud of what he's doing. He has

:55:28. > :55:33.worked with me on industrial strategy issues. He has been a real

:55:33. > :55:38.tower of strength in injury get economic recovery. There have been

:55:38. > :55:40.huge measures to make sure we get the growth. The Green Investment

:55:40. > :55:45.huge measures to make sure we get Bank will make sure we attract

:55:45. > :55:49.people into green energy. That would not be happening unless

:55:49. > :55:55.people like Vince Cable when not in the coalition. Today, listening to

:55:55. > :55:58.his speech, he is taking credit for the role Liberal Democrats have

:55:58. > :56:03.played in creating over 1 million new jobs since the demolition came

:56:03. > :56:08.to power. We have a good story on the economy. We have turned round a

:56:08. > :56:13.complete mess. The department has taken some tough decisions. It is

:56:13. > :56:17.now beginning to deliver - deliver jobs was to clutters what the the

:56:17. > :56:24.Democrats are about us to bring jobs and a fairer society. --

:56:24. > :56:33.delivered jobs. That is what the Liberal Democrats are about. He has

:56:33. > :56:37.said he has to -- reluctantly decided to vote for it because it

:56:37. > :56:48.has become an issue about the leadership of Nick Clegg. You have

:56:48. > :56:53.been mapped by a poster! It is wind power. And therefore quite

:56:53. > :57:01.dangerous. Clearly for humans as well as birds. Why did Vince Cable

:57:01. > :57:10.only reluctantly changed his mind because it has become an issue of

:57:10. > :57:18.leadership? He has been a tower of strength in this coalition economic

:57:19. > :57:23.policy. He has been really supportive. The largest investment

:57:23. > :57:25.in our railways since the Victorians come up with with not be

:57:26. > :57:30.seeing green things like that had it not been for the Liberal

:57:30. > :57:35.Democrats and Vince Cable. -- since the Victorians, we would not be

:57:35. > :57:39.seeing. What has been said to people like me this morning, its

:57:39. > :57:44.social party is looking at how the richest 10% of people - those

:57:44. > :57:50.earning over 50,000 a year - could give further contribution in tax?

:57:50. > :57:56.Should people earning over 50,000 be paying more tax? I want to make

:57:56. > :57:59.sure we have a much fairer tax system. What Liberal Democrats had

:57:59. > :58:05.done in government is to deliver that. We have closed a lot of

:58:05. > :58:10.loopholes. What is the answer to my question? I am coming to that. We

:58:10. > :58:15.had closed loopholes. I will answer the question in my own way. We have

:58:15. > :58:19.close the loopholes to make sure the richest pay their fair share

:58:19. > :58:22.and taken out of the tax people are lowest incomes and delivered a tax

:58:22. > :58:27.and taken out of the tax people are cut for people on low and modest

:58:27. > :58:31.incomes. In terms of future tax policy, we are having a debate to

:58:31. > :58:38.mind. Do come and join us was dug you had ended just in time before

:58:38. > :58:43.we go off air. -- and join us. The answer to the quiz was that Nick

:58:43. > :58:53.Clegg would not play beach volleyball. Who can blame him for

:58:53. > :58:55.that. That is it for today. Thanks to John Kampfner and all my guests.

:58:55. > :58:58.that. That is it for today. Thanks James Landale presents highlights

:58:58. > :59:01.from Glasgow in Today at Conference tonight on BBC2 at 11:20pm, and

:59:01. > :59:01.we'll be back for more live coverage