Nick Clegg Q+A at Brighton Conference, 2012
On the day of his wedding anniversary, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg took questions from party members at the Brighton Conference.
Storified by Mark Pack · Sun, Sep 23 2012 08:51:51
Heading into #ldconf main hall, hoping to ask @nick_clegg about online snooping in his Q+A session #CCDPMark Pack
Nick Clegg taking questions about his apology #ldconfMark Pack
5 Union Jacks on #ldconf stageset (part of photomontage). Think first time they’ve featured in a Lib Dem federal conference stage setMark Pack
No surprise, tuition fees came up first:
.@nick_clegg says problem was signing pledge; policy now being implemented is far better than many people think #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg – could only have stuck to every promise + pledge if won election; if you don’t win, can’t do all your policies #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg says if he’d made apology sooner people wouldn’t have been listening; now some may #ldconfMark Pack
MT @PatrickKingsley: Clegg gets huge round of applause for: "to my dying day, I firmly believe we did right thing by going into coalition."Mark Pack
Interesting: more applause for @nick_clegg defending going into coalition than follow up Qs on fees #ldconfMark Pack
Then things turned to online snooping and the Draft Communications Data Bill:
RT @Alex__Stevenson: Nick Clegg could block draft justice and security bill if he’s advised it’s "illiberal", he threatensMark Pack
Clegg addresses Communications Data Bill, as per recent Spectator’s cover. Highlights @markpack and @julianhuppert for their scrutiny workSebastian Payne
.@nick_clegg reassuringly solid re online snooping – in effect @julianhuppert has a veto over it #CCDP #ldconfMark Pack
Next up was the environment, transport and infrastructure:
.@nick_clegg still "fully committed" to making govt greenest ever. Attacks Tories sending mixed msgs to long term green investors #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg No to subsidy for nuclear power; coalition govt willing to listen to anyone who thinks they can do it without #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Green investment good for jobs, exports + economy – as well as for environment #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg talks up Green Investment Bank, carbon floor price, offshore wind investment, carbon budget, Green Deal etc #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg "I am a passionate advocate of HS2"; country too reliant on Victorian visionaries; we need to be bigger + bolder #ldconfMark Pack
On press reform, Nick Clegg mentioned that despite having had inaccurate stories run about his family, he still thinks press freedom is vital to protect:
.@nick_clegg says test for press reform: can we look Millie Dowler’s family in eye + say that it can never happen again #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Adds that freedom of speech "even of the Daily Mail" is vital. Reforms must protect freedom of press #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg The Press Complaints Commission was "a joke" + papers becoming more shrill, even hysterical, as sales shrink #ldconfMark Pack
On public spending, Clegg said that as the next election happens 5 weeks after the current spending review period ends, there will have to be some agreement on what follows the current spending review. However:
.@nick_clegg won’t support any cuts to spending totals for current spending review period #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Much of Obama’s fiscal stimulus is what happens automatically in UK; ie we’ve done it #ldconfMark Pack
.@nick_clegg Have prised "clammy" Treaury hands off limits + got huge boost in guarantees for infrastrcture spendingMark Pack
