Conference, this is the first time I’ve addressed you in person since Willie passed the baton to me two years ago. Can I take this opportunity to thank you Willie for your leadership, your service to our party and your friendship over the years.
Willie mentioned I am the first Liberal Democrat parliamentarian to be officially sanctioned by the Kremlin. My Ukrainian house guest calls that Santa’s good list.
And by the way, if you do nothing else at conference, do not miss Kira Rudik in this hall tomorrow, the leader of our sister party in Ukraine. In over 20 years of attending our conferences, I’ve never heard anything like her speech to us in Dundee earlier this year.
Conference, there are few things in life that cheer me more than the sight that greets me now. I am thrilled to my fingertips to be here.
I love this party. For nearly quarter of a century, I have served it at one time or another in every capacity: activist, staff, candidate, parliamentarian.
Wherever you are I feel at home.
The evidence of my devotion to this party can be found in the pages of a well-thumbed road atlas and a loyalty card for the Starbucks at Charnock Richard Services in Chorley.
It’s why I drove a carload of young liberals 9 hours down the M6 from Edinburgh to North Shropshire. It’s why I drove them 11 hours to Frome.
And why I’ll do it again in the 7 hours it’ll take us to get to Mid Bedfordshire.
Friends, I come with news of the north, and it is good news.
The liberal revival is underway for us too and we have taken such inspiration from Ed’s leadership and your victories in the south.
Last May, as they had done since I took over as leader, the pundits were writing us off – predicting that the Scottish local government elections would see us slip backwards.
Conference, we outperformed every other opposition party and increased our councillor base by a third.
It made me realise that the history of our movement is rooted in local politics and so too lies the promise of our future.