Published on Liberal Democrat Voice By Caron Lindsay | Wed 1st October 2014 – 8:00 pm

It seems very strange to have watched three leaders’ speeches before our own Conference has started. We normally go first in the Conference season but thanks to Mr Alex Salmond and his choice of referendum date, we are bringing this conference season to an end. For once, Nick Clegg gets the chance to have the last word.

Farage, with his dodgy wireless microphone, was as full of himself as ever, even more so when he had a defecting Tory MP to brandish. This was in sharp contrast to Ed Miliband’s clumsy performance. And then we had Cameron. Standing in front of a dark backdrop, looking at his most charming, delivering a speech that had passion and promise. It didn’t just have a melody. It had the whole darned symphony. But he and his ministers have this week painted a picture of a Britain that I really don’t fancy living in, a country where government by Daily Mail values is the norm.

Nobody doubts the authenticity of Cameron’s appreciation for the NHS given his own family experience, so we’ll put that bit to one side. Everything else in that speech was very carefully choreographed. The shameless, brazen appropriation of not just our tax cut, but our new policy to extend it was quite breathtaking. For us, who know the story, it’s galling. To the voter who might not know that story, Cameron looks a bit more like he understands them.  Then another tax cut for his voters, the better-off professionals, who will be unencumbered by 40p tax before they earn £50,000. So a couple of lawyers, or doctors will be quids in. Andrew Neil reckoned that it would cost £3.5 billion. Michael Gove reckoned nearer £2 billion. Whatever the real figure is, it’s not far off the amount that will be being cut off the welfare budget for the people who are struggling most. While those who earn a good wage get to keep more of it, those with nothing will have their meagre income frozen.   Well, I suppose they never claimed to be fair.  It makes you think, though, that we really should go back to thinking about Capital Gains Tax. The Coalition put it up in 2010 but it’s not been touched since. If we really believe in a fairer society, we need to show it.

And then there’s Cameron’s and May’s ugly stuff on civil liberties and human rights. A decades old international convention, which was put together by British people, trashed by the Tories in 2014. Human rights, health and safety, decent employment, brought in as a result of brutal slaughter, horrendous and avoidable workplace accidents and mistreatment of workers, all stand to be swept away if this lot are allowed an overall majority. Our job is to stop that happening. We need to show people why this is relevant to them. After all, if you can make one person’s trial a little bit unfair, you can do it to me too. If you can decide to ban certain legal activities for Terrorists, and the National Front, then why not for Greenpeace or animal rights groups, or the Stop the War Coalition. This could all end in a very bad place. Best to keep the gate to the slippery slope firmly locked.

Earlier I was slightly perturbed because I was thinking that the Tories nicked our tax cut for low and middle income earners and Labour nicked our Mansion Tax. Two of our flagship policies. We’ll find it hard to get them back. We’re starting to look a little naked. You would hope that there are a couple of sassy little numbers in the pre-manifesto wardrobe to wow the public and the party, but if they are there, they are keeping themselves well hidden. Worthy and earnest won’t cut it. We need something truly radical.

So, Nick, when he has the last word in just under a week’s time, has the chance to come out there and ride a coach and horses through the illiberal, unfair, irresponsible Tory and Labour agendas. He can be every bit as passionate as Cameron was today – and he can do it with more authenticity. We as a party are looking for him to lay down the liberal law, in no uncertain terms and with style. No, pressure, then.

* Caron Lindsay is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron’s Musings