Clegg urges his party to face reality

The cultural change Nick Clegg is trying to bring to the Liberal Democrats was summed up by one exchange during his Q&A with party delegates. One delegate, a member of the Federal Policy Committee, got up and said how conference had “sent the government a message” with its decision to amend the coalition’s health reform plans. To which a visibly exasperated Clegg replied, “you’re part of the government.”
 
Clegg was uncompromising in his message that the party has to accept the realities of coalition government. After he had dismissed a series of questions about whether he was too close to Cameron, Clegg said — only half-jokingly — to the hall “who else would like some of that?”
 
The questions tended to be on Lib Dem staples: constitutional reform, tuition fees, local government and the like. On Lords reform, Clegg wouldn’t commit to the coalition delivering either a fully elected Lords or removing the bishops from it.