Nick Clegg - We can change the political system

I want, today, to mark the beginning of a real change in Britain: the beginning of Britan's Liberal Future. Nick Clegg brings fresh hope and a fresh sense of dynamic appeal to the whole political process. Because he has the one quality I think you need to be a good leader, and that's courage. He's a real conviction politician. He believes in what he's doing. His instincts are ones which I think will strike a chord with so many people in Britain, the length of the country from Shetland to Cornwall. Good for Scotland, good for the United Kingdom, good for the Liberal Democrats. I think Nick has expressed really clearly today what an important role there is for the Liberal Democrats in British politics. Nick isn't the kind of stay-at-home, at-your-desk leader. He's a go-out-there, listen-to-the-public leader. It says the Lib Dems are back in business. My election as leader comes at a time when Britain is at a real crossroads. For too long we've seen this government struggling on - it's tired, accident-prone and incompetent. I get the sense, talking to British people across the country, that they're hungry for change. "Which is this: that I think politics just isn't working; it's broken." I want to change that, because I believe the Liberal Democrats can do things differently, that we can change the system for good. I want to hand more power down from the centre, to the Scottish Parliament, to the Welsh Assembly, to local government, but also to communities themselves. And to individual people as well. We will give local people to improve their own local schools and hospitals. I want to make sure that every child has the best possible start in life, with schools that inspire, and bring the best out in our young people. On the environment, only the Liberal Democrats are serious about tackling climate change. And we're taking action right now. Across the country, Lib Dem councils are making a real impact, increasing recycling, pioneering green energy and renewables, and reducing carbon emissions. I'm determined that the Liberal Democrats will stand for a different kind of politics, where people and communities are empowered to improve local schools and hospitals, to tackle climate change, and to build a fairer country.