Speech by Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, on the Liberal Democrat manifesto, April 14, 2010

Every manifesto needs to have an idea at its heart. 
The basic idea that animates this manifesto is something I have always believed. 
I believe every single person is extraordinary. 
The tragedy is that we have a society where too many people never get to fulfil that extraordinary potential. 
My view “ the liberal view “ is that government“s job is to help them to do it. 
Not to tell people how to live their lives. 
But to make their choices possible, to release their potential, no matter who they are. 
The way to do that is to take power away from those who hoard it. 
To challenge vested interests. 
To break down privilege. 
To clear out the bottlenecks in our society that block opportunity and block progress. 
And so give everyone a chance to live the life they want. 
There“s a simple word for those ideas, and it“s a word this manifesto is built on: 
Fairness. 
Our manifesto will hardwire fairness into British society. 
This isn“t a promise, it“s a plan. 
A plan based on four steps that will make a real difference to you and to your family. 
Four steps to a fairer Britain - specific, concrete, tangible. 
So you know what fairness really feels like. 
Change that you can trust. 
Four steps, right there on the front cover of our manifesto. 
Step one. 
Fair taxes that put money back in your pocket. 
Under the Liberal Democrats, you will not pay tax on the first £10,000 you earn. 
You will get £700 back. 
If you and your partner both work, you will get £1,400. 
If you“re working part-time and wondering whether it“s worth it to take on more hours “ it will be. 
If you“re on benefits and wondering whether it“s worth it to get a job “ it will be. 
But some people will have to pay more to make that possible; we are being totally open about that. 
We will close loopholes that unfairly benefit those at the top. 
Clamp down on tax avoidance. 
Introduce a new mansion tax. 
And increase aviation duties. 
It“s because we are being completely straightforward about those tax rises that you can put your trust in our tax cuts. 
Step two. 
A fair chance for every child. 
I simply do not believe it's fair that in Britain today a child“s chances in life are determined more by their parents“ bank balance than by their own hopes and dreams. 
So under the Liberal Democrats, there will be more money in your local school to give your children the individual attention they need to thrive, cutting class sizes and providing more one-to-one tuition. 
Money that will allow young children to start in your local primary school in classes of just 20. 
Teenagers who fall behind at the secondary school in your town will find themselves in one-to-one lessons, evening classes or Saturday school to help them catch up. 
Step three. 
A fair economy. 
If you run a small company that needs credit and you“re struggling to get it “ we will make it easier by forcing the banks to lend to sound British businesses. 
No longer will you have to look at the banks and despair at the greed and excess, because we will end the bonus culture. 
And you will not need to worry about a repeat of the banking crash because we will break up the banks to protect your savings, so never again are they used as stakes in a game of Russian Roulette on the international money markets. 
And if you“re out of work, there will be hope. 
We will give a guarantee to young people that if you“re out of work, after just 90 days we will find you training, a job or an internship. 
And we will invest in green energy, public transport and homes, so that the new economy we build from the wreckage of the old is environmentally sustainable, one where Britain learns once again to build things instead of just betting on things on computer screens in the City of London. 
Step four. 
A fair deal by cleaning up politics. 
We will break up, once and for all, the rotten political system dominated by the two old parties and put power into people“s hands. 
You will have the right to sack your MP if they are proved corrupt. 
You will have as much influence as everyone else over our government because we will stamp out big donations, clean up lobbying and change the voting system so that every voter“s choice matters. 
And you will once again be able to look at our Parliament with pride, not contempt, because we will make sure every MP who avoided capital gains tax or flipped their home for personal gain is brought to book. 
These are four steps to a fairer Britain. 
They are promises you can trust. 
Together they will change our country for good. 
If we do things differently, for once. 
If we learn from the mistakes of the past and try something new“?
We can turn anger into hope. 
Frustration into ambition. 
Recession into opportunity for everyone. 
There is one other major innovation in this manifesto. 
There isn“t a line or policy in this book that will cost money that we haven“t accounted for with savings elsewhere. 
We have scrutinised public spending line by line, and found the savings we need to pay for all of our priorities as Vince explained. 
And also to put well over £10bn into the deficit every year from 2012. 
I believe this is the first time a political party has spelt out its figures, line by line, right there in its manifesto. 
Turn to page 100. 
The figures are there for everyone to see. 
We know how every policy will be paid for. 
We know how to make that huge £10bn dent in the deficit. 
And we know how to invest in your schools and create jobs even in these difficult times. 
These are promises you can trust. 
The two old parties are conspiring to airbrush the recession out of this election. 
Labour, so we don“t blame them for the damage they did. 
The Conservatives so they don“t have to come clean about the cuts and the tax rises they are planning. 
They are treating people like fools. 
Imagining that manifestos barely fit for a time of plenty are good enough for a time when money is tight. 
Our manifesto recognises that the world has changed. 
There isn“t spare money to splash around. 
We can no longer rely on the City to pay our bills. 
People have got to be levelled with. 
It is wrong to promise something for nothing. 
It is only because we are willing to make difficult decisions to find cuts in some areas that we can make the commitments in this manifesto in other areas. 
We have identified more than £15bn of savings, year on year, in this manifesto. 
That is why we can commit to phasing out tuition fees. 
That is why we can promise a new “triple guarantee“ for pensioners “ so pensions rise in line with earnings, prices or 2.5%, whichever is the highest. 
It is because we are making savings like scrapping Identity Cards and rolling back the database state to restore people“s liberty that we can afford to put 3,000 more police on the beat. 
It is because we are refusing to ringfence bureaucats and waste in the NHS that we can be confident about protecting the A&E departments, maternity wards, GP surgeries and other services on which people depend. 
It is because we will cut civilian staff in the Ministry of Defence that we can afford to give a pay rise to our brave servicemen and women, so no-one goes into harm“s way on less basic pay than a new police constable. 
This is hope married to credibility. 
Optimism that is in touch with reality. 
It“s what makes our manifesto different. 
And through it, page by page, you will see we retain our commitment on the environment, with policies to make our lives, our jobs and our communities more sustainable in every chapter.
If you want practical help instead of empty words: this is a manifesto for you. 
If you want a government that helps where it can and gets out of the way when it should: this is a manifesto for you. 
If you want promises you can trust: this is a manifesto for you. 
The two old parties have taught us to expect little from politicians and get less. 
They have taught us to expect that elections are four weeks of being fobbed off with promises you know will be broken, and in the end you vote for the red team or the blue team, whichever you dislike the least. 
Our manifesto says an emphatic No to that kind of politics. 
Our manifesto says: 
This is what Liberal Democrats want for Britain. 
Fair taxes that put money back in your pocket. 
A fair chance for all children at school. 
A fair future, creating jobs by going green. 
And a fair deal, cleaning up politics. 
A country we can be proud of. 
A country where you can reach your own extraordinary potential. 
If that“s what you want, vote for us. 
If you“ve ever looked at the Liberal Democrats and thought: 
They“ve got the right ideas, but can they deliver? 
This manifesto is your answer. 
We can: we will. 
