Anders Hanson

After the week that the Liberal Democrats have just had it probably wasn’t the best time to have a conference. But actually the mood at conference was very good.

It seeed to be that regardless of what side of the argument people were on, they just seem determined to put a difficult week behind them and look forward to the local elections in May. One MP I spoke to last night, who was one of the rebels in the Lisbon Treaty referendum vote, also seemed pretty chipper and as they knew that the issue was an incredibly difficult one to handle they had no gripe about Nick himself. It was also definitely noticeable how many people I know that have elections in May were fairly confident in them doing well at the ballot box.

The most notable thing for me is the number of people who have come up to me all weekend and said, “Life must have changed a lot for you now that Nick Clegg is leader”. To which the answer is always “Not at all. Nick is still the MP for Sheffield Hallam and although he has extra responsibilities as leader, life in the constituency carries on as normal and we carry on campaigning as normal.” It’s interesting how even people who are long-standing activists seem to imagine that Nick’s campaigning in the constituency is somehow different now.

So to Nick’s big moment - his first conference speech as leader. It went very well and he really made it very clear the style that he wants to adopt as leader and the sorts of things that the Liberal Democrats should be championing. I was also pleased with two bits that I was surprised he mentioned - ruling out going in to government with both Labour and the Conservatives, and also using any savings in government to cut the taxes of the least well off. The speech was clear, interesting, gives a lot of promise of great things to come, and he even managed to do well one of the things that he has not always been good at - ad libbing. I knew he had done well, but it was the reaction from other people that made feel particularly chuffed as they were all along the lines of “the boy’s done good” and “that was a speech from a real leader”. I felt good coming out of the conference hall, but I was even more pleased with it after the feedback.

Ever since Nick Clegg has been leader I have also had butterflies every time I know that he has a big moment where he really has to perfom well. I got it at Prime Minister’s Questions. I got it today. But hopefully like has happened with PMQs his excellent performances will stop me getting so nervous.

Thanks to Liberal Democrat Voice for this, but it is so utterly bizarre and funny that I had to link to it as well.

Look out for the man 31 seconds in.

If you aren’t convinced about Nick Clegg’s argument for a referendum on our membership of the European Union as a whole then you should read his article in today’s Guardian.

Although I back the idea of a referendum on the EU as a whole, I have been less convinced by the Lib Dem stance on opposing a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. However, I do have to admit that this article by Nick is a very convincing argument as to why a referendum on the treaty is wrong.

As Nick points out. Voting against the Lisbon Treaty would simply be voting for the status quo. The huge majority in the country who want to the see the EU working better, whether as a europhile or a eurosceptic, would be better off adopting the Lisbon Treaty and then having a referendum on whether we want to remain a member of the EU at all based on the improvements that we would see. It’s a fairly simple argument, but it is a relief that Nick is putting it out there in such a clear way at last.

Now all we need to do is get it out to all those people who don’t read the Guardian.

I suppose it’s hardly surprising that Kerron Cross, the Leader of Labour on Three Rivers Council, has such an issue with the Liberal Democrats. Not only is Three Rivers dominated by the Liberal Democrats, and it has been for over 20 years, but Labour remain in a poor third place.

But despite this I was still surprised by the comments on his blog about Nick Clegg’s appearance on The Politics Show last Sunday. Surprised, because his critique of the programme is based on some pretty feeble criticisms (and some fairly feeble jokes) and surprised also because there appears to have been almost universal approval of his performance on the programme from both Lib Dems and non-Lib Dems alike. Even I am prepared to give praise to an opposition party member where it is due.

I know Kerron thinks he is being funny, but it’s all pretty weak. But as he picks up on some of the usual misconceptions and criticisms of the Liberal Democrats, it’s probably worth looking at some of his comments:

Clegg may want to portray himself as a man of the people, a down to earth guy who runs for trains and shares his offices with the local plumber

Well he does run for trains and he does share his office with the local plumbers (as did Richard Allan before him). So it’s just stating a fact really.

He comes across as the sort of guy who … laughs at Maories when they perform the Haka in front of him

Well seeing maoris perform may be a fairly day to day occurrence in South Oxhey, but I can assure him that seeing them perform at the Cutler’s Hall in Sheffield is quite an unusual event and therefore is going to provoke a certain amount of amusement even if Nick also found it very interesting.

mysteriously takes off his tie when meeting people at his local church…only to put it back on again to go home and meet the family. What an odd man.

The words I am looking for are “continuity error”. Blame the BBC.

He is followed by some female Lib Dem prospective MEP candidate … that I have never heard of.

Don’t worry. As Linda Jack is standing to be your MEP, and is also very good, you soon will do!

(all the big hitters turning out, you note!)

Yes, and all picked by the BBC. Note - “picked by the BBC” and not Nick Clegg.

We have Andy Meyer. Come on, Andy Meyer, you must have heard of him? He runs a blog and everything…oh, OK,

Yes, probably as well known as those other well known bloggers like … Kerron Cross. Perhaps that is why the BBC picked him.

all you need to know is that he certainly, most definitely, wears a tie. And it is a gold and yellow tie. Oh yes, that is how much of a Lib Dem supporter he is.

OK, I’m with you on this one. If there is anything that makes me start to worry about a Liberal Democrat it is when they insist on wearing Liberal Democrat ties or even worse Liberal Democrat sweatshirts or bright yellow jackets.

And in between all those contributions, the piece de resistance. Former Head of Media for the Lib Dems, Mark Littlewood (9 mins 23 secs in). Asked how he would make the Lib Dems more credible, he offers a 3 point solution…

And as most Lib Dems know. You don’t bother listening to Mark Littlewood’s advice on anything anymore.

The Lib Dems are a parochial opportunistic little party, whose policies are decided by a handful of activists.

Well that’s democracy for you. It’s a real bugger isn’t it. But you must remind me how being concerned about Iraq and being pro-European makes the Liberal Democrats parochial.

This also explains why they have very few policies at all.

Yes you’re absolutely right. 23 policy papers, 43 mini-manifestos, 11 consultation papers, 26 policy briefings, the general election manifesto itself and the various policies of the Scottish, Welsh and London Lib Dems, and of all the council groups too, does definitely sound like only a “few policies” to me. Perhaps we need a few more.

At the next election everyone (including the Lib Dems themselves) fully expect to lose seats to the Tories

But they wouldn’t if they had seen the party’s own internal reviews of key parliamentary seats. But don’t worry Kerron the Lib Dems will pick up plenty of seats from Labour instead, in places like Watford perhaps?

In response to the scandal over Derek Conway’s employment of his son for doing no work, there have been understandable calls from some commentators to change the way parliamentary staff are employed and monitored. But what worries me about this discussion is that people appear to believe that there is one agreed way for an MP to do his or her job, and likewise for the way they employ their staff.

Some MPs are very Westminster focused and others are very constituency focused, and this is reflected in the way they set up their office. I know one MP who only employs a part-time researcher in Westminster, because to them their absolute priority is working in their constituency and as that is where they spend the majority of their time, that is where they want most of their staff. I know of another MP who whilst very focused on what they do at Westminster, has a constituency with so many social problems and immigration cases to deal with, that they have to employ all their staff in the constituency, and even then struggle to cope with the workload. There are so many different factors that will affect how an MP or their staff want to do their jobs that it is impossible to employ people centrally or come up with a single job description. MPs should be allowed to decide their own priorities and then be left to get on and do their job in the way that they want.  It is up to the electorate to decide at election time whether they are doing it well or not.

I think it is right to be open about who an MP employs, and Nick Clegg has led the way on this by publishing on the national Liberal Democrat website who is on his payroll. Indeed he has gone further by showing which people work for him, even if the taxpayer doesn’t pick up the tab. As is the case with me. What I think would be wrong is to publish their salaries, as it invades the privacy of the individuals concerned. After all, how many people want their friends and neighbours knowing exactly what they earn?

Backbench MPs get around £80,000 a year to pay for staff, (which includes national insurance, tax, pension contributions etc), and I think that is enough for people to know. Indeed £80,000 is not a lot if you consider that most MPs need at least four staff spread between their constituency or Westminster, that the cost of living in London is so high, and if you are a frontbench spokesman for the Lib Dems you usually need extra research staff but don’t get extra money to pay for them. It is no wonder that so many MPs rely on volunteers to get the work done, or are only able to attract people who are on their first job, (and so less experienced), and therefore prepared to work for less.

There are numerous MPs who employ relatives to work for them, and as long as they are given the job on merit and get on and do the work then that is fair enough. After all, given the hours that an MP does and given the way that the job of an MP impinges on their home life, in some cases it is the only way that an MPs family gets to see them.

By all means, lets have transparency, but there is no way we can dictate to MPs how they run their offices or spend their staffing budgets.

MPs suspend Conway from the Commons
Is ‘honourable’ system to end?
MPs urged to declare family staff