Members from across the East Midlands were treated to a delightful evening with the Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP. The historic Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in Nottingham was the venue for a successful regional fundraising dinner organised by Nottingham City Liberal Democrats on Thursday 13 September.
The evening was packed with both members and business leaders who enjoyed an a la carte menu and some fabulous raffle prizes which included a signed bottle of the House of Commons Malt Whiskey and a cricket bat signed by the whole Nottinghamshire County Cricket Team and of course by Nick Clegg.
Nick Clegg spoke at both a packed private members only Q&A session and also at the evening dinner reception. He also attended a public Q&A session earlier in the day organised by Nottingham Evening Post.
Nick Clegg argued that the Euro-zone is massively important to us economically in that British businesses export half the things that we produce to our European economic hinterland.
He also emphasised the importance of our relationship and influence in Europe helping to provide leverage to our other strategic global alliances such as the one with the US. “We will only matter in Washington under our ‘special relationship’ if Britain stands tall in Berlin, Brussels and Berlin. Why should we matter to the US if we don’t matter in our back yard? It makes sense therefore for Britain to be strong in our own hemisphere.”
Nick Clegg also argued the Leveson inquiry would not have happened without the Liberal Democrats in government or the radical reform of banking or the “very aggressive” action on tax avoidance. And he told party members: “Give me another moral crusade and I’ll go for it.”
Nottingham City Liberal Democrat Chairperson Issan Ghazni who organised, hosted and facilitated the programme, said “Both Nottingham and wider East Midlands Members were thrilled that Nick Clegg was ending his summer tour here in Nottingham, and that he gave members, volunteers and business leaders a valuable opportunity to meet him and to hear what he had to say and to engage in political debate.”
