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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
One Year In: Coalition and Liberal Politics - Nick Clegg's speech to mark the first anniversary of the Coalition
May 13, 2011 6:20 PM
• [May 11] THIS morning at the National Liberal Club, Nick Clegg gave a speech to party members to mark the first anniversary of the Coalition Government. In the light of the past year, and of last week's election results, Nick set out to answer what these mean for the Liberal Democrats - both as a party and in government:
"I think it is obvious that this is a moment when as a party we need to take a hard look at ourselves. We were given a bloody nose by the voters last week. We lost almost 750 council seats. And of course the AV referendum delivered a clear 'no' vote. So, a year into coalition government, some vital questions are being asked. In particular - what does this mean for the Liberal Democrats? And what does it mean for the Government? I am going to try and answer those questions today . .
Having created a strong, stable government and set out credible plans to cut the deficit, I relish the opportunity to provide a louder Liberal Democrat voice. To make the Liberal Democrat imprint and influence on government more visible. We are showing we have the mettle to take tough economic decisions, and the determination to break down the barriers to a fairer society. Let me be candid - we have a lot of work to do. We took a hard knock last week. But even in these difficult times, millions of people gave us their vote - and they want us to get on with the job. We will ensure that this is a more liberal nation by 2015.
And we will stand our ground in the liberal centre of British politics. Not the anti-Tory party, or the anti-Labour party, or the anti-politics party. A party of enterprise and fairness. A party that thinks we can do more together than we can alone. A party with an unquenchable faith in the British people. The Liberal Democrat party. Our party.
Thank you."
• Clegg: One Year In: Coalition and Liberal Politics [Full text, May 11]
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