Nick Clegg issued no apology during his speechification on Wednesday at the Lib Dem Conference in Brighton. The Deputy PM asserted that he was proud of the Liberal Democrat track record since 2010. Clegg also remarked to his party followers that the Lib Dems could revitalise themselves to become Britain’s third party of government.

Nick Clegg declared unapologetically that his political party would be prepared to construct a coalition government with either Labour or the Conservatives subsequent to the 2015 UK general elections. Understandably, Clegg went on to remark that it would be the UK voters, who would decide which political force would lead the UK from 2015.

The latter statement from Nick Clegg is understandable as political modesty is given importance these days in an increasingly media-driven world.

In the absence of the latter statement from the Lib Dem leader, he risked sounding pompous when he declared that the Lib Dems would be ready to back either the Labourites or the Conservatives after the 2015 UK elections. It would have seemed that he had assumed that the UK electors were going to give reasonable votes to the Lib Dems to put them in a position of forming a coalition administration.

A week before, the Nick Clegg apology, over the Lib Dems’ failure to vote against a jump in university tuition fees, had been in the limelight. It was a drastic and courageous gesture from him, which must have been embarrassing as the Lib Dems had pledged passionately in 2010 before the general election that they would vote against a tuition fee hike.

But the party, in coalition with the Conservatives, didn’t adhere to its pledge, angering numerous British students, who admired the party for its pledge.

In his speech, Clegg demarcated his party from the Conservatives over environmental and taxation issues. Clegg picked at PM David Cameron for jettisoning the green agenda, which Cameron had advocated in opposition. The Lib Dem chief also vowed to veto an additional cut in the top rate of income tax. He referred to Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls’ economic agenda as not credible.

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