Lib Dem Leader Comes To Islington

11.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 30th Apr 2008

The leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg MP visited Islington this week, with the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor Brian Paddick, to talk to a roomful of people from all over North London at a 'town hall' style meeting, chaired by Islington South Parliamentary candidate, Bridget Fox. Clegg invited the audience to fire "comments, questions - vitriol" at him, and went on to answer questions on everything from speed humps, to the NHS, to electoral reform.

When Nick Clegg was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats he made it his aim to hold a series of 'town hall' style meetings right across the country, to speak to real people and listen to their concerns. He has faced questions in Cardiff, Warrington, Grimsby, Sheffield, Burnley, and Cheltenham, and on the 29th of April he stood in front of an auditorium at the Metropolitan University in Islington. He described this as "a modest attempt on my part to make myself accessible and accountable to people".

Nick spoke about the breakdown of the two-party system, with Brian Paddick adding that in recent by-elections in London the Liberal Democrats had won almost 40% of "real votes in real ballot boxes", beating both the Labour and Conservative parties.

Nick and Brian then took questions and discussed a wide range of subjects, from policing and community safety in the local neighbourhood, to the health service, to the role of religion in society.