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| Paddy Ashdown says Liberal Democrats could work again with the Tories | Paddy Ashdown says Liberal Democrats could work again with the Tories |
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| Paddy Ashdown has urged his restive party to prepare for the possibility of a second coalition with the Tories, saying the Conservatives have proved surprisingly good and trustworthy partners for the Liberal Democrats in government. | Paddy Ashdown has urged his restive party to prepare for the possibility of a second coalition with the Tories, saying the Conservatives have proved surprisingly good and trustworthy partners for the Liberal Democrats in government. |
| In terms that will alarm some on the left of his party, who resent working with the Conservatives, the former Lib Dem leader admits that he was wrong to have pushed so hard for a deal with Labour after the 2010 election, when Nick Clegg was moving towards the Tories. "I was wrong and Nick was right," he says. | In terms that will alarm some on the left of his party, who resent working with the Conservatives, the former Lib Dem leader admits that he was wrong to have pushed so hard for a deal with Labour after the 2010 election, when Nick Clegg was moving towards the Tories. "I was wrong and Nick was right," he says. |
| Speaking in an interview with the Observer ahead of the Lib Dems' conference in Glasgow, Ashdown says that, "broadly speaking", the coalition "has been a success", and that dealing with the "hated" Tories has been a lot easier than he had imagined. | Speaking in an interview with the Observer ahead of the Lib Dems' conference in Glasgow, Ashdown says that, "broadly speaking", the coalition "has been a success", and that dealing with the "hated" Tories has been a lot easier than he had imagined. |
| While insisting he still has "no idea" what David Cameron stands for, and stressing that Labour may turn out to be equally decent partners in a future centre-left coalition, he describes the prime minister as "clever" and "very, very quick on his feet". By contrast, he offers no such plaudits for Labour leader Ed Miliband. | While insisting he still has "no idea" what David Cameron stands for, and stressing that Labour may turn out to be equally decent partners in a future centre-left coalition, he describes the prime minister as "clever" and "very, very quick on his feet". By contrast, he offers no such plaudits for Labour leader Ed Miliband. |
| Ashdown, who describes himself as a "social democrat" and of the "centre left" says this coalition has proved that parties that do not like each other can still govern together well in the national interest. | Ashdown, who describes himself as a "social democrat" and of the "centre left" says this coalition has proved that parties that do not like each other can still govern together well in the national interest. |
| "It has held together better, better than we expected. Both sides don't like each other but they nevertheless trust each other. Could we have imagined a coalition with stinking, rotten, smelly, fought-them-all-my-life Tories? No. We don't like them. But we had to do that. You have to do things in the national interest." | "It has held together better, better than we expected. Both sides don't like each other but they nevertheless trust each other. Could we have imagined a coalition with stinking, rotten, smelly, fought-them-all-my-life Tories? No. We don't like them. But we had to do that. You have to do things in the national interest." |
| The comments reflect a realisation at the top of the party that, with the economy improving and Labour's poll lead looking frail, all Lib Dems must be prepared to face the reality that their party may have to do a second deal with the Tories, or a first deal with Labour, as they readjust to life as the third governing party. | The comments reflect a realisation at the top of the party that, with the economy improving and Labour's poll lead looking frail, all Lib Dems must be prepared to face the reality that their party may have to do a second deal with the Tories, or a first deal with Labour, as they readjust to life as the third governing party. |
| Party strategists believe their best chance of clawing back support will be by promoting themselves rather as a hard-headed party of government than as a truculent, reluctant partner desperate to disengage from the Tories as the election approaches. | Party strategists believe their best chance of clawing back support will be by promoting themselves rather as a hard-headed party of government than as a truculent, reluctant partner desperate to disengage from the Tories as the election approaches. |
| Ashdown's remarks will fuel debate about the party's next moves at what is expected to be a tense and fractious conference in Glasgow. Clegg will be fighting to head off a series of rebellions by the party's left, particularly over the coalition's economic policy and the abandonment of the 50p income tax bracket. While his leadership is no longer in serious question, any vote by conference for more investment and less austerity would be a serious blow to his authority. | Ashdown's remarks will fuel debate about the party's next moves at what is expected to be a tense and fractious conference in Glasgow. Clegg will be fighting to head off a series of rebellions by the party's left, particularly over the coalition's economic policy and the abandonment of the 50p income tax bracket. While his leadership is no longer in serious question, any vote by conference for more investment and less austerity would be a serious blow to his authority. |
| On Saturday night, Clegg told party activists that they could be proud of the party's record and "tell people how we took the right decisions in government to make sure interest rates were kept down and to protect people from the economic crises we have seen elsewhere in Europe". | On Saturday night, Clegg told party activists that they could be proud of the party's record and "tell people how we took the right decisions in government to make sure interest rates were kept down and to protect people from the economic crises we have seen elsewhere in Europe". |
| His main confrontation with the party will come on Monday when activists try to amend a key motion on the economy, on which the leader will speak, and insert commitments to more borrowing. Clegg's allies say those seeking the changes want to "tear up" the government's fiscal mandate. | His main confrontation with the party will come on Monday when activists try to amend a key motion on the economy, on which the leader will speak, and insert commitments to more borrowing. Clegg's allies say those seeking the changes want to "tear up" the government's fiscal mandate. |
| In his interview, Ashdown refuses to criticise Miliband, other than to denounce Labour for its behaviour in the recent Commons vote on potential military action against Syria. But he does accuse Labour of a "total failure to stand up for internationalist issues", which he says is the cause dearest to Clegg and many in his party. | In his interview, Ashdown refuses to criticise Miliband, other than to denounce Labour for its behaviour in the recent Commons vote on potential military action against Syria. But he does accuse Labour of a "total failure to stand up for internationalist issues", which he says is the cause dearest to Clegg and many in his party. |
| But, writing in today's Observer, the former Labour cabinet minister Lord Adonis ridicules any idea that the Lib Dems have wielded real power in the coalition and says their biggest achievement this year has been a 5p tax on plastic bags. | But, writing in today's Observer, the former Labour cabinet minister Lord Adonis ridicules any idea that the Lib Dems have wielded real power in the coalition and says their biggest achievement this year has been a 5p tax on plastic bags. |
| The Lib Dem conference opened with an announcement from David Laws, the education minister, that the government would crack down on schools that force parents to buy over-priced uniforms. Laws said he would provide new guidance to urge schools to end the practice of using a single uniform supplier, which stops parents from shopping around. He acted after research suggested parents were losing out by around £52m a year. | The Lib Dem conference opened with an announcement from David Laws, the education minister, that the government would crack down on schools that force parents to buy over-priced uniforms. Laws said he would provide new guidance to urge schools to end the practice of using a single uniform supplier, which stops parents from shopping around. He acted after research suggested parents were losing out by around £52m a year. |
| Laws said: "We will send a strong signal to schools that it is vital to secure value for money for parents before changing or introducing new school uniforms. Parents need to be able to shop around to find the best deal. I want to see fewer schools using single suppliers and branded items, which keep costs unnecessarily high." | Laws said: "We will send a strong signal to schools that it is vital to secure value for money for parents before changing or introducing new school uniforms. Parents need to be able to shop around to find the best deal. I want to see fewer schools using single suppliers and branded items, which keep costs unnecessarily high." |