Nick Clegg just gave one of the best lines of the General Election
At the launch of the Lib Dem manifesto in a trendy bar in Battersea, Clegg gave one of the best lines of the General Election campaign so far. Describing the role his party could play after the General Election on May 7, he said:
"The Liberal Democrats will add a heart to a Conservative government and a brain to a Labour one."
After polls have fallen sharply since the Lib Dems joined the coalition government in 2010, the party is attempting to position itself in the middle ground of British politics - pledging to push back against the cuts proposed by the Conservative party and the additional borrowing implied by Labour's plans. In essence, Clegg was saying the Lib Dems could play the Wizard of Oz (or perhaps Dorothy?) in the next government.
As he put it in his speech:
We won't lurch off to the right with excessive cuts, as the Conservatives will. We won't lurch off to the left, with excessive borrowing, as Labour will. And we won't drag Britain away from the mainstream, centre ground, as Nigel Farage, Alex Salmond and their friends on the fringes will.
It may be a sensible pitch, but it's hardly one that inspires much passion from either side. Today's casting of the Lib Dems as the political Wizard of Oz aims to frame this platform if not in enthusiastic tones, at least in an amusing and memorable one.
However, the manifesto launch wasn't exactly a complete triumph for Clegg. The gathered press were very unhappy that he chose to answer only one question from a journalist during his Q&A session, giving the rest of the time to less challenging questions from party members.
