Question: Can draconian anti-terror measures actually encourage radicalisation?

Nick Clegg: Well we know they can. If you listen to the comments from the new head of MI5, much of the headlines were about the fact there are 2,000 people under surveillance but actually the more interesting, considered remarks were that the security services can't do their job unless they get to the grievances, misplaced or otherwise, which are being exploited by a lot of extremists in precisely those communities we need to keep on our side.

There is no excuse for that kind of exploitation and there is certainly no excuse for misplaced grievances and we must not be held hostage by them. However not being held hostage doesn't mean we shouldn't refrain from doing things that can exacerbate the situation.

In my view, creating the impression that you are making one law for one section of the population and another for the rest just makes it a lot easy for innocent, naive people to be radicalised by those who mean us harm.

It is a very difficult balance to strike. We must make sure we have the right defences at our disposal to protect ourselves from terrorism, as much as we can, but not do and say things that have the effect, intended or otherwise, of alienating that section of opinion that we need to keep on side.

Clegg on the leadership

Question: Why do you think you are the best person to lead the Liberal Democrats?

Nick Clegg: Because I am ambitious for the party. I have a proven track record of either reaching out to voters who have not voted for us before or more importantly, feel failed by politics altogether.

I have been very candid and said that we can and must break the mould of two party politics within two elections and I believe that under my leadership we can do that.

It requires the ability to speak like a human being not a Westminster politician, reach out to voters by starting where people are rather than where we want them to be or think they might be.

We must make sure we're on the side of people's hopes, fears, anxieties and aspirations and dealing with them with consistent liberal principles.

I think that is what I have tried to do and set out in the leadership contest, and that is what I will continue to do in the coming weeks.

Question: Whoever wins, do the Liberal Democrats need a period of stability after a quick succession of leaders?

Nick Clegg: Of course we do. I have said right from the beginning that we should have no illusions - you cannot go on testing the patience of the British public as a political party by being too introverted for too long. 

Let's face it, we have had a somewhat rocky and inward-looking phase in the development of the parliamentary party.

I would not like to suggest that this has been a problem of the party at large. It has been very much to do with the ructions within the parliamentary party over the last two years or so.

We clearly need to draw a line under that, we need to unite and that is why I am delighted that I have got by far the largest number of MPs - well over half - who know Chris and me the best, voting for me.

That shows I can unite the party but also I have the recognised political thinker and communicator skills to use that unity to good effect and reach out to new people.

Clegg on coalitions

Question: What would your red lines be for joining a coalition government?

Nick Clegg: I think it would be extremely ill-advised to single out a red line here or there - they just become hostages to fortune. You just get trapped by thickness of one redline over another and I am simply not interested in that.

What I am interested in is in seeing a more liberal Britain and seeing a bigger Liberal Democrat party pursuing that end.

Frankly, to start playing Westminster footsie with one party or another now is something the electorate would not like and I'm not going to do it.

The electorate quite rightly wants to first have their say and then we can see where the parties lie.