Coalition

We now have the full details of the coalition government and what it hopes to deliver. As a Lib Dem I am really proud to see some of our key policies lined up to be delivered in government. I believe that the compromises that have been made on both sides are sensible and pragmatic. It looks to me that the needs of people have been put ahead of rivalry and tribalism. One of the key things for me is the transfer of power from central to local level. Coupled with the work Nick Clegg will be doing on reforming our politics, I hope we can get to the point where people feel they can have real influence and affect change in their local area. I hope too that trust can be restored in politics, an it is once again seen as something that can deliver for the common good. There will be testing times ahead for the coalition partners, but I know from talking to colleagues that Liberal Democrats are approaching the future with optimism, and a determination to make Britain a fairer, greener and better place to live!

Mandate

Today Nick Clegg spoke to Andrew Marr on the BBC. One of the inevitable subjects was about a hung Parliament and what the Lib Dem position would be. Quite rightly we have said it is for the British people to decide, not us. Nick has spoken before about working with whoever has the strongest mandate. The trouble is, we have a voting system so unfair, that it is possible for Labour to get less votes than either us or the Tories, but still end up with the most seats. This is clearly madness, and utterly undemocratic. Even senior Labour figures have had the good grace to look embarrased by this. But sadly, both of the two old parties, the Tories and Labour, have perpetuated this ridiculous system. They both talk about reforming politics, but only want to tinker around the edges. Let's get a system that delivers a democratic result!

Ding Ding Round Two

So, the second debate has finished, and the spinmeisters are all talking up their man. Of the polls I have seen so far, 3 have given the verdict to Nick Clegg and one to Cameron. It was a closer affair tonight, but despite the backlash from some newspapers today, and the changed tactics of the other two leaders, Nick made his case again, based on policy and substance. It was an excellent performance, especially considering how much higher the stakes and the expectations. The polls over the next few days will give us more of a flavour of whether anything has changed after tonight, but I think the big change has already happened - people believe the Lib Dems can win. Now that the other two have failed to land a big blow on Nick tonight, I think that's how it will stay. We have a real chance across the UK now, and a real chance in Spelthorne.

Clegg Wins First Debate

Television and electoral history in the UK was made tonight as we finally got a leaders debate, with two more to come. The general wisdom was that Nick Clegg had the most to gain, and David Cameron the most to lose. And so it proved. Nick started slowly in my opinion with his opening statement, and that whole section was a little stilted for the three men. Once they all got into their stride, it warmed up nicely. Gordon Brown really needs to stop using a crowbar to get his rehearsed gags in as it looks horribly unnatural. Cameron and Clegg both did a better job of getting their theme across. Some signs of the rehearsals of all of them were evident in parts, and those rough edges should wear off in the next two debates. But tonight belonged to Nick. He grew in confidence, answered the questions most directly, and was able to distance himself from the covert overtures of Cameron, and the rather gushing wooing from Brown. There are still two more debates to go, and the trick is going to be how Nick evolves his style and message, as the other two will be ready if it's more of the same. Meantime, the rest of us can get back to talking to local voters and listening to what they want in Spelthorne.

Manifesto

Today Nick Clegg launched our manifesto. Inside you will find the only fully costed and detailed manifesto of the General Election. Lib Dems have put together a programme for a fairer Britain, with less tax for the less well of, paid for by the better off. It commits us to investment in smaller classes for children, and it spells out how we would reform politics from top to bottom. We have been honest with the British people about how we would tackle the crippling deficit Gordon Brown has handed us. We have set out those things we think are priorities, and those which are not and we cannot afford in these difficult times for the public finances, like the hugely expensive replacement for Trident. We want a fairer Britain, built on a sustainable economy, where the banks are kept in check, and we invest in green technology. We have optimism for the future, and have a vision of a better Britain. We will deliver our promises.

Is It That Time Already?

Already we have reached the end of the first week proper of the campaign. We have been out in every part of Spelthorne, and have found support right across the constituency. On the national campaign trail, the Lib Dems have been getting better coverage now that the election has been called. This week I have had many positive comments from people about Nick Clegg. With the leaders' debates to come, there is a real sense that we will get a significant boost from these, as we did when Vince Cable appeared on the C4 Chancellors' debate. With our priorities like fairer taxes which raise the income tax threshold to £10,000 before you pay anything, smaller class sizes for primary schools and investment in pupils, a sustainable economy, and clearing up the political system from top to bottom, we have a distinct message. The full manifesto is out this week. One week in, and it feels like we have continued our momentum in Spelthorne from the last two local elections, where we made gains on the borough council and the county council. With the Labour vote collapsed locally, we are enjoying being the challengers to the Tories this time. Week two here we come!

Bank Charges

Nick Clegg outlined the measures we would take to sort out unfair bank charges. It would mean a real difference to people in Spelthorne. Nick said “A Liberal Democrat government will legislate to ensure that no bank can charge its customers unfairly for going over their limit or bouncing a cheque. Banks should, of course, be able to pass on the costs they incur in dealing with these problems. But they should not be able to profiteer from customers making small mistakes. We will outlaw unfair charges from now on. Bank bosses should look to their consciences and give back the money they took from their customers in unfair charges. It can’t be right that someone who buys just a few items can end up being charged hundreds of pounds in unfair fees. I believe bank bosses have a moral obligation to pay that money back. If they had a shred of moral decency, they would never have imposed these charges and they would never have refused to pay them back. Together Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and RBS have given out more than £7bn in bonuses in the last year alone. How can they refuse to return a few hundred pounds they wrongly took from people struggling to make ends meet from week to week?”

Best For Business

Today we have set set out our plans for business. Launching ‘Enterprise in a Fair Society’, Nick Clegg set out details of the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto pledges for business. The proposals include:
Restoring a public interest test for regulatory authorities to consider when takeovers are proposed and changing the rules on which shareholders can vote on takeover proposals
Ensuring affordable access to credit for businesses by creating new mechanisms to provide equity finance to smaller businesses
Incorporating a ‘sunset’ clause into every new business regulation so that it is time limited unless renewed by Parliament. The document also sets out how the Liberal Democrats would create an education system that provides skilled workers, a stable economy that reduces the public deficit and a fair and stable tax platform on which businesses can operate.Launching the document while visiting start-up businesses in Warrington, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: “For too long, Labour and Conservative governments have focused solely on the firms in one square mile in the City of London, while failing to support businesses across the country. “The Government has failed to force the banks to lend to viable British businesses and won’t face up to the need to break up the big banks to protect the economy. “Who would have thought that when the taxpayer stepped in to rescue the banks, we would now be funding takeovers like that of Cadbury by Kraft? “The Liberal Democrats will stand up for strong British businesses by changing the takeover rules to protect them from the short-term speculation of hedge funds and restoring a public interest test.”

Lobbygate

Labour and the Tories traded blows yesterday over the role of lobbying in our system of government, and about the payments some MPs take for their 'expertise'. At PMQ's today, Nick Clegg reminded Brown and Cameron about Lib Dem efforts to restrict lobbying and reform party funding. Both of the other parties blocked attempts at reform. Still they have the nerve to get upset at what has happened. You get the same rotten politics with either party. Only the Lib Dems are committed to root and branch reform of our politics.

Thanks Birmingham

We have had a great conference in Birmingham, and the folks here have looked after us really well. Lib Dems are leaving the conference with a sense of purpose, and some fire in our bellies, as we prepare for the rest of the campaign. The great thing about these events is you are reminded of the unity of purpose in our party. The other parties are riven with internal politics, and whilst I won't pretend there aren't fierce debates in our party, we work collectively and with a passion to make Britain better. That is why we leave invigourated and ready for the fight. With people like Nick and Vince leading us, we know we have an excellent team taking us forward.

Leaders Debates

Agreement has finally been reached on the televised leaders debates that will take place during the General Election. Pundits on the box tonight have been suggesting that of the three leaders, Nick Clegg has the least to lose. Certainly it gives our message a level of exposure that it may not otherwise have got. We know from previous elections that Lib Dem policies go down well when people get to hear more about them, because as we get some airtime in elections, our poll figures increase and we experience a bounce by election day. But I would say we have most to gain from the debates, rather than having nothing to lose. As a party we are united and proud of what we stand for. We want a free, fair society, and don't believe that is what you get from Labour or the Tories. We have well thought out, fully costed policies, and the debates will let Nick promote them. So I think this is a positive move for elections in this country, and it will be fascinating to see how they pan out.

Nick Clegg And Our Education Pledge

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has today set out in more detail our education pledge, and emphasised the importance of early years education in tackling inequality, in a speech to the Salvation Army. Committing the Liberal Democrats to invest an extra £2.5bn in schools, Nick Clegg said that parents and schools must work together to make sure that children get the best possible start in life. Education is at the heart of our manifesto for the election, and we believe that bringing down class sizes for early years education should be at the very top of the agenda for the next Parliament. Having seen for myself the kind of school you get with smaller class sizes at Shortwood, I know it can't come soon enough.

Nick Clegg Launches Our Campaign

Nick Clegg is this morning setting out our key messages for the general election campaign. He is outlining what our priorities are and what we stand for. The Liberal Democrats are different because we’re the only party that believes in fairness: we’ll bring change that works for you, instead of just those at the top.

Our four key pledges to deliver a fairer society are:

Fair Taxes: We will make the first £10,000 you earn tax-free. People earning £10,000 or less will not pay any income tax and those on the basic rate of tax will have a tax cut of £700 per year. We’ll pay for it by making sure the rich pay their fair share by introducing a mansion tax on the value of homes over £2m, by taxing income and capital gains at the same rate, and switching tax from income to pollution.

A fair start for all our children: We will cut class sizes and give every child a fair start in life by introducing a pupil premium. This will provide an extra £2.5 billion to our schools allocated according to the number of disadvantaged pupils on their rolls. It will allow schools to reduce class sizes, recruit more teachers to improve discipline and provide more one-to-one tuition to help pupils who are struggling. This will be paid for by stopping tax credits for higher earners and scrapping Labour gimmicks in the Department for Education.

A fair and sustainable economy that creates jobs: We will make Britain the world leader in the green economy - investing to create tens thousands of new jobs that last. We will use at least £3.5 billion of savings that we have identified from current expenditure in the first year of a new government to invest in public transport, a national programme of home insulation and new social housing. Our nation’s finances need to be sustainable too - we will be honest about where savings must be made to balance the books and will break up the banking system to ensure financial gambling can never again bring our economy to its needs.

Fair, transparent and more local politics: We will introduce a fair voting system to end safe seats so all MPs listen to people; we will ensure MPs can be sacked by their voters if they break the rules; we will return powers to local councils and local communities so they can take more decisions that affect their local areas and we will stop tax avoiders from standing for parliament, sitting in the House of Lords or donating to political parties.

We also have the following commitments:

· Protect NHS services from cuts: Paid for by diverting planned efficiency savings to frontline services like cancer care, dementia, and mental health. Unlike the other parties our detailed deficit reduction plans also mean that we will be able to avoid unplanned cuts.

· Recruit 3,000 more police officers to keep our streets safe: Paid for by scrapping the ID card scheme.

· Scrap student tuition fees to reduce burden of student debt immediately and eliminate it within 6 years: Paid for by stopping unnecessary spending across government including abolishing the Government Offices of the Regions.

· A pay rise for our brave service men and women: Paid for by cutting back on senior bureaucrats in the MoD.

· Uprate the basic state pension in line with earnings immediately: so that pensioners do not continue to fall behind earnings when the economy starts to grow again.