After visiting De Montfort University in Leicester and a clock family in Derby yesterday, Nick Clegg arrived at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. There he was presented to the crowd at the World Snooker Championship and greeted, according to the Independent, with "a variety of cheers and boos".
This is great news.
If Gordon Brown or David Cameron had been presented to that crowd, a mixture of cheers and boos is exactly what would have been expected. Why should the leader of the Liberal Democrats be any different?
One of the most encouraging things about this Liberal Democrat campaign has been its clear intention to appeal to liberally minded people rather than try to satisfy everyone. There is some evidence that it has been successful in reaching just that constituency.
Of course, the Liberal Democrats' roots in local communities are one of their great strengths, but there can be dangers in a determination to "listen to local residents". It can lead to council groups whose members are reliant upon a variety of local grievances to get elected who but have no wider ideology in common.
So it is great news that the Liberal Democrats are now clearly identified with policies that make some people want to boo.
The important thing is that there are more cheering than booing. In fact, under our current electoral system only 40 per cent or so of people cheering would be enough for us to win.
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