AS THE Lib Dems assemble for their Autumn Conference in Brighton this year I am put in mind of the fact that when Tony Blair won his first general election in 1997, he did so because he allowed people to believe he would not introduce university tuition fees.

Of course after he won his first election he then did introduce university tuition fees.

Now Jeremy Corbyn has effectively outflanked all his opponents and rivals for the Labour leadership by expressing his personal views on university tuition fees.

Corbyn, a Eurosceptic, is now leader of the Labour Party and he has been confirmed as leader by two leadership elections.

There are now more Greens in the Holyrood Parliament than there are Scottish Lib Dems because, they too, like Corbyn, have the right policy on university tuition fees.

When will Vince Cable wake up and realise there will be no return to front line politics for the Lib Dems, unless he admits he personally was wrong on university fees and apologises to the young people of this country.

If the Lib Dem leadership give their party members the policy of free university education they keep voting for over and over again at conference then all will be well.

But if he continues as he is, stubbornly refusing to move his own position on university tuition fees, he is just banging the nails into the coffin of the Lib Dems.

Surely his years in the coalition government from 2010 to 2015 must have taught him that politics is the art of compromise.

Vince Cable’s attempts to relaunch the SDP just defy parody.

Nigel Boddy Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Hartlepool 2001 Darlington