And it was all going so well for Nick Clegg. He'd got his new tax cutting policy past the bearded and besandaled ones. What could possibly go wrong now?
First, along came a Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman. Paxo stuffed him. I could hardly believe Alix Mortimer's write-up of this interview [she thought Clegg did marvellously]. The impression given was of someone who couldn't add up.
This was then compounded when yesterday he said the tax cuts amounted to "millions" of pounds rather than billions. But the high point was reached when he was asked how much the state pension is. His answer said so much...
"It's about thirty quid now, isn't it? Yeah."
Er no, actually. This wasn't a simple example of misspeaking. He genuinely had no idea. Many people think politicians are completely out of touch with ordinary lives. Now they have the proof. Mind you, if Clegg really believes OAPs can get by on thirty quid a week I suppose it gives him further scope for public spending cuts!
Talking of which, throughout his Newsnight interview he refused to give any figures or details of his spending or tax cuts proposals. All well and good, but if you put a headline figure of £20 billion on it (and how Oliver Letwin must have a wry smile on his face) then surely it is reasonable to ask how that figure was arrived at. Judging from the Paxman interview it was doodled on the back of one of Vince Cable's envelopes.
Nick Clegg did a lot of damage to his party yesterday. Today's speech must go a long wau to repairing it.
21 comments:
Surely it wasn't a - "calamity" - was it?
He is so far out of his depth it is pitiful to behold.
you do think Clegg as an (ex) Tory would be better
very poor
Here's one for your top ten lists:
The Indy have the top ten places to be gay in, with London coming only eighth.
It will be £30 after he has to find the money for his tax cut.
I don't see how he can repair it. Not knowing how Vince had done his sums was perhaps understandable, as no one else can understand them but a senior politician not knowing what the old age pension is, is unforgivable. Then again I don't suppose millionaires are that much bothered.
You'll not in the conference report/Daily Politics that day he goes further back on the "Tax cut" Meme suggesting the money is to be diverted to spending priorities locally. The whats left over (ha ha) can be used to reduce tax.
What he wants to do is move £20billion from Whitehall to loacla/regional government - not save money and do less !!
Its a con.
Fraser Nelson spotted what a load of rotting lentils it all was
...... The 4p cut in income tax would be replaced by a local income tax – so a tax shift, not a tax cut. The £20 billion cuts in Whitehall spending are not all for tax relief, some of this (they don’t say how much) would be diverted to other state spending. Compared against the £679bn of state spending planned for 2010/11 – rising by £30bn a year - it’s laughably low.
The small change from £20bn is simply not enough to lower the tax burden to any noticeable extent in these economic conditions. Instead it seems Clegg wants to strike a tax-cutting pose, which is to be applauded, but to keep his grassroots happy he’s saying “don’t worry, it’s all a con”. Nowhere in its “Reducing the Burden” paper (pdf) is there a pledge to reduce the UK tax burden."
The truth is that what the Liberals say is an advert not a Policy and I think he has made himself look ridiculious and Brown even more isolated .
All good news.
YOU CANNOT CRITICISE BROWN FROM THE LEFT FOR TEN YEARS AND THEN BE TRUSTED ON TAX
Clegg must be seen as a disappointment for the Lib dems after 10 months.
Pleasant enought chap but seriously lightweight.
Cleg completely discredited himself on Paxman and will will never recover from this.
It doesn't matter what he says in his speech, he's finished.
Even the Lib Dems are horrified by his incompetence and how totally out of touch he is.
But no-one in the Lib Dems can now complain that they aren't getting 'media profile' due to the events in the US and with the Labour leadership..
Ace work, Nick 'Thirtysomething' Clegg..
Any views on Shaun Woodward on Newsnight last night?
The content was mainly tosh of course and he went a bit overboard on the friendship angle - but still it was an articulate and robust defence of Gordon Brown.
Lucky for Clegg no one was paying any attention to the LDs what with global economic meltdown and Labour infighting dominating the news agenda.
That's the grey vote gone then. I wonder which demographic he'll alienate next. Saw Huhne's speech yesterday... the bearded ones must be kicking themselves!
Maybe the Lib Dems should now change their monthly leaflets from "In Touch" to "Out of Touch?"
Any half decent MP should know how much the basic pension is.
Clegg is a completely rubbish leader (albeit of a rubbish party)and by the sound of it, not a very good MP either.
Their previous leader would not certainly know what the value of the state pension is!
The fact that the LibDem conference was buried well down the news agendas yesterday says it all. They are an irrelevance, and come across with all the gravitas of a sixth-form debating society.
Clegg also did a star turn by miming to a nursey rhym as reported in the sun yesterday! At least John Redwood had a lingustic barrier! Clegg just overcame the better judgement barrier that makes him look foolish.
Clegg is Useless - He is the Neil Kinnock of the LD party!
I wouldn't be too sure that Dave would know how much the state pension is let alone how you might actually survive on it.
"I wouldn't be too sure that Dave would know how much the state pension is let alone how you might actually survive on it."
He will now.
He should have asked Vince - he's over pensionable age.
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