Time to speak up

The Business Secretary calls the last 12 months – during which they have been the target of student protests, were humiliated at the ballot box twice in both the local elections and the referendum on voting reform and languish far behind their rivals in the polls – as “difficult”.

His critics go further, suggesting Mr Cable and leader Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, are battling for their political careers.

A major problem was the meek failure to secure voting reform and proportional representation. Mr Clegg’s compromise to hold a referendum on the Alternative Vote predictably received a hostile public reception and was trounced.

This abject failure has left many supporters gathering at the party’s conference in Birmingham today questioning what will be the legacy of their time in government.

The party machine continues to trot out policy amendments they credit themselves for, but elections are not won or lost on finite legislation details. Landmark reforms get the headlines and, rightly or wrongly, the perception is that the Lib Dems have achieved little more than softening Tory policy.

Currently struggling to rebuild their shattered image, the great concern is there is no heartland support to fall back on. The annihilation in the local elections has cost a vital presence in cities across the North like Hull, Sheffield and York.

Mr Cable must now rely on deals such as the Siemens contract in Hull to turn around their fortunes. Their stock could yet rise again if they speak up for the North and its hard-pressed cities.