I wasn’t in the conference hall at Brighton for young Nick Clegg’s speech, but I could tell from the little that I saw on the screens above the BBC stand that it was a speech that would be talked about. I’ve finally caught up thanks to the recording of it on Google Video, where you can find plenty of other coverage from conference.
Turns out the plaudits it received at the time were well deserved. Nick tackles the arrogant, illiberal attitude of the current government head on, as well as proposing a Great Repeal Act. If you’ve not seen his speech yet, get a cup of tea and a biscuit (it’s 18 minutes long), and click the play button.
Have to admit, he’s a terrific speaker.
Nick is surely a rising star in the Lib Dem movement. I really like this speech. It succinctly directed my attention to the underlying values and beleifs I hold as a liberal democrat. The key words for me were “self confident liberalism”. In this age it’s a breath of fresh air to hear some depth from a politician, against the defening spin of new labour and cameron. I will spead this link far and wide, and i urge you to do the same.