Lib Dem conference: The morning after the Vince before

Vince Cable’s speech yesterday setting out how he thinks there’ll be another hung parliament was a significant moment. It was clear last night, that it had placed in peoples’ minds the question of whether Cable was more likely to hold Lib Dem seats than Nick Clegg and whether he would be able to better exploit a second hung parliament.

This has added to the importance of Nick Clegg’s speech tomorrow. I understand that on Wednesday Clegg will be forceful rather than apologetic, it will be a book end to his sorry over tuition fees. He intends to use it to set out where he is taking his party.

The Liberal Democrat leader, and those around him, have decided that the best way to secure his position is to make the question of his leadership an argument about the party’s strategy rather than a beauty parade. This is a sensible move given that every poll shows that Vince Cable boosts the party’s vote share.