A Clockwork Clegg

Why they're known as the FibDems

2011-09-21T08:07:00.000+01:00

Man in a Shed: Why they're known as the FibDems

If Red Ed wins - Nick Clegg's future is nailed to the Coalition mast

2010-09-24T10:37:00.000+01:00

Man in a Shed: If Red Ed wins - Nick Clegg's future is nailed to the Coalition mast

Liking Nick Clegg but not the Lib Dems

2010-09-22T13:33:00.003+01:00

The stock of Nick Clegg is rising since his brave and principled stance at the Lib Dem conference in Liverpool this year. Read this by Fraser Nelson.

Fortunately for those who have supported economic liberalism Vince Cable is there to remind us that its just Nick Clegg who makes sense, and maybe a few orange book Lib Dems. The Sandalistas are still the unelectable majority.

Cranmer on Nick Clegg's faith schools must teach that homosexuality is 'normal and harmless'

2010-01-18T19:08:00.001Z

Cranmer's comments on Nick Clegg on school being forced to promote homosexuality ...

As he says its not very liberal is it ...

A Clockwork Clegg is back

2010-01-11T09:44:00.004Z

With the general election not far away this blog is being fired up for one more try.

It written from a sceptical right of centre, but not necessarily always hostile, viewpoint.

There are many things to admire about Nick Clegg - today's attempt to ditch excessive Lib Dem spending policies is one of them ( see here ). Of course tomorrows Guardian may well have a letter telling him he'll do no such thing, but we'll see.

Nick Clegg strikes me as someone who made a few wrong turns early in life ( Europhilia and not listening to Mrs Thatcher's society speech properly being among them ), but he's not you usual insane Lib Dem promise merchant either.

He's a bit more complex, and is worth watching.

Although personally I think he'll be luck to survive the year as Lib Dem leader.

PS If you'd like to help contribute to a Clockwork Clegg, on the same basis, drop me a line.

Man in a Shed

All a bit quiet of late

2009-06-03T18:38:00.004+01:00

This blog was started up to engage with the phenomena of Nick Clegg and what he might do with the Lib Dems.

The author is from the centre right, and has historically seen the Lib Dems as an enemy if not the enemy.

But Clegg looked interesting, he still does.

However, I haven't been keeping this blog up to date so I'll have to decide if I should kill it off or try to post more often.....

A Fisk of Clegg

2008-09-17T18:12:00.006+01:00

A Fisk of Clegg

Based on the transcript of Nick Clegg conference speech 17 Sep 08

I'm going to talk today about the future.

But let me start by asking you to think back to the past.

One year ago. It was a different world. You remember.

The Labour government was, sort of - popular.

Gordon Brown had dealt with a crisis - competently.

Everyone wanted to pay court to The Great Gordon.

Even Margaret Thatcher had tea with him. Because she was invited - not the other way round, but then you never did understand Mrs T did you ?

The Sun newspaper wrote: "Gordon Brown is in a position of strength".

And at the other end of Whitehall.

David Miliband was telling reporters he wasn't interested in being prime minister.

Oh, really, David. Hang on weren't you getting in trouble with Mrs Campbell about this time last year for disloyalty or was that the other one ?

Things were so different last year that when Vince Cable predicted a housing collapse, people just thought he was Victor Meldrew.

No-one outside this party realised Vince was a twinkle-toed economic prophet. Actually Nick it was easily predictable based on debt to earnings and others did

What a difference a year makes.Yes your the one who's worried about his job this year

But what's far more important is that things have changed for every family in Britain too.

The political changes of the last year are nothing compared with the economic hardships families face now.

Like Angie, a middle-aged mum, who came to see me recently in my constituency.

Who said she was finding it difficult to sleep.

She told me about that sinking feeling she gets at the supermarket checkout and the petrol pump.

Counting down the days until her cheap mortgage deal ends.

Switching down to just half an hour of heating in the morning because it's all she can afford.

You know how it feels, don't you? You certainly did when you cancelled you Ocado shop every week ...

There's this big, intangible thing called the global credit crunch.

Banks and funds with names you'd never heard of - Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns.

And suddenly you're worrying - is my money safe, in my bank, on my high street?

These are difficult times.A very good reason not to trust a bunch of charlatans like the Fib Dems you'd think.

Our economy weakens by the day.

We survive on oil and coal we cannot afford, from nations we cannot trust. Like Scotland ;-)

A firestorm is raging through our financial system, ignited by reckless bankers and fuelled by complacent politicians.Actually if you think about it (which you clearly haven't), its the other way round.

I had a look back recently at Gordon Brown's final budget last year.

Can you believe it.

He actually boasted: "Our growth will be the highest in the G7".

"Inflation has never gone above 3%" he bragged.

Labour offers nothing.Not fair - Labour offers to reduce you wealth and blow your pension on unreformed public services - which you mostly supported.

They're so desperate to protect their own jobs, they can't be bothered to protect other people's.Tick

They're the living dead, no heart, no mind, no soul.

Stumbling around with no idea what to do.

They are a zombie government.

A cross between Shaun of the Dead and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

All these backbenchers and ex-ministers you've never heard of.

Rising up from the grave of obscurity.

To impale their Gordon Brown.

Thank goodness Gordon's got Geoff Hoon, chief whip, chief zombie slayer on his side.

Riding to the Prime Minister's rescue, he declared: "It's important that people who have something to say come out and say it."

What a shambles.

We can't predict the future.

We can't know exactly what challenges our country will face.

But we can be certain that Labour cannot help us.

And we can be certain that the Conservatives won't bother. Utter rubbish - as you know - but you are the Fib Dems after all !

Cameron's only aim was to make the Conservatives inoffensive.Nope I think you'll find its to win power to save the country from woolly lefties like the Lib Dems

Problem is, once you strip out the offensive parts of the Conservative party, there isn't much left.

Cameron's hope is to become the Andrex puppy of British politics.

A cuddly symbol, perhaps.

But fundamentally irrelevant to the product he's promoting.

I asked my office to do some research over the summer into Conservative policy positions.

Before you laugh, it turns out they have actually said quite a lot.

3,148 pages worth, in fact. So not funny then eh ? Get Vince to help you on the Jokes - come to think of it let Vince do everything.

At a best guess, that's about 1.8 million words.

That is three times as long as War and Peace.

Or two and half thousand readings of The Gruffalo.

I think they're hoping to produce so much of this stuff that no-one will have the time to read it.

Because, out of all those 1.8 million words, guess how many translate into concrete commitments?

None. Not one.( Ref back to your earlier assertion about predicting the future - you're really not paying attention are you - note to Nick - fire this graduate speech writer person )

You see, when you promise, you have to choose.Would you like to help us with the £20 Billion spending cuts you've promised ( well mentioned really ) and how they can be made up - because you sure couldn't earlier on News night ( hint maybe Vince knows ).

When it's all "blue skies thinking" - you can say everything, no matter how contradictory. Pot calling Kettle black here from the Fib Dems I think ....

You can say you want fairer taxes - but propose to spend billions cutting inheritance tax for the very richest in the land.And loads of other people - in fact if you look at the threshold its about everyone. Those who are very wealthy employ accountants to get round this tax anyway - this helps ordinary people mostly - get Vince to explain it to you.

You can call for the European Union to be stronger against the Russians - while still plotting to break it in two.Are you going to declare your interests here Nick - in temrs of the EU and Russia and fmaily links eh - no thought not.

You can say you'll protect civil liberties - and then call for extra surveillance powers.

You can cycle to work - and have your driver follow behind.This is getting a bit tired now - you really need a new speech writer - ask Vince he must have one.

They are a say everything, do nothing party.You can't do anything in opposition - a point that seems lost of your party and its supporters.

David Cameron and his cronies have tried to take over every comforting, soft-focus word in the dictionary.

They are for work-life balance, fairness, motherhood, apple pie, saving the planet and custard. Isn't custard yellow - no I don't think were in favour of that...

You have to admire, I suppose, the sheer gall of someone who worked for Margaret Thatcher claiming he cares about poverty.This is shameless character assassination - but then since you never did read that speech on Society when you were at Uni I guess your happy to live in ignorance.

But that arrogance, that born-to-rule conceit, that sense he's already picking out curtain patterns for Number 10.Picked out curtains !! Really you must dump this speech writer - oh don't tell us you thought this up all on your own ?

That's not what Britain needs.

Power must be earned, not inherited.Actually all the power is going to go out thanks to Labour/Lib Dem green tree hugging irresponsibility

What Britain needs now is absolute honesty about the situation we're in. So shut up then.

And big, bold ideas to set us right.

Quite simply we need a government that listens, understands, and acts. So no leadership eh - we've had government by focus group and it hasn't worked to well

And you know what?

The Liberal Democrats can be - will be - that government. You know this is just misleading and ridiculous don't you - of course you do your a Lib Dem its in your DNA

We are the party with the ideas that can get Britain out of this mess.

Because we understand. What exactly ?

There are no mistakes made by government that cannot be set right by the British people. Except signing Lisbon, selling Gold at the bottom of the market etc etc

If only they are given the chance.

Ask yourself this:

When you meet someone new, someone you don't know anything about.

What do you expect?

I'll tell you what I expect.

My basic view of human nature is that people are born with goodness in them.

Of course, people can be selfish, cruel or violent -

But I believe no-one starts that way.

Most people, most of the time, will do the right thing.

Not just for themselves - but for their family, their neighbours, their community.

They need to be trusted to make those choices.

There is a terrible pessimism in the way Gordon Brown thinks we should all be organised from above.tick

Our every move controlled by the great puppet master in the sky.

And there's pessimism too from David Cameron when he says that if you're overweight, vulnerable or poor, you're on your own.So where are the quotes on that - or is it something you've just made up. I guess as an athiest there's nothing stopping you misrepresenting people eh ?

It's condescending.Its untrue

Talking down to us.Maybe because you tell lies ?

Talking us down.By pointing out your liars - sounds reasonable enough

What neither of them understand.

Is that if you always see the worst in people, you will never fix anything.This wouldn't pass muster for a sixth form eassay - its just pathetic.

There are huge challenges.

Protecting the planet.

An ageing population.

Keeping our economy competitive as globalisation shifts the power centres of the world.

Everything we know from the last fifty years will change in the next five.Generalisation - if true education would be pointless

These are challenges that could overwhelm us if we do not harness our potential.

It's liberalism - optimistic liberalism - that will find the best in Britain.

We have got to get Britain's economy up and running again.

Without jobs, there's no fairness, no opportunity.Lets get this straight are we being liberal and allowing people to make their own way - or social democrat and doing it for them ?

So let me set out, right now, our Fairer Future economic recovery plan.

Four steps to a better economic future.

One. Action to stop unjust repossessions before tens of thousands of families find themselves on the streets. Actually they are just - but perhaps unwise

Guided by the one man who had the foresight to see these problems coming.

With more wisdom and experience than Labour and Conservatives combined:Well you Nick anyway

Vince Cable.

Two. The free-wheeling, bonus-driven, short termism of the City must come to an end.

We must stop the amoral culture that sees speculators betting on banks to fail, knowing the taxpayer will pay out in the end.

And the madness of bonuses awarded no matter what.

We need a wholly new approach to regulation: limiting, not encouraging, the excesses of the market.

And when reckless bankers come with gold-plated begging bowls to ask for shareholders to be bailed out.

Our answer should be a resounding No.The Shareholders and the pension funds and the people ( well those without gold plated EU and Westminster pensions that is ). So its Labour's stuff the Grannies policy eh ?

Three. We will put in place the building blocks for future economic stability.

Interest rates that take house price changes into account.So aren't there to control inflation eh ? In fact I'm guess your thinking of lowering interest rates not raising them. Of course interest rates shoudl have been raised earlier - but that's not what you mean is it --- go and ask Vince to explain again.

And independent monitoring of our fiscal rules. The problem has been Gordon Browns splitting of responsibilities and emasculation of the Bank of England.

And finally - but most importantly.

Tax cuts for families who are struggling.

To help them make ends meet.

And keep the wheels of the economy turning.

The money must go direct to people on low and middle incomes.No no no - the money doesn't go to these people - the government should take less away. your sounding like Gordon Brown on a tax credit bender here.

The very wealthy, the super-rich - should be paying more not less.Right - thats going to happen eh ? Have you learnt nothing over the last 30 years ? The Rich avoid tax and if necvessary leave the country. Raise tax rates on them and you'll get less tax !

I will never support the Tory idea that you cut taxes for millionaires and the benefits somehow trickle down.That's because your stupid and don't remeber what happened in the 70's - still aren't you a millionaire Nick ?

That's not what struggling families need.

They need their money back.No No No - they need the government to stop taking the money from them. Will you give the Lib Dem socilism arest Nick !!!

I was talking to a pensioner recently.Could have asked her what the state pension was eh ? Note to Nick - ask Vince

Joan.See you can remeber things

I could see the anxiety on her face.

She was one of the million people who lost out from the 10p tax rate even after the so-called compensation package.

Struggling to pay every bill that comes through the door.

Worrying about getting through the winter.

If you were Joan,

What would you want?

Your money spent on a management consultant's advice on a government IT project that will never work?

Or your money handed back to you?NO - don't take the money in the first place !!!!!

Liberal Democrats have called for tax rises in the past. Too bloody right you have - and your well known for it.

When what Britain needed most of all was more investment in our public services.Don't start me on what investment really means.

We were right to do so.No you weren't - it was wasted on unreformed public services (salaries mostly for the Labour/Lib Dem payroll vote )

But what hard-up families need most of all today.Is for that never to have happened

Is food on the table, petrol in the car, and warmth in their homes.

Here's how we'll find the money to help them.

We'll ensure everyone makes a fair contribution - polluters, fat cats and non-doms included.

Our idea is simple.

Every person pays their fair share.

Under Gordon Brown tax has become voluntary for the super-rich and for giant multinational companies. Well actually Nick many of them are leaving for low tax Ireland

And David Cameron will make it even easier for those at the top.

When Northern Rock collapsed, the chief executive got what they call a "golden goodbye".

Thirty thousand pounds tax free.

As a thank you for failure.

Who can explain that to Joan? Not you obviously

Why is she paying more, when the man who brought down Northern Rock is getting tax-free handouts?Perhaps we should get some of the billions we waste on the EU back to heat Joan's house eh ?

It's wrong, and it's got to stop.

Raising taxes at the top will go a long way to cutting them at the bottom.

But we need to do more. © Gordon Brown, used with permission.

This week, we pledged together to deepen our fair tax cuts.

To make them fairer still.Fairer than fair ( don't worry the majic pony's coming soon )

That means doing the most for those who have the least.Sorry are we taking less of peoples money (doing less) or doing more (hi I'm from the government and I'm hear to help) etc ?

It means making sure the richest pay more.Pips squeaking - ask Vince how well that worked for Labour in the 70's - he might remember. Hint try not at all.

And so aiming to make nine out of ten taxpayers better off. Ah the magic pony has arrived, lets all join hands and be happy at Nicks money for nothign scheme - are you sure you didn't work in the city Nick ?

I want this to be the most progressive - most redistributive - tax plan ever put forward by a British political party.Progressive and redistributive - sounds like a contradiction.

Using just a little of the money the government wastes every day WHat about the rest of our money the government wastes - go on ....

To help people in their everyday lives.

That doesn't mean cutting help for the poorest, of course.

It doesn't mean stopping vital investment in hospitals and schools.

It just means taking a cold, hard look at all government spending and asking a basic question:

Is it working?

Every family in Britain is tightening their belts for the hard times ahead.

It is time for government to tighten its belt too.

Labour has doubled government spending from £300bn a year to £600bn a year.( Which you've just told us you approved of under investing in public services ...)

That's 18,000 pounds a second.No - its 19,013 / second Nick your out by about £33 billion per year !!

They've taken, give or take a few, 16 million pounds of your money since I started speaking.

It'll be 38 million by the time I've finished.

Does anyone in this room believe every single pound is spent well?Or that you could even count it - let alone control it.

I don't.

And I think it's liberal to be sceptical.( I though you were saying were all born happy )

Sceptical that central, controlling government gets things right.

It's the Labour party that believes every pound spent by government is better than a pound spent by you or me.

We don't.

We believe ministers should spend money as carefully as if they'd borrowed it from a friend.No as carefully as if it was their own- but that would be a step too far for you eh Nick

We believe that tax is a means to an end and government should not take a penny more than it needs.tick - that's Conservative policy - all the time you opposed it,.

We believe returning money to people who need it is fair, liberal, and right.For crying out loud - its our money - it doesn't need returning - it needs leaving with the people who earn and own it !!!

The other parties say tax cuts aren't possible. The Conservatives know that the country is in a mess and that mess will need to be sorted first - but then we don't sell magic ponies like the Fib Dems do.

But that's because they're too flaky to take the tough choices to make tax cuts possible.No - the exact opposite is surely true

Too weak to trim back on wasteful spending.Where were you in the 80's ? Oh yes Europe ...

Too in hock to wealthy non-doms to threaten higher taxes for the rich.

Liberal Democrats are not afraid of tough choices.Repeat a lie often enough and people might believe you - but nah we know that's utter rubbish

My shadow cabinet is identifying £20bn of government spending that isn't working effectively.And someday - before I meet Jeremy Paxman again - they might tell me about it.

We need to ask ourselves:

When government has proved itself incapable of keeping people's data secure.

Why is it spending nearly thirteen billion pounds on a botched NHS IT system?tick

When our soldiers need inexpensive, off-the-shelf armoured vehicles today.tick

Why is government spending fourteen billion on over complex tanks that won't be ready for years?

When we want local government to respond to the needs of local people....

Why are they spending more than a billion pounds filling in forms for Whitehall inspectors? tick

Making these savings will mean we can afford to spend money on things that really matter.FOR GOODNESS SAKE - no ! It means you take less money away from people !!!!

Homes, care for the elderly, children.

Things that really make a difference.

And then cut taxes for the people who need it most.

I know with this approach - streamlined spending and targeted tax cuts © Gordon Brown, used with permission.- see Tax Credits, we can get our economy going again.

But I don't want to reignite the old one.

I want us to be the first country in the world to move to a new economy.

A green economy.= ie no economy at all

As well as risking the very future of our planet.Which is doomed anyway

Our need for dirty energy is crippling us economically.No its the cost of renewables and the absence of power generation capacity that will do that

There are growing links between climate change, biofuels, and rising food prices.Thanks to idiots like yourself

And inflation is fuelled. by fuel.( So lets get this straight - cost of fuel goes up - less gets used greener right ? But you want to make it cheaper which will make it eh less green... Duh)

One way or another, together we are going to have to use less energy.According to you plan it'll be by having less of an economy

And much less dirty energy.

It's the only way to stop the growing threat of disastrous climate change.

There must be no third runway at Heathrow, no expansion of Stansted, Yeh wreck the economy - that'll work

And for power stations - no Kingsnorth, no more dirty coal, no nuclear.Back to teepees in mid Wales with Lembit then

I want to see public transport expanded, with investment funded through charges on road haulage.Hello its the magic pony again

I want to see homes and businesses become energy efficient - saving money in the process.How liberal is it to tell people what to do like this ?

And I want a huge expansion of renewable energy - meeting and exceeding the commitments Labour has given up on.Magic Pony again

If we make the change now, Britain will lead the world on green technology.The white heat of technology ploy - © Gordon Brown , Harold Wilson

Driving growth through green collar jobs. © Gordon Brown

Achieving energy independence within the EU.Aka dependence on French nuclear power

Independence because our position on the international stage is weakened by the West's desperate hunger for fuel.

We cower in the shadow of countries we want to stand up to.

Because we're afraid they might turn off our lights.Actually your plan is going to achieve that all by itself

Just look at where we stand with Russia.

And in the Middle East.

Dependence on fossil fuels undermines the fight for human rights.If we don't trade with them then what leverage will we have exactly ?

It halts the onward march of democracy.

It's got to end.

Instead of basing foreign policy on the principle of "who's got the fuel".

We need to base it on the principles of justice. © Robin Cook - ethical foreign policy c1996

On our British values:

Freedom, democracy, and human rights.

Fair, and green.

This is the new economy we will build.Nope it will destroy the economy

But we need a new kind of government to go with it.

To put Britain on the right track for the future, we need to make government people-sized.

People-shaped . You what ?

I was talking to a father recently about how hard it is to find affordable childcare in the school holidays.

And he said.

Why can't we have extra child benefit in those holiday months when we need it the most?

And I was talking to a pensioner, too, who said:

I'd prefer to get my winter heating allowance in March, when I have to pay for my winter fuel.

Not in December when the money just disappears in the Christmas shopping bills.

Isn't it blindingly obvious once you think about it?

Benefits should be shaped around the needs of people and families, not bureaucrats.

And under the Liberal Democrats they will be.

Our health service needs to be people-shaped, too.

I want patients to have far more control over the care they get. © Gordon Brown - personalised ( not reformed ) public services

So people with long term conditions get to be part of designing the care they need. © Gordon Brown- to be fair to him.

Choosing what suits them - and making it work.

For mental health patients.

For pensioners in need of care.

For people with disabilities.

It works.

A couple of weeks ago in Sheffield, I met a wonderful woman called Katrina.

She's got three disabled sons -

The oldest is Jonathan, a charming, warm hearted young man of 19.

He can't walk or talk clearly, or feed himself alone.

He's had a breathing tube in his neck since he was a toddler.

Under a scheme the new Liberal Democrat council in Sheffield is extending.

Jonathan's just got his own individual budget and care plan.

Now he's doing work with a local charity, attending a music group, has his own personal assistant.

A child whose potential seemed so limited

Finally as a young man, engaged in life in a way he and his mother never thought possible.

Katrina told me with the biggest smile I've ever seen.

She said: We've gone from having nothing to having everything.

I want every child's needs would be taken this seriously.

What depresses me most about what Labour has done to our country...

Is that they've made it a place that's not fit for our children.

Children are inspirational.

Miriam and I can't wait to be parents again.Cleggover !

I love the way children see the world. That's why you love the Lib Dems clearly - home of naivety and a failure to understand the real world.

There was a great story I heard recently about a little girl, doing a painting in class.Haven't we finsihed yet ???

The teacher comes over and says - what are you painting?

And the girl says - God.

So the teacher says - But no-one one knows what God looks like.

The girl says - they will in a minute. Heard this years ago ..

Children don't see barriers.

When you're a child - everything is possible. Magic Ponies for example

So how can you not feel angry when you see what has been done to that hope and innocence.

One in three children growing up in poverty.

A million in cramped and unsafe homes where they don't get space to play.

More children in prison than any other country in Western Europe.

Our children are some of the most unhappy in the world.

We have to change this.

The journey starts in our schools.

We need to draw out the potential in every child

From every background.

Children who are struggling, or falling behind.

We must help them with extra support - one-to-one tuition or catch up classes.Actually the best answer is to correct the teaching approach so this isn't necessary

Funded by our "pupil premium" which targets extra cash at deprived children.( Hey Nick aren't you thinking of sending your kids to private school ? )

We can engage parents, too - giving them the power to set up schools if that's what their community needs.

Like parents did in Lambeth with help from a Liberal Democrat council.

Making education people-sized, people-shaped.

That means making sure there are different kinds of school.

To suit different kinds of children.

One size fits no-one.

The government has messed things up for this generation of children.

Criminalising, criticising children.

Fingerprinting children, instead of supporting them.

And they do down children, just as they treat us grown-ups as if we were still five year olds.

Needing to be checked up on, monitored, controlled.

We are the most spied upon country in the developed world.

A million - a million innocent people have their DNA on a criminal database.

More surveillance cameras than anywhere in the world.

Parents snooped on by council officials checking up on where children spend the night.

They're even putting tracking chips in our bins.

And for what?

We are still less safe than our European neighbours.

Too many young men are still caught up in a cycle of violence.

As Chris Huhne has so powerfully shown, our prisons have become colleges of crime.

They have taken our liberty from us and given us nothing in return.

Liberal Democrats will give our freedom back.

I don't just mean civil liberties.

Though we'd restore them.

I don't just mean human rights.

Though we would cherish them.

I mean allowing people.

Families.

Communities.

To decide what's right for them.

And do it.

Because the government doesn't know what's best for us - and it never will.

I've talked about the new economy...

And the new kind of government.

That Liberal Democrats will create.

I want to talk briefly about the road we will travel together to get there.

Simply changing things around at the top will not work.

We saw that in 1997.

We saw it again in 2007.

You can change Prime Minister without changing Britain at all.

We need to transform politics.

Because unless we bring people in...

So everyone can take part.

Every change we need will fail.

The way Britain's run today.

Means the government doesn't have to listen to anyone.

Less than a quarter of people voted for Labour at the last election.

And yet they get to wield total control over all our lives.

What's incredible is that Labour and the Conservatives alike still say we are the mother of democracies.

What world are they living in?

In 2001 for the first time ever, more people didn't vote than voted for the winning party.

And when it happened, Labour and the Conservatives didn't pull out all the stops, they didn't go into crisis mode to fix it.

They sat back, and let it happen again in 2005.

Surely every rational person can agree - we've got to have something different?

When politicians are held in the same contempt as the chewing gum on the bottom of your shoe.

Shouldn't we try something new?

An end to big donations.Because ours all come from criminals - lets use some of that lovely tax payer money instead

Fewer MPs tick - especially Lib Dem ones

A parliament that actually holds the government to account.

No more fiddled expenses.

A fair voting system.

A politics that puts people first.

I want our politics to connect with people again.

That's why in the next nine months we'll knock on a million doors in Britain.

To speak - face to face - with the people we're asking to support us.

It's why tonight we're calling 250,000 people to hear their views on the challenges facing our country. Apparently this is illegal, and you criticised the SNP and Labour for doing int he past

It's why we're streamlining the party's decision making through the Bones Commission.

And it's why, ever since I became leader of our party, I've held open public meetings every couple of weeks or so. So you can discover what you now believe in like Magic Ponies and tax cuts

Where everyone's invited, and anyone can ask a question or raise an issue.

Real politics, real passion, real people.

I can't tell you every step on the road for us as a party.

But I can tell you where we're headed.

Government.Nope I think not

We grow every year.

We've been in government in Scotland. In Wales.But not any more

We run more big cities in England than any other party.

At the last General Election we won 6 million votes, more than any other liberal party in Europe.

Together we will double our MPs in Westminster.No you won't, you going to lose at least half

And at the next general election we'll take a giant leap towards that goal. Magic Pony time again.

We can do it because we are the vanguard of British politics.

We have been at the forefront of a revolution in ideas.

The first to fight for women's rights, gay rights, human rights.

The first to understand the problem of climate change.That was Mrs Thatcher - but you never paid close attention to her real policies did you ?

The first to see the economic crisis on the horizon.Rubbish

The first to see the vital role of liberal interventionism in international affairs.You what ?

And the first to see its limits - and oppose the illegal invasion of Iraq.

We are a powerful party.

We are getting stronger.

And our ideas are the right ones to get Britain back on track.

Remember 1997.

Things can only get better?

We were told our country would be a success - and no-one would be left behind.

It didn't happen. New Labour failed.

But there is a new, New Labour on the block.

Let our country not be fooled again.Then don't stand for office then !!

If you were drawn to Labour in the 1990s.We'd like to hear from people who are easily taken in please

Because you believed in a better future.So you might be fooled by the Fib Dems - great

Because you were filled with hope that things would get better.

Join us. We are the ones who can make it happen.

Labour is finished. It's over.If only - unfortunately I doubt this is true

The Liberal Democrats are now the only party that can deliver social justice.Rubbish

The only choice for anyone who wants a fairer Britain.Lies

A party that will put money back in the pockets of ordinary families.No

A party that will build a stable, green economy for each and every one of us.Destroy the economy more like - how will it work with zero power generation capacity ?

A party that will change politics so that every person counts.Of course what your really famous for is changing politics depending on which street you on.

The Liberal Democrats.

Join us, and make it happen.Is this the catch phrase for the new Harry Potter movie perchance ? Because the realism's all there Nick - you forgot to promise the Magicpony that can do spells.

Clegg thinks Labour has had it

2008-09-13T16:46:00.002+01:00

The Press Association reports the following:

"They no longer stand for anything that the vast majority of British people need or want".

Somehow this theme from the Lib Dems seems familiar ...

Lost in the Post ? Or lost in space ?

2008-06-11T18:07:00.001+01:00

Hat tip to CentreRight:

"Dear Nick,

Last week I wrote to you about the Liberal Democrats' position in the Lords on a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. I have still had no reply.

Yesterday, the Lords rejected by 226 votes to 197 an amendment to improve parliamentary scrutiny and accountability over the Government's use of the opt-in on crucial justice and home affairs issues. The amendment was recommended by the cross-party Constitutional Affairs committee. In the Commons your party voted on a three line whip in favour of a near identical amendment. In the Lords your party voted on a three line whip against it. The vote was lost because your party voted against it.

Why did your party vote in utterly opposite ways in the Lords and Commons? Was it because you have completely changed your mind? Was it because your Liberal Democrat Lords are out of control? Or is it because your real objective is to see the Lisbon Treaty in force at all costs before the British people have a chance to have their say?

Tomorrow the Lords will vote on a referendum on the Treaty. Why do you refuse to explain why they are set to vote in a completely different way from your MPs? Don't voters have a right to know? Is it because your position is completely indefensible?

I look forward to your answer.

Yours sincerely,

William Hague

P.S. As I reminder I enclose my letter of last week. Owing to the public interest in this matter I am releasing this letter to the media."

New PR chief needed for Nick Clegg

2008-06-10T11:52:00.004+01:00

The current PR chief, one Mr Oates, has apparently left after 15 months, and only 6 months since Nick Clegg became leader of the party. He's returning to his former employer.

Doesn't look good, not at all.

I can't imagine Nick Clegg is looking forward to his first anniversary as leader with all the press interest in what he's achieved, or not, in that time. He'll certainly need a new spin merchant by then !

A Headcase

2008-05-22T14:49:00.000+01:00

No room for the Lib Dems ?

2008-05-20T08:28:00.003+01:00

Why have the Orange book principles co-authored by nick Clegg not been implemented now he is leader ? Didn't he emphasis the Liberal part of Lib Dem ?

The wows of the Lib Dems are outlined today in the Telegraph...

The Waendel Journal: Nick the Builder, can he claim it?

2008-05-14T22:37:00.000+01:00

Cllr Tony Sharp - The Waendel Journal: Nick the Builder, can he claim it?

So where are Nick Clegg's expenses

2008-05-06T20:31:00.002+01:00

Guido wonders where Nick Clegg's expenses are - given what an important issue he thought this was when the MSM was interested.

Surely not more Lib Dem hypocrisy ?

Clegg starts the excuses for the local election results

2008-04-26T18:48:00.002+01:00

Nick Clegg is getting his excuses in early blaming the lack of unpopularity of the other parties for the likely Lib Dem failure on Thursday in the local elections. He puts it as a lack of an Iraq factor ... something easy for the Lib Dems to oppose at no cost to themselves and win lots of votes.

He should be grateful that Gordon Brown is doing so badly right now - making him look at least adequate by comparison.

Clegg tries the "no memory of" ploy to deny having been a signed up Tory

2008-04-24T17:57:00.002+01:00

Nick Clegg is now squirming over the evidence that he was a paid up member of the Conservatives at University. He's reported by the Yorkshire post saying that he has "no memory" of having been a member and couldn't be expected to remember every society he signed up for. ( Though he has a better idea of how many women he's slept with apparently ).

I guess as an atheist he feels no need for honesty ( which certainly wouldn't help in leading the Lib Dems anyway. ).

Clegg was a Tory

2008-04-15T10:49:00.001+01:00

And Greg Hands has the evidence here..... ( He can't be all that bad then eh ? )

So Nick Clegg might send his kids to private school.

2008-03-31T10:52:00.003+01:00

This from a interview with GQ reported in The Times:

Piers Morgan

NickClegg

Piers Morgan

Its the last phrase that is most striking.

You can look at the policy issue on private education. Personally I'm happy for Mr Clegg to buy his kids a good education, but I trust he won't join in Labour's attack on middle class families.

But also I don't think what he says qualifies as a belief. No wonder he's an atheist and a Lib Dem - he can't make his mind up about anything and lacks faith ( it would appear he doesn't even know what faith is ! ).

Clegg does not impress dead bishops

2008-03-10T08:42:00.003Z

In other words Cranmer is not impressed with Nick Cleggs relaunch speach at the Lib Dem conference in Liverpool. Why not ? Because he's actually listened to itr and can point out a whole set of school boy inconsistencies in Clegg's approach.

I won't list them here as Cranmer post is far better written and easily accessible here.

It seems to me that Clegg lacks intellectual discipline - Calamaty Clegg looks like its going to stick.

Update: EU Referendum blog thinks Clegg must be on drugs.....

The Nick Clegg Newsnight road crash

2008-03-05T12:27:00.001Z

Thanks to GuyTV for posting this on Youtube - here's the interview that may end Nick Clegg's career. Will the Lib Dems let him take them down with him ? The question on resignation letters may cost him his job ....

Is there an English Lib Dem party - Nick Clegg says so !

2008-03-01T22:50:00.003Z

Given Nick Clegg's attack on Chris Huhne's support for England in the Lib ~~Dem~~ leadership race it is perhaps surprising to here him say the following ( as reported by the BBC):

English party?

Wow - I didn't know there was an English Lib Dem party ! (Emphasis in above quote mine - but it stands out anyway !)

I wonder what it means ? I was tempted by another dig at the Lib Dems many face's a geographically determined policies ( and it is an example of that ) - but in fact I'm far more interested in what it might mean about Nick Clegg's thinking on the issue of an English Parliament.

In his own words - what not holding a referendum would mean

2008-02-26T13:51:00.003Z

It appears Nick Clegg's use of the Ming dodge for breaking his manifesto promise of the referendum for the Lisbon treaty constitution unravels when check what he's said on the record before the last election.

"The real reason, of course, why the government does not want to hold a referendum is the fear that it may lose ... Nothing will do more damage to the pro-European movement than giving room to the suspicion that we have something to hide, that we do not have the 'cojones' to carry out our argument to the people."

Hat tip to Conservative home - who are themselves quoting a Guardian Comment is free article by Niel O'Brien.

Nick Clegg supports racism in candidate selection

2008-02-12T19:10:00.000Z

From the horse's mouth so to speak: -

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has written to Keith Vaz supporting his 10 Minute Rule Bill to allow for the creation of shortlists on the grounds of ethnicity in the selection of parliamentary candidates.

He has also said that the Liberal Democrats may have to consider all-minority shortlists in the future if the party cannot increase the number of MPs from ethnic minorities.

Commenting, Nick Clegg said:

"We need urgent action to tackle the woeful under-representation of Britain’s ethnic minorities in Parliament. All political parties are letting Britain down. If we want to represent modern Britain, modern Britain must be represented in us.

"Legislating to allow all-minority shortlists is a crucial step, which should be used as a backstop to force parties to act now. We can no longer tolerate a political system that does not represent Britain as a whole.

"The Liberal Democrats have taken a number of steps to boost ethnic representation in our ranks: the creation of a diversity fund; the employment of dedicated staff to increase candidate diversity; and plans to establish a Leadership Academy to give targeted assistance to candidates. But we need to go further, faster.

"That is why I believe, if existing and planned resources fail to make the difference in the coming years, the Liberal Democrats will be duty bound to consider using the powers in this proposed Bill."

Of course what Clegg is proposing is illegal currently under English law and would be blocked by European law. So this is the usual cynicism then.

Lib Dems may support Conservative Govt.

2008-02-09T09:00:00.000Z

Nick Clegg is taking his liberal principles to their logical conclusion and speculating about supporting a Conservative government.

The problem will be the two parties members - who spend most of their time opposing each other. The campaigning style and tactics of the Lib Dems are especially despised by the Tories ( and Labour for that matter ) and the Lib Dems often present themselves as an alternative party of the left.

Sparks are likely to fly.

Update: And here they are:

"A senior Liberal Democrat MP warned that Mr Clegg's move could split the party. He said: "I am pretty annoyed, to put it mildly. He hasn't discussed this within the parliamentary party. It would take some swallowing for the majority. We knew he was going to be like this. We knew he would be a maverick putting forward frankly right-wing ideas. There are a very significant number of centre-Left politicians who would find it totally unacceptable."" - Quoted in the Daily Mail ( From Conservative home ).

I suspect the truth is many Lib Dems thought they were only ever in politics to govern with Labour at the national level. The dynamics of this are going to be intresting.

Nick Clegg is perhaps trying to avoid the mess they made in the Scottish and Welsh devolved governments by just being Labour's hired help. But it won't go down well with the yellow groupies.

Nick Clegg facing his Maastricht ?

2008-02-04T12:40:00.000Z

Apparently some Lib Dem MPs think you can just dump manifesto promises because your leader tells you to.

About half Lib Dem MPs are considering rebellion.

I wonder if Nick Clegg ever took a oath of loyalty to the EU when he worked there as a civil servant - though as a atheist he should have no problem breaking his word since his views have no moral foundations. ( It is fundamentally impossible for an Atheist not to have variable views and morals since they are by definition in possession of partial truths and not reliant of any firm doctrine.)

Two health messages - after all its the Lib Dems

2008-01-20T19:39:00.001Z

To the right - Nick Clegg says in the Telegraph that everyone should have the 'right' to private health care.

To the left - he gets the BBC Guardianista headline of abolishing Health care inequalities.

Safe in the knowledge that he will never be responsible for these decisions he can make up what ever fantasies he wants.

By the way inequalities are the result of any free (ie liberal ) health care system since people get to make choices, some of them good, some not so good.

He makes the headline grabbing statement about health care outcomes in parts of Sheffield, but since peoples choices to a large degree determine their health you either take those choices away (vote Labour if you want to be farmed by socialism ) or you give people information and responsibility for their choices (vote Conservative).

If you want to bore people at dinner parties with unworkable plans then you vote Lib Dem.

What Conservative home makes of Nick Clegg's first month

2008-01-18T22:31:00.001Z

See here.

In short the opinion polls haven't benefited from a new Lib Dem leader, but equally no major mistakes except his attack on David Cameron's support for marriage and admitting he's an atheist. ( The Lib Dems picked up a big Muslim vote at the last general election - there is no way many Muslims will vote for an atheist. Equally the Lib Dems used to get a large Christian backing - they will also be thinking twice.)

As with my opinion people are interested by the idea of a more economically liberal and smaller state party might have on British politics. Conservative home shares my concerns made else where that Nick Clegg can't really take his party with him. But there are Tory's willing him on.

Iain Dale's Diary: Clegg: Conviction or Plagiarism?!

2008-01-14T09:24:00.000Z

Iain Dale's Diary: Clegg: Conviction or Plagiarism?!

The Cleggoid is making a lot of right of centre noises right now. The latest about reducing the size of the state, and letting charities do stuff the state does now.

So what does this tell us about him ?

Iain Dale thinks he's really a Tory.

Man in a Shed thinks he's going to get in real trouble with his Lib Dem membership who must be starting to worry they've done something horrific.

The Cleggoid is certainly looking like a certain citrus fruit right now ....

PS If the Cleggoid is trying the Cameroon love bombing tactic on Tory voters / floaters he's in for a back shock. It worked for Cameron as it got over a particular mental block about the Conservatives many people had. Conversely the Lib Dems rely on the fact they are not understood to pick up their protest votes from all places.

Clegg hires Thatcher campaign man

2008-01-08T12:27:00.000Z

The BBC reports that Nick Clegg has hired John Sharkey, who is a former joint managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi UK, has been named as Mr Clegg's adviser on strategic communications.

There is also a root and branch review of the Lib Dems under way. I wonder what the membership think of that ?

The future of the Lib Dems - 4 party politics

2008-01-08T12:12:00.000Z

The future of the Lib Dems - 4 party politics

Shameless cross post here, so read the above first, - but its an issue nick Clegg has to resolve he has 5 basic choices:

1) Head left - with liberal social, but corporatist economic views. ( ie towards the Labour party).
2) Head left with conservative social policy and corporatist economic views ( ie were the SDP was ).
3) Head right with liberal social and liberal economics ( empty space were the Liberals should have been, but never were ) - after all I am a Liberal says Nick.
4) Head right with conservative social and liberal economic view ( but David Cameron and the Conservative are there already).
5) Fudge the issue - continue to be all things to all men and the party of protest - but stand for nothing. ( The usual Lib Dem solution ).

Thanks to Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy the Lib Dems have grown to point that they have to actually grow up and make a coherent explanation of what they stand for.

I ask again - what is the point of the Lib Dems ? Nick Clegg should deliver an answer.

Labour councillor gives up on politics after hearing the Cleggoid

2008-01-06T23:47:00.000Z

He can't tell the difference any more between Clegg, Cameron and Blair. See here ....

Calamity Clegg ?

2008-01-03T20:43:00.000Z

Below is the infamous press release from the Huhne leadership campaign which it describes as calamity Clegg.

Nick Clegg in the Media on public services reform and proportional representation

On School Vouchers:

The Observer, October 21st 2007 by Jasper Gerrard (a close personal friend of Nick Clegg
and listed supporter)

However, while Huhne believes in local democratic accountability for public services, does
Clegg believe additionally that consumers need personal choice to drive up standards? 'I
want to see people empowered. I'm constantly confronted by people faced by the insensitivity
of a faceless state - at the town hall as well as Whitehall. Centralisation has created a sense
of powerlessness, one of the most disfiguring features of contemporary life. We have a
bewildering array of choice when we walk into a supermarket, but feel passive recipients of
state largesse.'

So is that a 'yes'? 'I want a sense of empowerment on a daily basis for people accessing
health care and good education.' Well that's clear. But he differs from free marketeer Tories in
that 'having lived in Europe and had children born in hospitals in Europe, they have a far
greater sense of equity in health and education. It is not like a supermarket but the patient,
pupil or parent has entitlements which the provider of services has to meet.' So according to
his 'pupil premium', parents would be given a voucher to spend in their preferred school; but
while a flaw in such schemes is often that the savvy middle class pack the best schools,
Clegg would increase the value of the voucher for the needy - making the poorer child a more
attractive proposition to good schools.

Link - http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2195776,00.html

The Telegraph, October 27th p 16 by Rachel Slyvester

Parents should, he argues, be given a voucher for their children's education - which would be
worth more for poor pupils - although unlike some of his colleagues he says he is "not yet
persuaded'' that the voucher should be useable in private, as well as state, schools.
Link- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/27/nclegg127.xml

There have still been no retractions from either story. Nick Clegg did not respond to a
letter from Chris Huhne on this subject, but asked his campaign manager to do so.
Nick Clegg also states in his manifesto he also criticises means testing, yet how will he
determine who the most disadvantaged are? Would it mean more means testing that
has failed and that he himself has criticised?

On the NHS:

The Scotsman, September 20th 2005 by Gerri Peev
The idea to smash the centralised health service and put more power into local hands was
put forward by Nick Clegg , a Lib Dem MP who is tipped as a possible future leader of the
party.

Mr Clegg said there should be no "taboos" when it comes to reform of the public services and
the party should not discard insurance-based models adopted by other European countries.
In an article for the Liberal magazine, Mr Clegg said: "The logical outcome of our own belief in
a thoroughly devolved health service would involve radical reform of the founding structures
of the NHS, breaking down its monolithic structure and accepting variations in health
provision in a decentralised system."

The Independent, September 19th 2005 by Marie Woolf (a former researcher for Sir Menzies
Campbell)

"One very, very important point “I think breaking up the NHS is exactly what you do need to
do to make it a more responsive service." Then he goes further, even refusing to rule out the
insurance-based models used in mainland Europe and Canada.

"I don’t think anything should be ruled out. I think it would be really, really daft to rule out any
other model from Europe or elsewhere. I do think they deserve to be looked out because
frankly the faults of the British health service compared to others still leave much to be
desired."

In a leaflet produced for the leadership election, Clegg is muted on the issue. He has
then made clear in hustings that he is not in favour of an insurance-based system.
In his manifesto and at various hustings he states that “we should think about how
they should be funded and delivered.” Does this mean that he still favours and
insurance based model?

On PR:

The Sunday Times, September 17th 2006 by Jasper Gerrard (a close personal friend of Nick
Clegg and listed supporter)

“Clegg also argues Lib Dems shouldn’t bang on about electoral reform being a condition for
support in a hung parliament.”

Meanwhile, in his latest campaign literature under the headline Case For PR Very
Strong he says: “Gordon Brown & David Cameron continue to talk about trust and
reform – yet refuse to consider the one measure that would make every single vote
count, Proportional Representation. To increase voter participation at elections,
electors need to see their vote will count. At the next election let’s have a system
where every single vote will count and every elector can influence the result, not just a
tiny few in a small number of constituencies.”

Clegg on education

Extracts from the transcript of a GMTV interview 11th September 2007
Steve Richards: So just to be clear about [the pupil premium], if you become leader you will
propose that schools in more affluent areas lose some of their budget so poorer schools can
have more.

Nick Clegg: Let me be very clear. What I’m proposing is - the figure is £2.5 billion extra –
extra! – there’s no taking away money from the current school budget whatsoever. Extra
money, which will be allocated directly to those children. Not in terms of the areas where they
live but to them, and then, if you like, the school which is educating those children gets that
double amount of money in order that they can have smaller class sizes, particularly at
primary school level. ….
SR: And where would that money come from? It’s a big additional spending commitment.
NC: I agree. £1.5 billion will come from taking above average families out of the tax credit
system altogether. And we’ll take that £1.5 billion out of the tax credit system, or at least we’ll
take families on above average income out of the tax credit system, use that money to give to
the kids from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. That leaves a gap of a million… of a
billion, sorry, and it would be one of the first things I would do as a leader to say to the party
that we will have to find that extra billion, so that the total sum of £2.5 billion is a fixed pledge
by the time we go to the country in the next general election.
SR: You’d accept that you’ve got a black hole there. You haven’t found where the money’s
going to come from, the other billion.
NC: Er, yes, but I mean there are other ideas. For instance there are other ideas, I mean for
instance I’ve also this week been floating ideas for how I think we should introduce a 10% tax
on the non-domestic earnings of so-called ‘non-doms’. In that particular case that raises about
£1 billion. I would like that to go to alleviate the burden of Council Tax on those in Band A and
band B properties, those on the lower rung of the property ladder, if you like. But it’s just an
example of where we can be creative in trying to find that extra money in order to fulfil that
pledge, and I’m absolutely confident that we will under my leadership make that fixed pledge
by the next general election.
SR: By one way or another taxing the better off, presumably. Because it has to come from
somewhere.
NC: Yes, er well no, hang on, or, sorry…
SR: You said yes, so tax increase?
NC: No, no, let me correct that. I think there is plenty of scope to cut back on some of the
waste in government, some of the duplication in government. I think there is a strong case to
look at how government expenditure’s been duplicated in many areas. Everybody is familiar
with the general degree of waste in public expenditure in the last few years, so I have given
you if you like a fluctuating answer precisely because I think that I’m not fixed in my own mind
about where that money would come from, but absolutely confident that with political will that
money will be found.

You'd think after all those years working for the EU the Cleggoid would perform better on foreign affairs.

2008-01-02T23:08:00.001Z

- but according to the three line whip blog - apparently not. See here ....

Doesn't Clegg remember its the Lib Dems who broke the Union ?

2007-12-30T21:37:00.000Z

In a staggering bit of hypocrisy the current Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has tried to accuse the Conservatives of working with the SNP to break up the Union !

Has he forgotten how the Lib Dems put the Union on the road to disater when they created the anti-English devolution settlement ?

What a hypocrite

See the Sunday Mail here for a brief report.

Is Nick Clegg anti-English ?

2007-12-29T19:19:00.000Z

Nick Clegg, unlike Chris Huhne is against democracy for the English.

So is he as anti-English as Charles Kennedy was ? The English Democrats would like to know.

Is Clegg really a radical ?

2007-12-23T18:01:00.000Z

An article in The Sunday Telegraph hints that Clegg may be about to take the Lib Dems on a radical course of policies such as:

1) Paying for private NHS treatment when needed - money following the patient ( (C) Michael Howard 2005 ).
2) Private school places for some poor disadvantaged children ( the assisted places scheme ).

Can this really be true ? If so radical liberalism - of the type Margaret Thatcher exposed is back. Will the Lib Dem membership really wear that ?

Its potentially exciting stuff !

The scandals will definitely be flying around if he tries this stuff ! But he may pick up friends...

The Very Fluffy Diary of Millennium Dome, Elephant: Day 2543: Nick Clegg: His Hand on My Bottom

2007-12-22T18:15:00.000Z

The Very Fluffy Diary of Millennium Dome, Elephant: Day 2543: Nick Clegg: His Hand on My Bottom

!!!!

Which way will the Lib Dems face to keep their MPs ?

2007-12-21T17:43:00.001Z

Iain Dale wonders in the Telegraph how the "Lib Dems face challenge to retain MPs".

He argues for a break with the "Only the Lib Dems can win hear" reliance on tactical voting squeezes. But what if that gets built into the system by AV PR ?

The BBC is quickly pointing out that the Lib Dems have most of the MPs facing Conservative threats. The the BBC no doubt hopes that they will therefore fight the Conservatives. Back to the 1990's. But is the point of the Lib Dems solely just as a electioneering hobby society hoping for the best result however its achieved ?

But Nick Clegg has declared his liberalism to be his defining characteristic. That puts him far closer to the Conservatives than Labour. After all he's over 40 now - time to start becoming a Tory anyway....

After all shouldn't politics be about what you actually believe in ?

The Lib Dem reshuffel - caution or fear ?

2007-12-21T17:31:00.000Z

So the Cleggoid won't be stamping his authority on the party with his current reshuffle. Thats his first big mistake.

There's a bit of tinkering round the edges - see Conservative home here .....

The Huhne monster is to have his boot boy talents put to work giving Jacqui Smith a good kicking, but as that's Clegg's old post so it won't be long before he's winding Clegg up, a lot ! In fact I think I heard him doing it on R4 the world at one today.

Clegg has a problem. He's 40. That means he's destroyed the career ambitions of every MP of the same age or above. They may say they support him, but the older ones know they have to get rid of him or just retire. ( To some degree this is the problem William Hague suffered from ).

The reshuffle was his chance to stamp his authority on the parliamentary party. He has instead been cautious,and in doing so may already have shown fatal weakness.

It doesn't look good for the Cleggoid.

Et tu Charlie

2007-12-21T17:29:00.000Z

Charles Kennedy is reported as saying: "The knife has been passed on to the next generation."

Ouch ...

To whom could he be referring - the Huhne Monster ?

Clegg's true colours

2007-12-20T11:45:00.001Z

Is Clegg out of touch ?

2007-12-19T22:45:00.000Z

The Three Line Whip thinks so ....

Clegg on Newsnight slips up

2007-12-19T20:56:00.000Z

Newsnight have been keen to give the Cleggoid a helpful shove into public politics, given he was so keen on a low profile leadership campaign.

Jeremy Paxman challenged him to say anything interesting about himself - to which he answered about liberalism and suggested Jeremy decides if its interesting. but the really damaging stuff was on the Cleggoids intention to use the New Labour con-trick of pretending to listen to 'ordinary people'. ( Remember Clegg had no idea who The Pogues are - so clearly deals with a lot of ordinary people. )

The Cleggoid talked about Britain in terms of tolerance and pluralism - no mention of England. You have to wonder if he sees himself as an Englishman at all !

Clegg then screws up talking about a Conservative government ( when he means the Conservative party ).

The Cleggoid states challenges for his party, when asked to by Paxman:

Start where people are. ( Confused if listening to this is anything to go by ), not where we think they should be. ( Notice the implied wish to boss everyone round and make them into slaves of his political ideals ). He then mentions Education, health and security ( YAWN YAWN - this is the bankrupt politics he's going to spend the next few weeks trying to decry - it because politicians go on about motherhood and apple pie all the time that the public is giving up on them.) Paxo points out this is what everyone else says , but the Cleggoid - bless his cotton socks - says he doesn't think they have the answers (more YAWN - no analysis ). Now the old talking not delivering line from Clegg ( absolutely anyone in any party could mouth this drivel ).
Then he promises new thinking from his party on these issues - we'll we will have to wait and see.

Cleggoid talks about his plan for Town hall meetings ( tm Gordon Brown and New Labour ) - but then admits that he won't change his mind after listening to people !! So for example the wish of the vast majority of the people for a referendum on the EU Constitution gets the colleagues standard answer of no - but we might think of one on the EU ( you can be sure that wouldn't happen if he thought he might lose it ).

In short Nick Clegg thinks the people are wrong, and doesn't intend to change his mind after listening to them.

Doesn't look very liberal does it ? He's certainly not sounding very democratic.

Wonder how this will go down with the Lib Dems ?

Clegg is an atheist, but brings his kids up as Catholics

2007-12-19T15:10:00.001Z

To get Advent going for the Lib Dems it turns out that Clegg doesn't believe in God, but is brinign his children up as Catholics.

That's the two faced type of thinking his party is famous for.

So as a true liberal he has no basis for any morality at all !

Perhaps 500 Lib Dems might have voted the other way if they knew this about him - but he kept so quiet about so much during his leadership yawn contest.

The Cleggoid beats the Huhne monster by only 500 votes

2007-12-18T23:52:00.000Z

That's 1000 sandals to the likes of you and me. Even in a party as small as the Lib Dems it isn't a good sign is it ?

This blog is here to track his progress ...