Clegg warns voters to consider who will hold balance of power as he launches Lib Dem manifesto

By Catherine Drew @drewc2u

The election manifestos keep coming and Wednesday it was the turn of the Liberal Democrats who until recently were the junior partners in the coalition government. 

Credit: Liberal Democrats

Leader Nick Clegg chose what appeared to be a rave/nightclub setting (to attract the youth?) to unveil his election promises.  A pledge of an additional 2.5 billion pounds for schools in England was overshadowed by his warning that no party was likely to win a majority government and that voters would have to chose who holds the balance of power from among the smaller parties, including the Scottish National Party and right-wing anti-Europe UKIP.  The nightclub vibe clashed somewhat with the "Game of Thrones" style rhetoric.

"So ask yourself this, do you want Nigel Farage walking through the door of Number 10, do you want Alex Salmond sat at the cabinet table or do you want the Liberal Democrats" he said. "The Liberal Democrats will add a heart to a Conservative government and a brain to a Labour one."

This last line got a laugh.  Nick Clegg appeared jovial and relaxed which is strange considering his predicament.  He used the manifesto launch to defend going into power with the Conservatives, something that was unthinkable before the 2010 election and which lost the Liberal Democrats many core supporters. 

"We did the responsible thing, we did the fair thing, we did the gutsy thing.  We stepped up to the plate and put the country first even though it meant working with people we disagreed with," he said.  

Getting into bed with the Tories and going back on an election promise not to vote for a rise in university tuition fees have cost the party dear.  Current opinion polls suggest the Lib Dems will go from 57 MPs they held after the 2010 election to around 19 following the May 7th vote.   Clegg's own seat of Sheffield Hallam is in danger of going to his Labour opponent. 

The other prominent Lib Dem in the coalition, Danny Alexander, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, could lose his seat in Scotland to the Scottish National Party candidate. 

Credit: Liberal Democrats

Clegg's message that voters must consider who holds the balance of power is a valid one, as the chances of a hung parliament are high.   It's just not clear if he, or Danny Alexander, will be available if and when those phone calls are made. 

To read the manifesto, click here