Successful Liberal Democrat Local Government Conference in Bedford

Leading Liberal Democrat Councillors from all over England gathered on Saturday at the Universityof Bedford for a conference organised by the Local Government Association. The keynote speaker was the Deputy Prime Minister Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP who had recently acquitted himself so well at the Leverson Inquiry. Nick arrived fresh from NOT supporting our Conservative coalition partners in the Commons debate on the behaviour of the much-entangled (with the Murdoch Empire) Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt - who was "in it together" with David Cameron, who was "in it together" with Rebekah Wade...and so on.

Nick's message, however, was a world away from discredited News International and its relations with police and politicians. It was, simply, that on the doorsteps, talking to voters and residents, support for the Liberal Democrats is picking up. In Nick's own constituency of Sheffield Hallam local campaigners had achieved a swing to us of 6% in May's council elections.

His advice was equally simple
1. Only we can or will tell our story - not TV, not the radio, the media, not the newspapers
2. So we must get out and make our case - without using our opponents' terms of reference
3. And the more we interact with people, the better it gets.

"Get out and talk!" was his main point - and got a huge laugh when he reminded his audience, "People are not the Daily Mail - or Polly Toynbee!"

He also reminded everyone that thought the situation was still dangerous the real effect on public spending should not be exaggerated. "The banks blew up big time in 2008 and our economy will still be 11% smaller in 2016 than it would have been had that not happened. But the welfare budget is contracting less - only by 9.5% compared to 2008/9 levels - though this of course is painful for many individuals." Of equal concern, however, was the problem that recovery was being delayed because the banks are still not translating low interest rates into cheaper access to capital. "For this reason," he said, "the extent of future quantitative easing will be conditional on bank lending to small business and individuals."