Clegg must seize the day

Five years ago, the Iraq war made sections of the electorate desert Labour and go to the Lib Dems. This time, the financial crisis and the scandal of MPs' expenses means public faith in all the main parties has been eroded.

The Lib Dems have fared better in this area than their main rivals, however. Due to the astute analysis of Vince Cable, the York-born Treasury spokesman and their emergence, relatively untarnished, from the sorry tale of ponds, porn and bath plugs, there is a chance for them to pick up another tranche of disaffected voters.

Nick Clegg's surefooted performance, in front of an audience of Yorkshire Post readers, reflected this. While the Sheffield Hallam MP insists he won't be the kingmaker in the event of a hung Parliament, such a result might just put him in that position. And even if there is to be a clear winner, there is still a great opportunity for the Lib Dems to increase their share of the vote and also their number of MPs.

Central to this will be engagement with ordinary Britons. In his apparent willingness to consult with voters on how the public debt will be cut, Mr Clegg is living up to this. From John Major on his soapbox in 1992, to Tony Blair's "masochism strategy" in 2005, electorally successful politicians have been those who take on their critics.

This is even more important when Prime Minister's Questions has become a set-piece event, dominated by hollow boasts and pre-prepared taunts, and when the impact of the televised leadership debates remains unknown.

Mr Clegg's idealism, on early years education and reforming the tax system to name but two issues, resonates with many people. Seven years on from the start of the Iraq war, the Lib Dems are no longer a one-issue party. Having changed themselves, they now need to take their

great chance.