'Dying' politics attacked by Clegg

Mr Clegg wasted no time before turning on the two parties, declaring that they were stuck in a broken political system.

He claimed the Liberal Democrats could do so much better and would rise up to break the grip of two-party politics on Britain.

Speaking at Bacon's College in Rotherhithe, south east London, Mr Clegg said: "I think politics is broken, I think the system has broken and just does not work any more. The great crisis in British politics is that neither Labour nor the Conservatives realise that the system they defend is not working.

"Two-party politics is dying on its feet but they have not realised it."

He said people of his generation and the younger generation just did not believe there were only two sides to every issue which would be reduced to a sterile spat across the House of Commons between two politicians.

The two major parties were similar on so many levels, he continued, adding that this was why he was so excited to be the Liberal Democrat leader because he felt there was an opportunity for the party, which believed it could do so much better.

He said: "You could have a system that actually represents the people and gives voice to people that feel completely shut out by the sort of Westminster argy-bargy, yah-boo politics which I think leaves people cold."

Mr Clegg added that politicians speak a language completely alien to young people and said: "It is one of the reasons I think that the Liberal Democrats will in the coming years break the stifling grip of two-party politics for good and change the system. That is what we are about."

His comments prompted one student, Ashley Baptiste, 18, to say: "I am touched by what you are saying. When I watch the television and see political parties discussing, I see a lot of debate when they are just trying to outdo each other by their comments. That really disturbs me because we are trying to improve our country and that does not help."