Liberal Democrat Party Conference: Nick Clegg keynote speech

Liberal Democrat Party Conference: Nick Clegg keynote speech; An end to big donations. Fewer MPs A parliament that actually holds the government to account. No more fiddled expenses. A fair voting system. A politics that puts people first. I want our politics to connect with people again. That's why in the next nine months we'll knock on a million doors in Britain. To speak - face to face - with the people we're asking to support us. It's why tonight we're calling 250,000 people to hear their views on the challenges facing our country. It's why we're streamlining the party's decision making through the Bones Commission. And it's why, ever since I became leader of our party, I've held open public meetings every couple of weeks or so. Where everyone's invited, and anyone can ask a question or raise an issue. Real politics, real passion, real people. I can't tell you every step on the road for us as a party. But I can tell you where we're headed. Government. We grow every year. We've been in government in Scotland. In Wales. We run more big cities in England than any other party. At the last General Election we won 6 million votes, more than any other liberal party in Europe. Together we will double our MPs in Westminster. And at the next general election we'll take a giant leap towards that goal. We can do it because we are the vanguard of British politics. We have been at the forefront of a revolution in ideas. The first to fight for women's rights, gay rights, human rights. The first to understand the problem of climate change. The first to see the economic crisis on the horizon. The first to see the vital role of liberal interventionism in international affairs. And the first to see its limits - and oppose the illegal invasion of Iraq.