Empty Conference centre or no?

It was reported in the Sunday papers yesterday that Perth Conference centre was nearly empty for Nick Clegg's speech and that he was very defensive in his tone and delivery.

Can I have been the only one present to notice the size of the crowd that was in fact present, or the reception that Nick Clegg got afterwards? The Deputy PM was determined, positive, and he had an edge about him.....the kind of edge that comes when some-one is tasked with doing something both demanding and important, the kind of edge that you have when the responsibility for delivering significant change within our country now lies squarely with you and your party colleagues. I was sceptical about Nick Clegg the first time I seen him, but I can see the substance now, we all can. He is growing in to the role very well.

Well done Deputy PM. You did a great job on Saturday, we are all clear about that.

There are a few pictures circulating on Nat websites, showing the supposed lack of people present. This is interesting. There were two types of people present at this conference.....party delegates and the Press. The circulating photos obviously came from within the Press, presumably taken by private means for (other) party political reasons.

The Nats complain about the media supporting Labour, but they obviously have their own means of infiltrating the media. The result is a mis-representation of the facts.There is no professional integrity in this at all.  Put this alongside some of the dubious polls taken recently and you can see immediately how the public are being cynically manipulated at present, with sections of the Press seemingly quite happy to participate in this deception. Policy seems to only be off secondary importance.

Say what you like about politicians, but they are ultimately accountable to the public. It is time that the light was shone more closely on the more parochially minded members of the Press pack as well, otherwise our democracy is going to suffer.

All in all, a very good example of how the world around us works if we are not prepared to stand up and be counted when confronted by such nonsense. Lib Dems having always been willing to do that.