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Articles tagged with Nick Clegg
The Lib Dems stumble while UKIP surge
by Francesca Preece / 18 Apr 2012 10:30
A YouGov poll has revealed that the Lib Dems, that once-proud member of the elite 'top three' group of politicial parties, has fallen out of favour with the electorate and has now slumped to fourth. Against all the odds, the ‘fruitcake’ party, UKIP, have pipped the Liberals at the post – much to the disappointment of Nick Clegg.
While mayoral candidate Brian Paddick busies himself with a vanity trip around the capital, his
Politicians’ taxes: a recipe for deception
by Max Burman / 12 Apr 2012 12:15
With the London mayoral elections less than a month away and Parliament on recess, capital politics are dominating much of the agenda. Aside from the seemingly Faustian choice many Londoners will make between Boris and Ken (or, you know, one of the other fine candidates), it is the publishing of candidates’ tax returns that has got people talking in the past week.
David Cameron indicated yesterday that he is likely
Nick Clegg wants us to be frugal and thrifty
by Sebastian Mann / 11 Apr 2012 13:36
Nick Clegg wants to prove that he can stand up to big business. At Canary Wharf’s greenest building, and in a speech billed as being about the green economy, the deputy prime minister has announced his plan to guarantee customers the “best tariff” for their energy bills.
“Right now”, he said, “seven out of ten customers are on the wrong tariff for their needs”. But from this autumn there will be an obligation
Putting the liberal back into liberal conservative
by Max Burman / 05 Apr 2012 11:04
Are we seeing the beginning of a greater Lib Dem presence in the coalition? In an article for the London Review of Books, Ross McKibbin paints a bleak picture for the future of the Liberal Democrats. Attacking the coalition as a whole, the Lib Dems for their side-lined role and in particular party leader Nick Clegg, McKibbin claims that “as things stand they will be lucky to win a seat” in 2015.
The Lib Dems' policy shortage
by Mark Pack / 29 Mar 2012 10:48
Performers who make the leap from stage show to the TV very often run into a simple problem: TV eats up material at a fearsome rate. A stage show can be repeated around the country for months with only a few tweaks as events or audience feedback requires it. TV, however, requires completely new material each week.
A similar problem has befallen the Liberal Democrats when it comes to policy. In opposition sticking
'Cash for access' shows why our politics is a closed shop
by Charlotte Henry / 27 Mar 2012 09:48
It's been one of the worst kept secrets around Wesmintster that the murky world of lobbying, and the issues of party funding that surround it, were going to be the next great political scandal. The recent busting of Bell Pottinger may prove to be a mere starter, if the boasts of former Tory treasurer Peter Cruddas are found to have any foundation.
Do I think David Cameron is corrupt? Well no, not in
Tax cuts for the millions, not for millionaires
by Mark Pack / 21 Mar 2012 15:30
A few weeks ago I was joshing with Lib Dem Party President Tim Farron and other party members on Twitter that the party should be talking about how it is for tax cuts for the millions, not for millionaires – highlighting the difference in Liberal Democrat enthusiasm for cutting taxes for those on the basic rate, compared to the Conservative enthusiasm for cutting taxes for the very richest.
So it has indeed come
Passing the Health Bill is the beginning, not the end, of its problems
by Emma Burnell / 20 Mar 2012 08:14
In the classic film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, during one of many brilliant exchanges, Sundance refuses to make a perilous jump from a cliff into a rapidly running river below. His reason for not wanting to do so is that he can’t swim. “Are you crazy?” says Butch, “The fall will probably kill you”. So they jump and survive the fall, only to be swept along, pulling each other under in the
The UK economy needs Obama-style stimulus
by Kayte Lawton / 15 Mar 2012 15:49
According to the latest labour market figures, unemployment is up again. This is the eighth quarterly rise in a row and brings the jobless total to 2.67m, while the number of people in work fell by 44,000 over the last 12 months. Contrast this with the US, where unemployment has been on a downward trajectory since June last year and 2.5m new jobs were added to the labour market in the 12 months
PMQs: Labour try to separate Nick Clegg from his own party
by Ben Duckworth / 14 Mar 2012 13:14
When Nick Clegg stands in for David Cameron at PMQs (a reasonably rare event), you know there is one likely outcome. 1) The DPM will become angry
We can now add a couple more details after today’s event: 2) He appeared to link boundary reviews and House of Lords reform as if one cannot happen without the other and; 3) Dennis Skinner called for him to have a chat “man-to-man” (about what he really thought about Tory
A weary Lib Dem spring conference
by Charlotte Henry / 12 Mar 2012 16:34
Lib Dem conferences have become increasingly fraught in the last few years, with everyone seeming to require some kind of battle between "the leadership" and "the grassroots". Apparently. There have undoubtedly been a few battles, but that was always the nature of Lib Dem conferences. The democratic nature of the conferences makes this so. The only difference between now and conferences past is people are actually paying attention at the moment.
Health and
This weekend Liberals should trumpet their influence
by Martin Shapland / 09 Mar 2012 15:30
I would usually be penning this article on the train to whichever fabulous city has granted the Liberal Democrats' wish to grace it with a fair conference. Alas, sadly, I’ll be watching from afar this spring but as Liberal Democrats mass in Gateshead I do have a message for you. Use your power wisely.
The Health and Social Care bBll, like so many this Parliament, has been difficult to navigate for
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