Nick
Clegg’s Resignation Speech
8 May 2015
I always expected this election
to be exceptionally difficult for the Liberal Democrats given the heavy
responsibilities we’ve had to bear in government in the most challenging of
circumstances. But clearly the results have been immeasurably more crushing and
unkind than I could ever have feared.
For that, of course, I must take
responsibility, and therefore I announce that I will be resigning as leader of
the Liberal Democrats. A leadership election will now take place according to
the party’s rules.
For the last seven years it’s
been a privilege, a huge privilege, an unlimited honour, to lead a party of the
most resilient, courageous, and remarkable people. The Liberal Democrats are a
family and I will always be extremely proud of the warmth, good grace, and good
humour which our political family has shown through the ups and downs of recent
years. So I want to thank every member, ever campaigner, every councillor, and
every parliamentarian for the commitment you have shown to our country and to
our party.
It is simply heartbreaking to see
so many friends and colleagues who have served their constituents so diligently
over so many years abruptly lose their seats because of forces entirely beyond
their control.
In 2011, after a night of
disappointing election results for our party, one of our candidates in
Edinburgh, Alex Cole Hamilton, said this, he said: if his defeat was
part-payment for the ending of child detention, then he accepted it with all
his heart.
Those words revealed a selfless
dignity which is very rare in politics but common amongst Liberal Democrats. If
our losses today are part payment for every family that is more secure because
of a job we helped to create, every person with depression who is treated with
a compassion they deserve, every child who does a little better in school,
every apprentice with a long and rewarding career to look forward to, every gay
couple who know that their love is worth no less than anyone else’s and every
pensioner with a little more freedom and dignity in retirement, then I hope at
least our losses can be endured with a little selfless dignity too.
We will never know how many lives
we changed for the better because we had the courage to step up at a time of
crisis. But we have done something that cannot be undone because there can be
no doubt that we lead government with Britain a far stronger, fairer, greener,
and more liberal country than it was five years ago.
However unforgiving the judgement
has been on the Liberal Democrats at the ballot box, I believe the history
books will judge our party kindly for the service we sought to provide to the
nation at a time of great economic difficulty and for the policies and values
which we brought to bear in government – opportunity, fairness, and liberty,
which I believe will stand the test of time. To have served my country at a
time of crisis is an honour that will stay with me forever. I hope those who
are granted the opportunity to serve our country in government now and in the
future will recognise the privilege and responsibility that they’ve been given.
It’s the greatest thing they’ll ever do.
It is of course too early to give
a considered account of why we have suffered the catastrophic losses we have,
and the party will have to reflect on these in the time ahead. But one thing,
it seems to me is clear: liberalism, here, as well as across Europe, is not
faring well against the politics of fear.
Years of remorseless economic and
social hardship following the crash in 2008 and the grinding insecurities of
globalisation have led people to reach for new certainties: the politics of
identity, of nationalism, of us versus them is now on the rise.
It is clear that in constituency,
after constituency, north of the border, the beguiling appeal of Scottish
Nationalism has swept all before it and south of the border a fear about what
that means for the United Kingdom has strengthened English conservatism too.
This now brings our country to a very perilous point in our history where
grievance and fear combine to drive our different communities apart.
I hope that our leaders across
the United Kingdom realise the disastrous consequences for our way of life and
the integrity of the United Kingdom if they continue to appeal to grievance
rather than generosity and fear rather than hope. It’s not exaggeration to say
that in the absence of strong and statesmanlike leadership, Britain’s place in
Europe and the world and the continued existence of our United Kingdom itself
is now in grave jeopardy. And the cruelest irony of all is that it is exactly
at this time that British liberalism, that fine, noble tradition that believes
we are stronger together and weaker apart is more needed than ever before.
Fear and grievance have won,
liberalism has lost. But it is more precious than ever and we must keep
fighting for it. That is both the great challenge and the great cause that my
successor will have to face. I will always give my unstinting support to all
those who continue to keep the flame of British liberalism alive.
On the morning of the most
crushing blow to the Liberal Democrats since our party was founded, it is easy
to imagine that there is no road back, but there is – because there is no path
to a fairer, greener, freer Britain without British liberalism showing the way.
This is a very dark hour for our party, but we cannot and will not allow decent
liberal values to be extinguished overnight.
Our party will come back, our
party will win again. It will take patience, resilience and grit, but that is
what has built our party before and will rebuild it again. Thank you. |
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