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Lib Dems: Wednesday at-a-glance Lib Dems: Conference at-a-glance
(29 minutes later)
THE BIG ISSUE IT'S A WRAP
So Nick Clegg has delivered his big speech, but how successful was it? Does it draw a line under what has been, at times, a difficult week for him? Did it lift the spirits of the party faithful as they prepare for general election battle? And perhaps most importantly of all will it convince a disaffected electorate that the party really does offer something different and that a vote for them is not a wasted vote? So Nick Clegg delivered his big speech to plenty of applause, but how successful was it? Did it draw a line under what has been, at times, a difficult week for him? Did it lift the spirits of the party faithful as they prepare for general election battle? And perhaps most importantly of all will it convince a disaffected electorate that the party really does offer something different and that a vote for them is not a wasted vote?
WEDNESDAY'S AGENDA THE BIG STORIES
0900 Emergency debates on youth unemployment and social housing Mansion tax - On Monday, Vince Cable announced plans to impose a new tax on homes worth more than £1m. He wants a 0.5% annual levy to raise £1bn to help low-paid workers: class="inlineText" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8265821.stm">Lib Dem plan for £1m-property tax
0950 Reports on the activities of Lib Dem MPs and MEPs Internal dissent - There was anger from some senior Lib Dem MPs at several of Mr Clegg's policies. In particular, the admission that the pledge to scrap tuition fees could be abandoned if it is found to be too expensive. Mansion tax was also not universally popular, with some members of the front bench said to be unhappy that they weren't consulted about it: class="inlineText" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8268491.stm">MPs' anger at Cable 'mansion tax'
1035 Debate on the policing of public demonstrations Vince Cable's mansion tax caused some consternation
1110 Speech by youth and equality spokeswoman Lynne Featherstone Savage cuts - Mr Clegg defended his use of this emotive phrase and said "softer" language would not make the problem go away. Most MPs seemed to get behind him, although some warned that the party was preaching too much "doom and gloom". By the time of his keynote speech, Mr Clegg had adopted the phrase "progressive austerity" instead: class="inlineText" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8268573.stm">Clegg's cuts message wins backing
1130 Debate on consumer rights and competition policy Target Tories - Several senior Lib Dems focused their attacks on the Conservatives. Mr Clegg described David Cameron as the "conman of British politics and homes affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said George Osborne wasn't up to the job of chancellor: class="inlineText" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8269378.stm">Huhne: Tories don't have to win
1430 Party awards Afghan rethink - The Lib Dems called for a "completely new strategy" in Afghanistan and a motion was passed by members demanding that the government "focus on concluding the Afghan mission": class="inlineText" href="/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8267922.stm">Afghan missing 'failing' - Clegg
1500 Keynote speech by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg TALKING POINTS
BAD TIMING Who are ya? - Some of Nick Clegg's critics have suggested he is fighting an uphill battle to win support because most people don't even know who he is. But he said he wasn't worried. Speaking to BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, he said it wasn't "fair" to say no-one knew him - in fact he'd been told that two out of three people could put a face to his name. "By the general election, I think everyone will know exactly who I am and what I stand for," he said.
Typical, you wait all year for your big conference speech only to be upstaged by the president of the United States. Nick Clegg is due to do his set-piece address to his party conference at 1500 BST - the same time Barack Obama is due to address the UN. The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said she thinks there were a few jitters at the Lib Dem office this morning about the rather unfortunate timing but there's nothing they can do. The leader's speech is set in stone apparently. All they can hope is Mr Obama doesn't go on too long and don't be too surprised if Clegg's speech starts a few minutes later than billed. Keep up with more of class="bodl" href="http://twitter.com/BBCLauraK">Laura's conference snippets on Twitter. The Missing Skinhead - Chris Huhne's hard-hitting attack on the Tories in his keynote conference speech turned out not to be quite as savage as first planned. He had intended to describe shadow foreign secretary William Hague as a "skinhead" in a strongly-worded section on David Cameron's new friends in Europe. The first draft of the speech, circulated to journalists, included the lines: "Skinhead Hague has toured the beer cellars of central Europe, and has come up with the dregs." But reporters were told on Monday evening the line had been dropped. "There were more important points he wanted to make about the Tories' policy than just William Hague's hairstyle and drinking habits," explained Danny Alexander in the morning press briefing.
WHO ARE YA? Brought to book - Sarah Teather was the warm-up act at the party's opening night get together. She had a few digs at the opposition, suggesting David Cameron's favourite songs should include You're So Vain, Fake Plastic Trees or "anything by the Pretenders". But she reserved her best lines for her own side. Noting that a number of party figures were set to publish books in the near future, she offered others some advice on possible titles. For Evan Harris, left wing scourge of the party leadership, she suggested The God Delusion. Ouch.
Some of Nick Clegg's critics have suggested he is fighting an uphill battle to win support because most people don't even know who he is. But he says he's not worried. Speaking to BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, he said it wasn't "fair" to say no-one knew him - in fact he'd been told that two out of three people could put a face to his name. "By the general election, I think everyone will know exactly who I am and what I stand for," he said. Kennedy crack - As ever, Charles Kennedy gave a rousing speech to the party faithful, in which he compared Gordon Brown to the Spanish dictator Franco on his deathbed. But his best reminiscence was at the expense of the Tories. He remembered sitting next to the former prime minister Ted Heath in the Commons when the two were listening to a speech by William Hague on Europe. The speech was greeted with rapturous applause by the Tory benches, from which Mr Heath - one of the party's minority of Europhiles in the 1990s - did not join. As William Hague sat down, Charles Kennedy says Ted Heath twitched and apparently whispered to him "such a vulgar little man".
DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY David Heath: Champion ski jumper Mystic Vince - Has Vince Cable's reputation as the man who predicted the credit crunch gone to his head? We only ask because he seemed to be making predictions all over the place this week. Most seemed to involve what the Tories would do if they win the election. On Sunday he predicted they would put VAT up 25% as they "had done it before". On Monday he had his crystal ball out again. "I think that within a year's time... maybe two years' time... there will be a major constitutional crisis in Britain," he told a hushed fringe meeting. This would be caused by a Tory government with "probably one or two Scottish MPs" being on a collision course with the government in London, he reasoned. You read it here first...
Forget how much applause they get for their conference speeches, one of the most competitive contests of the week for Lib Dem MPs has been a charity ski-jumping event. No, Bournemouth has not suddenly been transplanted to the Alps. Lib Dem activists have been trying their hand at being Eddie the Eagle on a video game console, with the winner being able to donate a console to charity. As the competition nears it end, Shadow Commons spokesman David Heath leads the pack with a combined distance of 314 metres. He is closely followed by fellow MP Richard Younger-Ross and Welsh Assembly member Kirsty Williams. It is rumoured that Heath's prowess as a skier may have given him an advantage but the organisers of the event say what is really needed for success is "good balance". Perhaps that should be a hint to the party leader as he prepares to give his keynote speech. Due to his busy schedule, Nick Clegg has been one of the few MPs not able to have a go. CLEGG'S BIG SPEECH Advertisement
MUCK SPREADING Nick Clegg's last conference speech ahead of a general election
One of more unusual badges worn by Lib Dem activists this week is one calling for 'Munt not manure'. This is not heartfelt plea for greener farming practices. Tessa Munt is the Lib Dem candidate for Wells, whose Tory opponent, former minister David Heathcoat-Amory, was revealed to have claimed expenses for horse manure. There'll be no horsing around come the election though as Munt tries to overturn her opponent's 3,040 majority.
EQUALITY STREET
The Lib Dem conference may seem, at times, a million miles away from the corridors of power but the spectre of Lord Mandelson still stalks the fringe. Discussing the government's equalities bill, Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone said her hopes that it would prove "one great step forward for womankind" had been dashed. And who does she blame for this but the business secretary? She fears Mandy may have "got" to Harriet Harman, the bill's outspoken champion, forcing it to be watered-down to ease the pressure on firms to disclose how much less they pay their female employees. However, on another matter, she was more upbeat. Ms Featherstone, who openly admits she is "at odds" with the party over the need for all-women shortlists to boost its rather paltry female representation at Westminster - only eight of its 63 MPs are women - is more confident that this election will see a healthy increase in those numbers.
CONFERENCE ROUND-UP
Some members of the Lib Dem frontbench are understood to be unhappy about Vince Cable's "mansion tax" proposals. They believe he should have consulted them before announcing the policy of extracting a 0.5% levy from the owners of £1m plus homes and that it will not go down well with voters. At a meeting of the Lib Dem frontbench in Bournemouth, one senior MP is reported to have described the policy as "codswallop". Mr Cable said he was aware of the "sensitivities" over the policy and would look at ways of helping the small number of people who may be worse off as a result.
Lib Dem members backed calls for annual rail fares to be capped to the rate of inflation. They also urged the government to hold onto the East Coast mainline franchise from London to Aberdeen, soon to be forfeited by National Express, until the end of its term and to overhaul the whole franchise system to give more priority to improved passenger service.
A day after Nick Clegg said the Lib Dems had the "boldest" environmental policy of any party, the Lib Dems approved a package of climate change pledges. It is committed to cut the UK's carbon emissions by 40% by 2020 and make every home energy efficient by the same date. An amendment that would have committed the party to a limited nuclear building programme - in direct opposition to party policy - was defeated by a more narrow margin than expected.
Sunday at-a-glance Monday at-a-glance Tuesday at-a-glance