In Gordon Brown's later speeches he became more believable as a person. Not because his speeches improved. They actually became worse.

It is because he was more dishevelled and seeing Brown ground ever further down, one was more inclined to believe he no longer cared for pretence.

Nick Clegg has always been believable but for different reasons. He had that 'I'm passionate and I care about you' tone perfectly honed.

But in last night's speech there was something else, some of the Gordon Brown believableness. Perhaps it only arrives once you have been humiliated in front of the country.

Clegg had effigies burnt of him, not to mention dog poo put through his door. His ordeal surely peaked this week when TV man Eamonn Holmes finished an interview by adding: 'May I just say you have a very attractive wife.'

His speech saw him attack some Tories and Ed Balls and fail to mention Ed Miliband. But the earnest message was, that transition from opposition to government had been tougher than expected. Neither he nor his party should give up now.