[ihasa]

A contrite Nick Clegg drew both scorn and applause on Wednesday when he apologised for promising at the last election to oppose any increase in tuition fees, saying: "We made a pledge, we did not stick to it, and for that I am sorry."

The admission of error came before next week's Liberal Democrat party conference in Brighton at which his ability to take the party into the next election will be under scrutiny.

It was stressed that Clegg was apologising for making the pledge to the National Union of Students before the election not to raise tuition fees, but not for the eventual decision by the coalition to lift the cap on fees to £9,000.

Liam Burns, the NUS president, said: "Nick Clegg should be apologising to voters for breaking his pledge, not for making it in the first place."

Anyway put your hands in the air for the Autotune Remix of the apology:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pwFKZiV5wUw

[jeffkrol]

, "Nick Clegg's apology for breaking tuition fees pledge is like a husband saying 'sorry for my affair, next time I won't vow to be faithful'". What students, voters and members were angry about wasn't us making the pledge in the first place, it was us breaking it.

Nick Clegg apologised for the wrong thing | Linda Jack | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk