:00:10. > :00:12.Evenin' all. Welcome to another round-up from the Liberal Democrat
:00:12. > :00:17.Conference here in Birmingham where the economic backdrop just keeps on
:00:18. > :00:23.getting grimmer. Yesterday, Vince Cable feared we could be in for a
:00:23. > :00:25.prolonged period of stagnation. Today, the IMF said the global
:00:25. > :00:34.economy had entered a "dangerous new phase" and downgraded its
:00:34. > :00:38.growth forecasts for America and Europe, including Britain. For all
:00:38. > :00:41.the talking here the blunt truth is nobody quite knows what to do about
:00:41. > :00:44.any of this. But Energy Secretary Chris Huhne created a clever
:00:44. > :00:54.diversion by taking a pop at the energy companies for putting up our
:00:54. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:10.fuel bills. Here are the highlights. World gas - and hence electricity -
:01:10. > :01:15.prices have leapt by a third thanks to Libya and far eastern growth.
:01:15. > :01:18.Global factors. So we should surely try to limit our dependence on oil
:01:18. > :01:21.and gas, not increase it. Particularly as our own North Sea
:01:21. > :01:25.resources are running down. In the storm-tossed seas we have to sail,
:01:26. > :01:29.low carbon energy gives us security. Assurance. Safety. British energy
:01:29. > :01:34.consumers will on average be better off in 2020 thanks to our low
:01:34. > :01:38.carbon policies. Yes, I said better off. Getting off the oil and gas
:01:38. > :01:42.price hook and onto clean, green energy makes sense. And with energy
:01:42. > :01:48.saving, we can offset the effects of higher prices and end up with
:01:48. > :01:58.lower bills. In one generation, we will go from fossil fuel smokestack
:01:58. > :02:11.
:02:11. > :02:14.to low carbon cash back. Today I can announce a new package to help
:02:14. > :02:17.the hard-pressed consumer this winter and every winter. We are
:02:17. > :02:20.determined to get tough with the big six energy companies to ensure
:02:20. > :02:22.that the consumer gets the best possible deal. We want simpler
:02:22. > :02:27.tariffs. Requiring energy companies to tell you whether you could buy
:02:27. > :02:29.more cheaply on another tariff. And you can save real money. Ofgem, the
:02:29. > :02:32.independent regulator, calculates that the average household could
:02:32. > :02:42.save �200 by switching to the lowest cost supplier - but fewer
:02:42. > :02:47.
:02:47. > :02:57.than one in seven households do so. So I want to help households save
:02:57. > :03:13.
:03:13. > :03:16.money. With simpler charging. Clearer bills. Quicker switching.
:03:16. > :03:19.The European Union is also key to our prosperity. The Eurozone takes
:03:19. > :03:22.nearly half our exports. We export more to Ireland alone than to China,
:03:22. > :03:28.India and Brazil put together. Being part of Europe is not a
:03:28. > :03:38.political choice. It is a geographical reality. It always was.
:03:38. > :03:40.
:03:40. > :03:43.And until the tectonic plates break up, it always will be. We will not,
:03:43. > :03:53.as Liberal Democrats in Government, weaken the ties that deliver our
:03:53. > :03:58.
:03:58. > :04:02.national interest through Europe. This Coalition Government saved
:04:02. > :04:07.Britain's credit standing by compromise. The danger if you don't
:04:07. > :04:09.compromise is now clear from America. There the markets looked
:04:09. > :04:18.over the brink when the mad-cap Republican right in Congress would
:04:18. > :04:28.not compromise with the President. Let that be a warning to the
:04:28. > :04:46.
:04:46. > :04:49.Conservative right here: we need no Tea Party Tendency in Britain. If
:04:49. > :04:52.you insist that only you have the answers, if you keep beating the
:04:52. > :04:55.anti-European drum, if you slaver over tax cuts for the rich, then
:04:55. > :04:57.you will put in peril the most crucial achievement of this
:04:57. > :05:02.Government. You will wreck the nation's economy and common purpose.
:05:02. > :05:05.We are all in this together and we can't get out of it alone.
:05:05. > :05:09.Chris Huhne ending his speech there with a dig at so-called "Tea Party
:05:09. > :05:14.Tories". But then it wasn't so long ago he was comparing them to
:05:14. > :05:17.Goebbels so I guess being compared to Sarah Palin is an improvement.
:05:17. > :05:20.The Lib Dems have cheered themselves up throughout this
:05:20. > :05:23.conference by bashing the Tories - it comes naturally to them. Most
:05:23. > :05:31.folk here are firmly on the Left. We sent Adam Fleming out to
:05:31. > :05:37.establish that beyond peradventure with his infamous mood box. Come
:05:37. > :05:46.and have a look at what is back - the mood box. For the first quiz of
:05:46. > :05:51.2011, we are asking people to look forward to the next general
:05:51. > :05:55.election. We will ask delegates who they would like to go into
:05:55. > :05:59.coalition with. They will use these balls to vote. We have 33 different
:05:59. > :06:05.policies. If that trend continues, and we see an improvement in the
:06:05. > :06:15.economy, I would have to stay with the Tories. Our first Labour voter.
:06:15. > :06:18.
:06:18. > :06:23.Why is that? We don't have a lot of deals with the Tories. My views are
:06:23. > :06:28.more left-hand than right-wing Tory views. It is a dilemma. We seem to
:06:28. > :06:34.be working with the Tories but I don't like their policies. Labour.
:06:35. > :06:39.No question there. Why the Tories? The Tories we have learnt to work
:06:39. > :06:44.with. This is the first Parliament. Once you have worked to learn with
:06:44. > :06:52.a partner, you shouldn't rush to ditch them. My heart would like to
:06:52. > :07:01.go Labour, but I think it would have to be Tory, I think. With a
:07:01. > :07:08.heavy heart? Yes. Labour. Cancelled each other out. I'm not putting my
:07:08. > :07:14.ball in either of those. I think it is a false question. OK? You are
:07:15. > :07:24.going to put it back into the basket? It depends on manifestos.
:07:25. > :07:34.
:07:34. > :07:41.Why Labour? Because I don't think the Tories should exist at all.
:07:41. > :07:46.are Labour. Ooh. You would rather ditch them? I would ditch them
:07:46. > :07:50.tomorrow, if I could. We will be seeing more of you today? Yeah,
:07:50. > :07:55.later on. Have you been enjoying it? It has been interesting.
:07:55. > :07:58.have had quite a lot of people voting. It looks like Labour are
:07:59. > :08:04.edging it. People are not that keen on answering this question. You
:08:05. > :08:10.grab a ball and pop it in the slot. It is 2015, there is another hung
:08:10. > :08:17.Parliament... No way! Who would be your preferred coalition partner.
:08:17. > :08:27.Perfect! He is in the middle. It is rolling towards the Tories. It is a
:08:27. > :08:33.tough dilemma? It is. I'm not going to do it. Ah! A beast of a question.
:08:33. > :08:39.I'm a two-ball person! They say Tessa Munt's got balls - she has!
:08:39. > :08:43.Is it a bit of a dilemma? No, there are good things in all of the
:08:43. > :08:46.parties. Every party has something to offer. When you look at the
:08:46. > :08:51.final result of the balls, the balls do not lie. What do you think
:08:51. > :08:56.that says about the state of your party today? A Liberal Democrat's
:08:56. > :09:04.heart beats on the left. We all know that. We are radical
:09:04. > :09:07.progressives. Whether we come from a Social Democratic background or a
:09:07. > :09:12.Social Liberal background, most of us are not Conservatives. The balls
:09:12. > :09:17.never lie. Here is the final result. A majority of Lib Dem delegates
:09:17. > :09:20.would prefer to go into coalition with Labour in 2015 in the event of
:09:20. > :09:23.a hung Parliament. Interesting how Vince Cable's ball
:09:23. > :09:27.tilted towards the Conservatives there - not sure that's what he
:09:27. > :09:30.intended. Someone who speaks favourably about the Coalition only
:09:30. > :09:33.when he's holding his nose and crossing his fingers is the Lib
:09:33. > :09:36.Dems' left-wing president, Tim Farron. He's said divorcing the
:09:36. > :09:46.Tories is inevitable and seems to be looking forward to it. I asked
:09:46. > :09:49.
:09:49. > :09:53.him why. The partners will go their separate ways... So it is not a
:09:53. > :10:00.divorce. All coalitions work like that. Absolutely. You don't rule
:10:00. > :10:04.out coming back? Who knows. principle, you don't rule it out?
:10:04. > :10:11.No. Why would you Sadie vors is inevitable and this is a temporary
:10:11. > :10:16.marriage -- why would you say divorce is inevitable and this is a
:10:16. > :10:24.temporary marriage? You have to be big enough to look at the
:10:24. > :10:31.arithmetic... If the next election produces a result with a party with
:10:31. > :10:37.no overall majority, are you ruling out you wouldn't renew the
:10:37. > :10:41.coalition? Of course not. We are in this business together. Liberal
:10:41. > :10:48.Democrats and Conservatives. It is a temporary arrangement whatever
:10:48. > :10:53.happens. When the next general... Five years isn't temporary. It is
:10:53. > :11:01.important it is a full five years. One thing that is important, if you
:11:01. > :11:06.look into your crystal ball... haven't got one! The one thing I am
:11:06. > :11:11.certain is that we need a stable Government. I understand that. The
:11:11. > :11:16.fact is, when you said divorce is inevitable, you were playing to the
:11:16. > :11:24.Lib Dem gallery? This is not a merger, this is not... You are
:11:24. > :11:30.setting up Aunt Sally's that don't exist! Both your parties deny there
:11:30. > :11:34.will be a election where you will have an election pact? People like
:11:34. > :11:38.our good friend Polly Toynbee who will write week after week about
:11:38. > :11:44.how the Lib Dems change their policy, that was a crude way of
:11:44. > :11:49.putting it. Last time I looked, Polly Toynbee wrote for the
:11:49. > :11:56.Guardian, you are a self-styled Guardian reader? I am. In your
:11:56. > :12:00.heart of hearts, if you have a choice, you would much rather have
:12:00. > :12:10.to share power with Labour rather than the Conservatives? No, we are
:12:10. > :12:11.
:12:11. > :12:15.an independent party. You can't really call the Liberal Democrats...
:12:15. > :12:20.I'm saying there is a self-styled Guardian reader, a man on the left,
:12:20. > :12:28.you are on the left, you would rather all things being equal share
:12:28. > :12:33.power, be in coalition with Labour? I would rather win the general
:12:33. > :12:40.election and we didn't. That is not going to happen? The British people
:12:40. > :12:44.said sort it out. Chances are... don't understand... Am I not being
:12:44. > :12:48.honest? I know the reasons why we have to be in power with the Tories
:12:48. > :12:53.at the moment. I'm not very happy about it. I understand it. But all
:12:53. > :12:57.things being equal, I would rather share power with Labour if I had to
:12:57. > :13:01.share power with anybody. Correct? No. The bottom line is, you look at
:13:01. > :13:05.the circumstances you are given. I'm sure that we did the right
:13:05. > :13:09.thing going into coalition and the only option was to go in with the
:13:09. > :13:15.Conservative Party. Vince Cable has said that we could be heading for a
:13:15. > :13:20.prolonged period of stagnation. If you hit - what are the political
:13:20. > :13:25.consequences of that? If you hit 2015 and we are still in stagnation,
:13:25. > :13:29.electorally you are toast? I mean, we all know that this is a really
:13:29. > :13:35.unbelievably difficult period. You remember Mervyn King said that
:13:35. > :13:39.whoever took power in 2010 will be out of power subsequently for a
:13:39. > :13:43.generation afterwards. So you will be out of power? So one is a good
:13:43. > :13:47.deal. The point I am making is, whoever is in power will have to
:13:47. > :13:52.take horrific decisions. The exit from this awful period, I can't
:13:52. > :13:57.predict when it is going to be. I believe it will be in advance of
:13:57. > :14:01.2015. Political consequences for the Liberal Democrats could be very
:14:01. > :14:06.large. The consequences of us not being mature and entering a
:14:06. > :14:12.coalition, despite the fact we have our disagreements, would be much
:14:12. > :14:19.greater. Just look me in the eye and be honest with me, all this
:14:19. > :14:25.Tory bashing, divorce is inevitable, and... You are reading. You are
:14:25. > :14:30.positions yourself to pick up the leadership if the coalition goes
:14:30. > :14:34.pear-shaped? No. I have no such ambition. If offered, will not
:14:34. > :14:38.accept? Certainly not. You will refuse the leadership? It is not
:14:38. > :14:43.going to come up. Nick Clegg is doing a brilliant job. If you were
:14:43. > :14:53.offered, you would refuse? Yes. would? Yes. Nick Clegg is a mate
:14:53. > :14:54.
:14:54. > :14:59.Tim Farron. This afternoon Nick Clegg and their
:14:59. > :15:04.Health Minister Paul Burstow visited a hospital in Birmingham.
:15:05. > :15:08.Earlier in the day, Mr Burstow took a Q&A on health matters. The Lib
:15:08. > :15:12.Dems are claiming credit for major changes to the health reforms going
:15:12. > :15:18.through Parliament. There was a bit of a grassroots rebellion earlier
:15:19. > :15:24.this year. The rebellion was led by Shirley Williams. Even though she
:15:24. > :15:29.got some of her way, Shirl the Girl and others made it clear today that
:15:29. > :15:35.they are still unhappy with the reforms. Here are the highlights.
:15:35. > :15:40.Andrew Lansley admitted that most of the changes do not require this
:15:40. > :15:44.massive piece of legislation and why we have got 440 pages of
:15:44. > :15:48.totally obscure legislation is a mystery. Paul has dug his way
:15:48. > :15:52.through it, he is like a polar explorer and he has managed to find
:15:52. > :15:56.his way to the South Pole, but most of the rest of us are not capable
:15:56. > :16:01.of doing that because we do not have the detailed knowledge to go
:16:01. > :16:05.through it all. It is a very obscure, very complicated and
:16:05. > :16:10.difficult Bill. To me, there are still two issues which stick out.
:16:10. > :16:14.One is we must get rid of the simple autonomy clause which says
:16:14. > :16:19.that the Secretary of State may not affect the economy of the bodies
:16:19. > :16:25.which have the responsibility, monitor and the commissioning Board.
:16:25. > :16:29.And secondly, the secondary -- Secretary of State retains the
:16:29. > :16:33.residual responsibility. The residual responsibility for
:16:33. > :16:38.securing the provision of a comprehensive health service to all
:16:38. > :16:42.the people of this country. I think if we can get those two as well, we
:16:42. > :16:47.can live reasonably comfortably with the proposals that are before
:16:47. > :16:52.us. I agree absolutely with what Shirley has said. Fundamentally, we
:16:52. > :16:55.need to make sure the Secretary of State maintains a legal and a
:16:55. > :17:01.political accountability for securing an health service in this
:17:01. > :17:05.country. That is why we are taking this legislation through Parliament.
:17:05. > :17:09.The Secretary of State will have to set out what he means by this. He
:17:09. > :17:13.will have to consult on it and presented to Parliament. This has
:17:13. > :17:20.never happened before. It has happened because Liberal Democrats
:17:20. > :17:25.are campaigning for it. The Bill has become a proxy for concerns in
:17:25. > :17:29.the NHS, it has been substantially improved thanks to Paul and the
:17:29. > :17:35.Liberal Democrats. It largely reflect the Blairite inheritance of
:17:35. > :17:38.the NHS. But all being said, I have not relate on the view ahead in
:17:38. > :17:42.Liverpool, that this is a huge strategic mistake for the
:17:42. > :17:46.government, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative as well. There
:17:46. > :17:50.are two reasons for that. One is the scale for the reorganisation
:17:50. > :17:55.and secondly, the risks of reorganisation, some of which were
:17:55. > :17:58.bequeathed to us by the previous Labour government. The situation is
:17:58. > :18:01.similar to the sickening feeling you sometimes have when you on a
:18:01. > :18:06.motorway and you realise you have taken a wrong turning and you
:18:06. > :18:09.realise it will be some time before you get on the right track again.
:18:09. > :18:13.We have repeated the mistake the previous governments have made an
:18:13. > :18:16.not built on what was good about the past.
:18:16. > :18:20.The Lib Dems are the most pro- European of parties so we have all
:18:21. > :18:25.had some fun at their expense, quoting back to them their previous
:18:25. > :18:29.enthusiasm for joining in the euro. In an effort to cauterise this
:18:29. > :18:35.embarrassment, Nick Clegg said today that in retrospect, it would
:18:35. > :18:39.have been a huge, huge error to have joined the euro. I asked
:18:39. > :18:42.former leader Ming Campbell if he agreed. I don't think I put it in
:18:42. > :18:47.those terms that I think he is articulating what many people now
:18:47. > :18:50.feel that as far as Britain is concerned, the single currency is
:18:51. > :18:56.of the political agenda and is likely to be so for some
:18:56. > :19:00.considerable time. You told your party in September 2002 that it
:19:00. > :19:07.would be a historic error if Britain did not join the euro. Do
:19:07. > :19:15.you still stand by that? When the fact change, I changed my opinion.
:19:15. > :19:21.So you were wrong? In those circumstances. It appeared to be
:19:21. > :19:25.the proper thing to do. For Britain to stay out has resulted in us
:19:25. > :19:30.exercising less influence in Europe but as recent events have proved,
:19:30. > :19:34.still being subject to a lot of difficulties as a result of the
:19:34. > :19:38.failures in the eurozone. We stood out but it has not stop us being
:19:38. > :19:44.affected. You once accused the Labour government of timidity over
:19:44. > :19:48.joining the single currency. You published a pamphlet still
:19:49. > :19:56.available at Waterstone's for �4.99 why the euro is the best future for
:19:56. > :19:59.Britain. I guess that will not make the best sellers any more?
:19:59. > :20:07.delighted it is �4.99. Someone bought a copy of my biography the
:20:07. > :20:12.other day for one penny on eBay. Remember what I was saying. I was
:20:12. > :20:17.saying that Gordon Brown's approach, which you will recall, she set out
:20:18. > :20:23.five conditions, every one of which, he was able to say it has been
:20:23. > :20:27.fulfilled or not fulfilled. He was sent highly equivocal about it in
:20:27. > :20:31.circumstances which we now know from his memoirs, where he was in
:20:31. > :20:38.direct jobs at Tony Blair. Your party was furious at the time. He
:20:38. > :20:42.wanted him to get the British economy into shape quickly to meet
:20:42. > :20:47.the five conditions. We were the first part it promised there should
:20:47. > :20:52.be a referendum on whether Britain should join the single currency.
:20:52. > :20:56.Last year, we brought you the political equivalent of Wife Swap.
:20:56. > :21:00.Take one Lib Dem MP and one Tory MP, make them spend some quality time
:21:00. > :21:04.in each other's conference. 12 months on, the coalition is still
:21:04. > :21:09.intact but this conference has given every impression there is a
:21:09. > :21:19.pretty loveless marriage. We brought Tory MP Peter Bone to
:21:19. > :21:33.
:21:33. > :21:37.Birmingham to see if he could put I am sometimes mistaken for a
:21:37. > :21:41.former England football team manager. One thing you will never
:21:41. > :21:46.mistake me for his Liberal Democrat. They may be in government but they
:21:46. > :21:52.are certainly not playing for the team. Last week was my wedding
:21:52. > :21:58.anniversary and I forgot. Mrs Bone is a forceful lady and I am in the
:21:58. > :22:08.doghouse. What more can I give her than her Liberal Democrat best so I
:22:08. > :22:13.
:22:13. > :22:18.am going to buy this. -- Liberal Here we are. The Liberal Democrat
:22:18. > :22:28.stand on Europe, no views and note position whatsoever. Completely in
:22:28. > :22:29.
:22:29. > :22:39.line with the leadership. Legislation must start soon and it
:22:39. > :22:40.
:22:40. > :22:45.will be completed within this party. I heard nothing that would help
:22:45. > :22:55.Britain get going so, as far as I am concerned, as far as Vince Cable,
:22:55. > :23:04.
:23:04. > :23:11.I'm sure everybody here heard Vince setting it straight in the hall
:23:11. > :23:16.here and wish the whole world was taking notice.
:23:16. > :23:20.Well, I have just listened to the priorities for the Liberal Party
:23:20. > :23:27.for the government, legalising cannabis, women's shortlists and
:23:27. > :23:32.closer ties with Europe. It did off the scale, of the planet. I had no
:23:32. > :23:39.idea that they were so completely out of touch with reality. The
:23:39. > :23:46.Liberal Party as a whole must have a yellow card.
:23:46. > :23:51.Is it worth being in government? Absolutely. That is what we are
:23:51. > :23:56.doing. We are punching way above our weight. We had a compromise
:23:56. > :24:00.which should be called a graduate tax and we get the blame because we
:24:00. > :24:04.were the ones who said we wouldn't and the others were going to do it
:24:04. > :24:08.anyway so I do feel bad about that. There were lots of issues that we
:24:08. > :24:13.have put forward and those are the issues that we would not have been
:24:13. > :24:18.able to have any impact on if we were not in government. That is it
:24:18. > :24:21.for today. Delegates going off. I have been struck by how many of
:24:21. > :24:26.them want to stay in government. They would rather be in government
:24:26. > :24:30.funds to cut for their policies. That seemed very strange to me.
:24:30. > :24:33.Many of them are happy with what the Conservatives are doing. I
:24:33. > :24:36.should have brought along some Conservative membership forms,
:24:36. > :24:40.signed them up and then they could really be part of the government,
:24:40. > :24:45.not just in coalition. Once Peter Bone ditched his sports
:24:45. > :24:50.kit, he joined us for some more counselling. Also there was Don
:24:50. > :24:57.Foster. He will be joining us that the Conservative conference in
:24:57. > :25:01.Manchester. I asked Mr Bone if he had encountered any hostility.
:25:01. > :25:05.said in a film, I was amazed by how many people wanted to be in
:25:05. > :25:10.government. They like -- if they like what the Conservatives are
:25:10. > :25:16.doing, why don't they become Conservatives? There is nobody here
:25:16. > :25:20.with beards and sandals complaining. I was very surprised. What do you
:25:20. > :25:24.say to that? This is not the same Peter Bone who was on Newsnight
:25:24. > :25:30.last night who said you have tainted the Tory brand, you are
:25:30. > :25:35.pulling above your weight, your better much of your own way. They
:25:35. > :25:41.gave you a teddy bear and you changed your tune? I had to pay for
:25:41. > :25:46.it. Absolutely, I think the Liberals are punching above their
:25:46. > :25:51.weight. They are making the policy this worse. I am all for the
:25:51. > :25:55.divorce that Tim Farron was talking about. There is a slight snag in
:25:55. > :25:59.fact that before you can end the coalition, you have to win an
:25:59. > :26:05.overall majority which is what your party spectacularly failed to do
:26:05. > :26:10.last year? You have to say it it was a pretty impressive result.
:26:10. > :26:14.Really? Coming from behind to be effective in government but you are
:26:14. > :26:18.right we should have done much better. Once the economic crisis is
:26:18. > :26:24.solved, let's get on, become independent parties again, argue
:26:24. > :26:28.the case and have general elections. You will become independent parties,
:26:28. > :26:33.no one will argue with that but do you agree with your President Tim
:26:33. > :26:36.Farron that divorce is inevitable? Once we get to the end of the five-
:26:36. > :26:43.year period of the election, we will go our separate ways - a
:26:43. > :26:46.separate ways. You could get married again? We could do. As ten
:26:46. > :26:48.more saying, you look at the circumstances, what the
:26:48. > :26:52.opportunities are, to get the maximum Liberal Democrat policies
:26:52. > :26:56.through so that is what we will do following the outcome of the
:26:56. > :27:01.election of no party is in overall control. Has the government
:27:01. > :27:04.benefited in any way by having the Lib Dems in coalition? 1 point is
:27:04. > :27:09.we are working together to solve the economic crisis and that is
:27:09. > :27:13.what the coalition is about. I am very happy about that. I think they
:27:13. > :27:19.were very brave to cumin and both parties have taken difficult
:27:19. > :27:23.decisions and we are suffering for it, both of us in the polls. Once
:27:23. > :27:28.that is done, what is the point of having a false marriage when there
:27:28. > :27:31.is no need for that? What is the point? The point with the country
:27:32. > :27:36.needs economic stability at the current time. One of the great
:27:36. > :27:39.things but having the coalition is it has given us that stability and
:27:39. > :27:43.kept interest rates down. We are not spending on paying off the
:27:43. > :27:46.better of this country and paying interest on the debt, anything like
:27:46. > :27:50.other countries are having to do, that is because we have got the
:27:50. > :27:54.stability. On that reasonably harmonious night
:27:54. > :27:58.we will leave there for the match. Tomorrow, Nick Clegg delivers his
:27:58. > :28:04.annual speech to the party faithful stop from what we hear, there is
:28:04. > :28:09.nothing very new or dramatic in it. He has very little room for
:28:09. > :28:13.manoeuvre and not much to hope for accept that things can only get
:28:13. > :28:16.better. There is hope -- there is talk in Birmingham about the new 5
:28:16. > :28:21.million stimulus package coming down the pipeline. Whether it will
:28:21. > :28:26.arrive in time for Mr Clegg's speech is another matter. Joe will
:28:26. > :28:30.join me in Birmingham for the Daily Politics live on BBC2. We will have
:28:30. > :28:36.all the build up for the Clegg at speech. Then we will be back on air