Saturday, January 19, 2008
Clegg Gets a B+ for His First Month
Tim Montgomerie has analysed Nick Clegg's first month as LibDem leader HERE. He scores him quite highly in most categories. So do I. I'd give him a B+ so far. After the disastrous eighteen months of Ming, Most LibDems are just relieved that Nick Clegg hasn't dropped a bollock so far. I think he's done a bit better than that. As Tim says, though, he faces a very difficult test in the May elections. There is no sign of a recovery of the LibDem position in the polls. This means that he is not yet attracting back the voters who have recently deserted the LibDems for the Conservatives.
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14 comments:
Yes, Nick Clegg is so good he could be a Tory. Maybe he is a Tory ?
But what will the Lib Dems do when they realise this ? Perhaps Clegg is hoping that, as with Tony Blair, by the time his party realise he is not 'one of them', it will be too late...
Anonymous at 6:59, I'm afraid Clegg is a true liberal. He is the real deal, the Tories are not. People in the 21st century will not support the Dominic Lawsons and Bruce Andersons of this world.
Clegg is a Tory but he is a Heathite Tory and the gaping hole between supposed Libertarianism and rabid Pro European obsession will not wash . Nor will this line on voting on the whole thing . Thats how they do it. The EU accretes but if you demur at any stage you have to throw the lot out .
The ratification debate will show him, at his weakest and I do not agree he has done anyhting very good .He occupies ground between Blair and Brown...whats the point of that ?
He is a traitor when all is said and done and for a man with no nation or loyalty like him...why not .
VOTE CLEGG
GET BROWN
Clegg reminds me of Obama. Smooth, confident delivery but vacuous with no substantial policies on offer.
The only clear message I get from him is that he'll keep Brown in power.
How aligning himself with an increasingly unpopular government led by an unappealing PM will help his party begs the question of how in touch this guy is?
Anonymous @11.42:
"The only clear message I get from him is that he'll keep Brown in power."
What on earth gives you that idea? So far, by far the most revealing thing Clegg has done is make a speech on public services, in particular schools and hospitals. I fail to see how the contents of that (committed localism) could give anyone the impression he wanted to keep Brown, with his instincts for centralism and control, in power.
Indeed, if one was going to be tedious and insist on analysing the speech in terms of which-of-the-other-two-parties-will-he-support type bollocks, then I think most sane onlookers would suggest it was more Tory than Labour.
Of course, I don't it's a game worth playing; any third party leader who at this stage gave committments as to who he would prop up in a hung parliament would have massively reduced negotiating leverage for liberal policy to be enacted by the coalition government they eventually formed. The idea that in principle he might support either party is crucial to any such negotiations, otherwise his party of preference will take him for granted.
As for Newmania's opposing view that Clegg is a Tory, I can do no better than refer you to Clegg's own response:
"One of the reasons I joined the Liberal Democrats was because I was so repelled by the dismal vision that Thatcher's Conservative government provided us with - that there was no such thing as society. Cameron did exactly the opposite - he became a footsoldier for Thatcher. In terms of our political reactions to the events that shaped my generation, we went in completely opposite directions."
Oh newmania. If he hasn't any nation then he can't be a traitor can he? You thicko!
Clegg appointing some old fart as his 'youth issues' advisor wasn't a great start either.
The man's totally out of touch. He's never had a proper job and has instead spent his whole life living of the taxpayer funded Euro gravy train.
He represents a constituency in Sheffield that is so him: stuffed full of equally unworldly civil servants with made up jobs.
He has made precious little impact since becomming leader with most people in his party being glad of that. Talk about low expectations. He is Ming with a pretty face.
Sorry but this emperor has no clothes. I've been watching him closely and he has made NIL impact. Despite all the airtime granted to him in his first month, he never EVER says anything interesting. On all the major issues he has taken the safest stance and his presentation takes blandness to new heights. It appears that the Lib Dems have yet to elect a leader.
It is laughable to read Tories talking about vacuous leaders! It took a year for Cameron to say something interesting and even then it was a Lib Dem policy! The polls are shifting already with Tories falling 3 points. Get used to it.
I find it odd how Clegg emphasises how he joined the Lib Dems due to disgust at Thatcher's vision for Britain. If that's the case, why hire the fellow in charge of the 1987 Saatchi and Saatchi campaign for Thatcher, the one who sold that vision?
He sounded presentable on Marr's show this morning. Quite a lot of stuff about choice & "climate change" only got mentioned once. Of course he got an easy ride & wasn't asked anything difficult like the referendum on the EU consti-treaty.
cuthbert, you obviously don't think policy making requires time and investigation.
I think you'll find the Tory lead has doubled since Christmas. Which poll are you referring to?
Andy , I doubt that he was as repelled by Thatchers visions as Heath was and what he may be is of no importance. His Party is left of Blair certainly and will never support Cameron . He will have to prop up Brown. Do stop prtending there is another way to go for him.
VOTE CLEGG GET BROWN its very simple . He will try to usher in PR and a left of centre thousand year Reich directed by courtier progessives from the Westminster elite . Liberal party members will be thrilled but wavering voters to the right should be warned. He is lying and while all party leaders misrepresent their Party in this case it is a fraud that may lead to catastrophic consequences for the country ...
VOTE CLEGG GET BROWN.
If Clegg has to go with Brown to get PR& thereby establishes a common interest keeping them in power the Tories will have nobody but themselves to blame. It is clear Clegg personally would rather deal with the Tories but he isn't going to give them free support (& indeed couldn't if he wanted to).
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