UK DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg has told his party to “hold its nerve” as thousands gather today at a party conference to protest about the effects of billions worth of spending cuts.
Last night, up to 1,000 noisy but peaceful demonstrators gathered outside Sheffield City Hall, but up to 10,000 are expected today for a much larger protest, which has led to heavy security in the Yorkshire city and led locals to avoid the city-centre.
Preparing the ground for the conference, Mr Clegg said: “These are early days – 10 months into a five-year parliament. All the focus is on the immediate task of the deficit. People have to hold their nerve, not lurch from one thing to the next.
“You have to work at it day in, day out and deliver over time, so that people see the difference you make. That is what we do and we will continue to do.” Later, in his opening speech, Mr Clegg told delegates “government is very different from opposition”, where “difficult choices, especially at these difficult times, provoke controversy and sometimes protest.
“And it is not easy for us as a party to be the focus of those protests. Some of our proudest moments have been on marches: against climate change, against child detention, against the illegal war in Iraq.
“We’ve put down the placards and taken up the reins of power. It’s a big change but it is worth it. You can’t do everything when you are in power, but you can’t do anything when you are not. With power comes protest. We need to get used to it,” he said.
Over the course of the weekend, the Liberal Democrats are to emphasise their points of difference with the Conservatives, along with attacking Labour for “the toxic legacy” it left behind after 13 years of power.
However, there is no doubting the concerns of party grass roots about upcoming local elections for half of all English local authorities, along with contests for the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland.
Launching a strong attack upon Labour, Mr Clegg said Labour-controlled councils are displaying “glee” in making savage cuts in job numbers and services “so that they can blame their choices on us”.
Sheffield’s Liberal Democrat-controlled local authority has announced just 270 compulsory redundancies and no cuts to libraries, swimming pools, public toilets, or museums, while Labour in Manchester has axed 2,000 jobs.
“And while we are taking the tough decisions to clear up the mess Labour made of our country, they are offering nothing. They act like the last 13 years didn’t happen,” he told the conference.
“When they try to make you feel guilty for going into a coalition with the Conservatives in order to clear up their mess, remind them what they left behind: a country on the brink of bankruptcy; banks running amok while Fred Goodwin snapped up a knighthood; locking up innocent children in [immigration detention centres].”