Clegg finally in the spotlight as conference season gets under way

The Liberal Democrat conference is in full swing and party leader Nick Clegg is finally being allowed to step in to the limelight. Its been easy to forget that there are three main parties contesting the next election given the lack of column inches the LibDems have managed to generate, whether through fault of their own or because of a general lack of interest in the UK’s third party. As such, the LibDems seem to be making the most of what little media attention they’re currently getting and are using the increased coverage to showcase what they’re all about after being in the shadows for so long.

Earlier today (Sunday, 20 September), Clegg took centre stage to take questions from party activists on a whole range of issues. An interesting question came from a youth member about the use of the Internet as a campaigning tool and how much the party would be employing the Net to target potential or floating voters. Clegg, quite rightly, played down the use of the Net alone to connect with hard-to-reach groups, saying that there was no substitute for grassroots campaigning. He also reiterated the conference’s Fresh Start theme by spelling out the party’s three main priorities – sustainable, green, economic growth; young people; and, rather boldly, reinventing politics.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Clegg will assert himself in the public consciousness over the coming days because a revived LibDems is equally beneficial to voters and the party alike.