Ex-Lib Dem claims party has become 'part of Conservatives'
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The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has hit back following criticism made of him by a councillor from Grimsby.
Cliff Barber recently defected from the Liberal Democrats to Labour on North East Lincolnshire Council. He claims the Lib Dems have become too similar to the Conservatives and many voters can no longer distinguish between the two coalition parties.
Councillor Barber has served the Freshney ward in Grimsby since 2008. He won't face re-election until next year.
Nick Clegg told my colleague Len Tingle his party went into coalition with the Tories for "the right reasons" and the biggest task they face is "clearing up the economic mess left by Labour".
The Liberal Democrats gathered in Sheffield this weekend for the party's spring conference, amid tight security and a heavy police presence, with around 5000 protesters taking to the streets in a march through the city.
Many Liberal Democrats are nervous about their electoral prospects in May's local government elections.
Opinion polls reveal support for the Lib Dems has plummeted since last year's general election and the party's candidate in the recent Barnsley by-election came sixth with a lost deposit.
The Lib Dems face a tough fight to keep control of its Yorkshire councils such as Hull, Sheffield and York.
But many party workers say they aren't facing the bleak outlook that many commentators suggest, with voters willing to judge councillors on their local record, not - they claim - on what's happening in national government.
The Liberal Democrats' spring conference featured on the latest Politics Show in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
I'm Tim Iredale, the BBC's Political Editor in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and presenter of the regional Politics Show. This is strictly a "no-spin" zone where the political viewpoint is more Humber Bridge than Westminster Bridge. Your comments and observations are more than welcome. 
Comment number 1.
At 18:50 14th Mar 2011, john wrote:If the Lib Dems party stay in government with the Conservative party the
maximum share of vote in the nest election will be bellow 5%,to the majority of Lib Dem the conservative party is the devil.
John
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Comment number 2.
At 08:28 15th Mar 2011, Kieran wrote:@John,
Yhat kind of blinkered view of any mainstream political party (and even fringe ones really) is one of the main problems we have in this country, and even if the majority of LD voters do dislike tories, they should not go that far. 10 million people voted Conservative (though not me), and I hardly think they were all fooled into voting for a devil party, and they received many of the votes even in poorer areas (even if they did not win many seats there).
In a Coalition as a junior party, the LDs are bound to implement more conservative policies than liberal ones, that is unavoidable; it would have been the same if they had worked with Labour - perhaps ID cards would still be on the agenda? The question is whether the liberal measures gained offset unfortunate tory ones. For many the answer is no, and fair enough, but all parties move about the political spectrum on specific issues now (there are instances where Labour are more right wing than the tories) so such rigid beliefs against anyone in a particular coloured rosette makes no sense.
Your kind of 'anyone but the tories/labour' attitude is ridiculous, polarizing, unhelpful and preposterous. Entering into a coalition does not mean there is no difference between parties, and the alternative (an election now to not get a hung parliament) is not in anyones interest right now.
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Comment number 3.
At 12:03 15th Mar 2011, Adam wrote:When it comes to policy, there are many areas of difference and common ground between the two parties. A coalition between Labour and the Lib Dems would have collapsed by now. After all, the Lib Dems ideology is more in line with that of tories than with Labour.
There are some demograpics that will always vote Lib Dem, such as students and the Gardian reading middle classes, so don't wirte the party off just yet.
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Comment number 4.
At 14:15 15th Mar 2011, terrysolihull wrote:There was a time when LD meant lost deposit. If the Lib/Dems have the funds to field 600 candidates at the next election how many constituancies will we see LD LD. How can the Lib/Dems hope to raise enough funds to keep its party together.Who will bankroll a substitute Tory party when they give the money to the real thing. Come back Lloyd George all is forgiven.
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