Theme and Variations, by Vince Cable

Vince opened his speech to the Liverpool conference: "I don't want to overdo my Stalin joke. But I did, I think, capture the pathos of Gordon Brown’s sad decline: from ruthless to rudderless: bully to bumbler; from Brezhnev to Blackadder."

The speech in full should shortly be posted here along with the other platform speeches and summary of motions resolved.

However, it's worth quoting Vince's coda: "Liberal Democrats represent the millions of families ignored by this Government. Yes, we believe in enterprise. Yes, we believe in an open economy. But we don’t have to go down on our knees to the rich and powerful.

"We will stand up for fair taxes. We will stand up for green taxes.

"And we will fight for a more equal Britain."