All the news outlets seem content just to say that he made his "first major speech since being appointed deputy prime minister". Let's emphasise that: his first major speech since being appointed deputy prime minister. This should be a big moment.
But no-one tells us where. Who was in the audience? Was there even an audience?
Look at this screenshot from the BBC:
It looks like he's doing it in his front room. We're all in favour of cutting out the spin doctors, but this doesn't mean you can sack the entire back-stage staff.
Politics is theatre, and you can't run a theatre without stage managers. The actors can't do it on their own. Watch the clip. The passing traffic is more than just a distraction - it becomes more interesting than the speech itself.
Political reform is a nerdy, boring thing for most people. But it's important. It would help if the setting for the speech helped impart a bit of gravitas. Standing in a suburban bay window doesn't do the job.
What's going on? A visiting alien might think that Clegg is being deliberately humiliated by his master Cameron, though in this case our visiting alien would probably be wrong. (He's normally right.)
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