The Liberal Democrats have, as Clegg’s team like to joke, gone from being the
party of protest to the party people protest. Here in Sheffield, at Lib Dem spring conference, there’s a growing group of demonstrators standing just outside the secure zone. They are keeping
up a steady chant of ‘Lib Dem scum, Lib Dem scum.’
The authorities are clearly nervous about trouble this weekend. There are a huge number of police out on the streets, a number more akin to a full party conference rather than one of these smaller spring affairs.
There is a 10,000 strong demo planned for tomorrow. If there is going to be trouble, it will likely be a spill-over from this. How Lib Dem activists react to a weekend of being called ‘Lib Dem scum’ remains to be seen.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate, free for a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.
UNLOCK ACCESS Try a month freeAlready a subscriber? Log in