A case of after the Lord Major's ball?

At the end of a difficult week for Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg,he faces a tough test in addressing the party's spring conference in Liverpool today.

Clegg will have to demonstrate that he is in control of his party after the eruptions of the week over the Lisbon treay, a cause not helped by Vince Cable's much plauded speach yesterday.

A case of follow that according to Sam Caotes over at Red Box

It was clever, funny and powerful enough to be a leader's speech. Vince Cable, suddenly an elder statesman of British political scene, was showing off his peculiarly effective speaking technique - reassuringly unpolished and unprofessional - at Liberal Democrat Spring conference.

James Forsyth over at Coffee house says it

showed how fortunate it was for the two main parties that he did not become leader either in 2006 or after Ming Campbell’s departure. He is able to deliver cutting criticism of the two main parties while staking out political positions that appeal to both Labour and Tory voters.

You can read the full text of the speach HERE

Alex Foster at Lib Dem voice says

At the end, conference were swift to get on their feet for a standing ovation as he left, both for a speech that was a splendid restatement of our entire fiscal policy and much of our social views, and a mark of respect for the great job he did at a difficult time as interim leader

.

Where does all this praise leave Clegg?

Reports are that he is going to emphise the differences between his party and the other two,being crotical of the Tories in pandering to public opinion.After all it is with that party that his MP's will face the greatest battle after the next election.He will also seek to show that the Lib Dems are the party of protest whether it be over Europe or being willing to break the law over ID cards.

But there is hope for the new leader,according to Martin Kettle writing in the Guardian

That is why, with the continuing eclipse of New Labour and only a modest resurgence of the Tory party, the most interesting dynamic in British politics remains - in spite of the party's occasional own best efforts - the Lib Dems. Intelligent observers, sympathetic as well as hostile, in the other two parties long ago understood that the shape of British politics in the next few years rests to a considerable degree on whether Clegg can get the Lib Dems back to the 22% that Kennedy secured three years ago.