Nick Clegg launches The Liberal Moment

Nick Clegg today launched a new pamphlet - The Liberal Moment. You can download a copy from the party website.

There it is billed as follows:

This pamphlet is about the future of British politics. Specifically, it is about the future of progressive politics in Britain. It is obvious to most people that Labour’s time is up. This Government displays all the hallmarks of a government running out of road – tired, ideologically incoherent, and internally fractured.

The question for progressives is what comes next? Is it inevitable that the red-blue/blue-red pendulum of British politics must swing again away from the progressive hopes offered by New Labour in its early days, only swinging back in many years to come once the Conservatives have had another go? Or is there life still left in the ideals of fairness, social mobility, sustainability, civil rights and internationalism which are the lifeblood of progressive thought?

My argument is simple: if progressives are to avoid being marginalised by an ideologically barren Conservative party, bereft of any discernible convictions other than a sense of entitlement that it is now their turn to govern, then the progressive forces in British politics must regroup under a new banner. I believe that liberalism offers the rallying point for a resurgent progressive movement in Britain.

The party website also adds: "Please note: this is not official Liberal Democrat policy".

While James Graham reads it as follows:

With his Demos pamphlet published today, it has to be said that Nick Clegg has ruled out any chance of doing a deal with the Conservatives in the event of a hung parliament following the next election. That isn’t quite the same thing as saying he has ruled in a deal with Labour but it does look as if our latest flirtation with equidistance has come to an end.

Nick's office kindly arranged a briefing late yesterday afternoon, but I was too busy earning a living to take part. (I'll never make a blogger.)

And I haven't read the thing yet either. When I have, I'll tell you if I agree with James.