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Liberal Democrats conference: Nick Clegg delivers first major speech as leader; - Third, let's design a new political system for the 21st century. It shouldn't be hammered out in secret, smoke-filled rooms, by the powers that be. I want a citizens' jury of 100 people to sit in a Constitutional Convention with all the political parties, churches, civil society groups and more - to look across the board, and redesign the way Britain is governed. I wrote to David Cameron and Gordon Brown proposing such a Convention just after Christmas. Their replies were laughable. Dave suggested he and I gang up on Gordon. Gordon sent me six pages of the most legalistic waffle you've ever seen. Willie Goodhart, Anthony Lester and the rest of our top legal experts are still locked in a Committee room trying to decipher it. You see, only the Liberal Democrats will ever champion the sort of change we need. Only we can transform the system, because we aren't part of it. I joined the Liberal Democrats because we're independent. When I was a teenager, Labour were in the pockets of the trade unions. Conservatives in the pockets of big business. What drew me to the Liberal Democrats was that we weren't in anyone's pocket. It's still the same. The establishment parties will manipulate the system to get the power they want. But they'll never change it. They like having power and privilege sewn up between a few chums in the Westminster bubble. That's why they won't do what's needed and get the money out of politics. They don't see we're heading for the skids. If we don't act, Britain will end up like America, where political influence is all about cash. That's why I want a universal £25,000 cap on donations. A real cap on spending.