ANY QUOTES USED MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO MURNAGHAN, SKY NEWS

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Now just over 50 days until the General Election and it still looks like neither Labour nor the Conservatives will have enough seats to hold a majority so it will be down to one or more of the smaller parties to help decide who forms the government.  The Liberal Democrats look set to lose many of their seats, possibly around 50% according to some polls, but could they  still hold the balance of power?  Well joining me now from the Lib Dems Spring Conference in Liverpool is a former leader, Paddy Ashdown and a very good morning to you.  Now I am going to head you off at the pass now, Paddy Ashdown, because I know when we talk about polls you always tell me the only poll that counts is the general election and Nick Clegg has already told us that he expects the Lib Dems to do better than the polls and maybe some in the media expect, but however many seats the Lib Dems get, just reiterate the position in terms of doing a deal with a bigger party.  You would talk to the party with the most seats first?

LORD ASHDOWN: We will judge the national mandate which is given in the election and then we will work for national stability and to continue the track of the last four years which has delivered such success.  It seems to me to be a mistake and a mistake of major proportions that the Conservative party now wants to break away to the right, to load £30 billion of deficit on massive cuts to the public services and to the poor and that Labour wants to break away to the left, back to irresponsible economics and more borrowing.  We will use whatever assistance, whatever power, whatever influence we have to ensure that Britain stays the course.  The Liberal Democrats put the national interest first, we provide stability and we still want the same course that has delivered success and the most strongly growing economy in the G7 to continue until the deficit is paid down and we can have the fruits of that to build the kind of Britain we want.  

DM: You are a prudent man, have you been planning for discussions or having discussions with the Labour party?  Obviously they are ongoing with the Conservatives.  

LORD ASHDOWN: Oh Dermot, you guys just love to get into the completely unpredictable after the next election.  This is the most unpredictable election of all time and I don’t understand why you don’t concentrate on what people want to know which is how do we vote, what do we vote for rather than pretending that that you and I can look into a crystal ball.  We can’t, it’s a mugs game and if you want to spend the whole time with me on this programme doing that, Dermot, of course I’ll play the game with you but really what we stand for is more important and what we stand for is stability in this country, putting the national interest first, working with others to give the kind of stability we need to continue the progress we’ve made in the last four years, stabilising the ship and staying the course.  By the way, Nick Clegg’s speech today is full of the kind of optimism that I think that means for the country.  What you see here is Lib Dems, proud of their record in government, ready to continue in the national interest to provide that stability and showing that cheerful bloody-minded resilience which is one of our characteristics because I’ll tell you what, Dermot, we just love proving you pundits wrong and we are looking forward to doing it again.  

DM: I’m not a pundit, I’m not doing the polling but I’m reading them, which I’m sure you are doing behind the scenes, I’m sure you’re poring over them but listen, let me ask you, you say all Lib Dems are proud of your record in government, well Tim Farron isn’t proud of parts of it, the former President, he’s talking today in the papers about how if he gets his hands on the leadership he’ll try and bring the party back from the dead.

LORD ASHDOWN: The Daily Mail have maliciously dragged up something he said some time ago but look, I like Tim, I think he’s a great campaigner but I think his well-known ambitions would be better served with a little more patience and a little more judgement.  

DM: Well Tim Farron clearly likes you because he also said in that interview that a tough new leader, should Mr Clegg go or lose his seat, a tough new leader like you with vision and never say die spirit.  

LORD ASHDOWN: I think that calling me an aide in pursuit of an interview which at very best was untimely and unwise is not very timely and not very wise but let’s get back to the central proposition.  Nick Clegg is not going to lose his seat, he’s not going to stand down, the Lib Dems stand where they stand on a record of proud service to the country in helping us get out of the worst economic mess we’ve been, thrust there by Labour’s complete incompetence.  We will not let Labour return to irresponsibility and we will not let the Tories part company from the path we’ve worked together in order to pursue their enthusiasm for cuts on all sides expect for their friends.  

DM: Talk to me about the budget, a couple of days to go to that, Paddy Ashdown, of course isn’t the Chancellor going to do there what it seems he’s been doing …   

LORD ASHDOWN: You’ve gone all silent on me Dermot.

DM: Sorry, we want to talk about the budget and I wanted to ask you about the Lib Dem influence on that.  It seems that the Chancellor’s strategy and indeed the Conservative strategy has been that when it comes to Lib Dem policies, if they’re good they try to take the credit and if something doesn’t work they hang that albatross round your neck.  

LORD ASHDOWN: Well there ain’t much that hasn’t worked, I have to say, Dermot, because about 60% of what this government has done is straight out of the last Liberal Democrat manifesto and I think about 50% of the budget that is about to be announced, if I get it right and I’m only predicting for the future, will be straight out of the Lib Dem manifesto as well so there is nothing so good as somebody who claims somebody else’s victories for their own.  We’ve always believed that imitation is the best form of flattery.  I think most people in this country know that when it comes to making sure that we work for a strong economy and a fair society, the Lib Dems have got a record that I think we should be very proud of.  

DM: And I suppose one of the issues that we are expecting to hear about in the budget is this extra money for mental health spending.  

LORD ASHDOWN: Yes, that has been an enthusiasm, a determination of Nick Clegg’s personally and you’ll see I think more on that and I am very proud that we are saying that those who suffer from problems of mental health in this country will have absolute parity with those who suffer from physical illnesses and we’ll provide the kind of resources to make that a reality.  Labour completely failed to provide that parity between those suffering from mental health problems and physical health, we’re going to put that right, we’re very proud of that.  It is a classic Liberal Democrat policy and a really deep Nick Clegg enthusiasm so it’s just another example of how when it comes to doing the things that must be done to preserve economic stability and success whilst at the same time creating a fair society, the only people that can deliver that are the Lib Dems.

DM: We are also hearing that one of the biggest rows in government has taken place over this issue of free speech in universities, getting radical preachers and speakers there, getting universities to make sure they don’t say anything too extreme or aren’t even allowed to speak there.  Nick Clegg managed to get that vetoed.    

LORD ASHDOWN: Look, the truth is that preservation of our free speech is absolutely fundamental to a civilised modern society.  Of course there has to be constraints on what people should do, the constraint that is established is if you make statements which are inciting people to either hatred or violence, then that is a criminal act.  I think that is sufficient to be able to preserve both free speech on the one hand and the proper protections against terrorists or those who propose terrorist acts on the other.  

DM: Lastly, Paddy Ashdown, I just wanted to ask you your thoughts about the former leader of course Charles Kennedy.  There seemed evidence on Thursday night that he is still battling his demons, you must really feel for him … Sorry, I think we’re having a bit of a problem with communications.  I just asked you lastly Paddy Ashdown your thoughts about Charles Kennedy and if you feel he is still battling his demons.  Well, I’m afraid there was a break down in communications there just at the very end, Paddy Ashdown there, the former leader at the Lib Dem Spring Conference.