NICK Clegg's efforts to switch the Liberal Democrats from a tax-raising to a tax-cutting party were called into question by his own activists yesterday.
They made clear their wish for the party to remain committed to "social justice" by giving this section of Mr Clegg's first conference speech as leader the biggest cheer of the day.
Mr Clegg put his party on alert for power by claiming it was "he
aded" for government, but aides later stressed he did not expect the Lib Dems – currently third in UK polls and fourth in Scotland – to form the next Westminster administration.
His speech sought to drive home the party's new pledge, endorsed by activists at Bournemouth this week, to offer low-and middle-income voters up to 6p off income tax to ease the pressure of soaring food and fuel bills. Tavish Scott, the Scottish Lib Dem leader, also demanded Holyrood use its tax-altering powers to slice 2p off income tax as an emergency measure.
Mr Clegg said the party was right to abandon a long-standing pledge to increase taxes at a time when the UK government's annual spending had doubled to £600 billion under Labour.
In a polished, well-received speech, he said taxpayers "need their money back". He went on: "This week, we pledged to deepen our fair tax cuts… It means making sure the richest pay more, and aiming to make nine out of ten taxpayers better off."
Mr Clegg also called for a halt to house repossessions, new regulations to prevent the "amoral culture" of City bonuses, bank lending rates that reflected changes in the housing market and independent monitoring of government spending and taxes.
He also pledged to move the UK towards becoming the world's first "green economy", with a "huge" expansion of renewable energy and no new coal or nuclear power stations.
There was a sustained attack on the Conservatives, with David Cameron branded the "Andrex puppy of British politics", while Labour was the "living dead", a "zombie government" rendered powerless by infighting.
The biggest ovation came as he told his audience: "Labour is finished. The Liberal Democrats are now the only party that can deliver social justice."
Danny Alexander, Mr Clegg's chief of staff and the MP for Inverness, later denied the huge cheer for the promise of social justice was a rejection of a tax-cutting agenda. "Tax cuts are the right way to deliver social justice," he said. "I think the party is optimistic about that message."
Missed chance to press advantageGIVEN the chance of a free meal and the opportunity to bend the ear of journalists, MPs – especially those with wafer-thin majorities – tend to be able to find space in their diaries.
Not so the Scottish Liberal Democrats, who mostly failed to show for the annual conference dinner with the Scottish media.
This left the floor open to Gordon MP Malcolm Bruce, who was in fine form and regaled the press pack over lobster and muscadet.
Party's novel tax and spend planTHE Liberal Democrats' treasurer, Lord Clement-Jones, made an appeal to the party faithful to dig deep to help fund the campaign to elect 120 Lib Dem MPs within two parliaments.
As buckets were passed round the conference hall, he reminded activists about the party's pledge to take 6p off income tax, adding: "I suggest you spend these tax cuts now by donating them here."
The full article contains 584 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
