The End is Nigh - for the Coalition @ No 10

"Talk about the world ending on December 21!" Arturo snorted. "I think old Pickles is trying to kill off the Coalition even if the world doesn't end!"

Simon Hoggart writing in The Guardian quoted 'Bagpuss' Pickles' speech at this year's Conservative Party Conference. Hoggart wrote:

 Eric Pickles on the Lib Dems: "It still seems strange to be working with our yellow chums in government. I sit next to Vince Cable in cabinet. In private, he's not as cheerful as he seems on the telly."

Hoggart wrote this under the headline:

Political awards: omnishambles, reality shows and the man they couldn't sack

The article is well worth reading. It highlights the levels of puerility that the political leaders can stoop to, in order to attract attention.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/dec/20/political-awards-omnishambles

But 'Bagpuss' Pickles does not need to make his snide comments about his 'yellow' friends. Their leader, 'Wailing Lad' Clegg, is doing his own bit to destroy the credibility of the LibDems and the Coalition all on his own! At one time, Clegg walked the leafy glade of the Downing Street rose garden with a look of real affection for his colleague and pal, 'Boy David' Cameron. In fact, the two were almost clones of each other and of the average menswear shop dummy that they so resemble. They walked alike, they nodded alike - even their policies seemed alike.

Then - slowly but surely 'Wailing Lad' Clegg realised he was no clone of Cameron but a mere useful tool to keep the Tories in power. More importantly - to keep Cameron as Prime Minister. The role of 'Deputy Prime Minister' became as meaningless for Clegg as it had been for Prescott. The difference being that Prescott just sat back and enjoyed it.

Then - the thunderbolt hit our 'Wailing Lad' right in the middle of his face. The journalists, Christopher Hope and Andrew Hough wrote in The Telegraph under the headline:

Liberal Democrats by-election result is 'worst ever by a major political party': The Liberal Democrats’ showing in the Rotherham by-election is the worst performance ever by a major political party, experts say, while support for the UK Independence Party (Ukip) dramatically increased.

They proceeded to demonstrate the sorry state of affairs for the LibDems.

They wrote:

Support for Nick Clegg’s party at the by-election slumped to eighth behind behind the BNP, Respect and the English Democrats...

... Rob Hayward, a by-elections’ expert, told The Daily Telegraph the Lib Dems’ showing in Rotherham was the worst “in any by election on record”.

The article ended:

Aides to Mr Clegg – who did not visit any of the battle grounds before polling day - shrugged off the bad result, insisting that the Lib Dems were suffering more because they were in Government and lacked the resources to fight the by-election properly.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9714210/Liberal-Democrats-by-election-result-is-worst-ever-by-a-major-political-party.html

Oh dearie me! What a way to end the year! So you see that's why 'Wailing Lad' Clegg has been thinking on the hoof, as they say! And boy! Has he been thinking on the hoof!

Rajeev Syal in The Guardian wrote the headline:

Nick Clegg risks Lib Dem-Tory coalition by spelling out differences: Leader's former key adviser reveals new strategy after shock set of polls show Lib Dems trailing Ukip as third biggest party

Syall continued:

Nick Clegg is to adopt a high-risk strategy of highlighting Liberal Democrat policy differences with their Conservative partners before government announcements have been made, according to the deputy prime minister's former adviser

Syal wrote:

... Clegg aims to differentiate his party from the Tories and Labour in a keynote speech delivered on the eve of his fifth anniversary as Lib Dem leader.

Clegg will mount a defence of the government's welfare reforms but also claim that interventions by his ministers stopped the Conservatives from introducing a further £6.2bn of cuts in welfare spending this autumn.

The new strategy follows an Opinion poll for the Observer on Sunday showing the Lib Dems are now trailing fourth behind the UK Independence party. The poll found Ukip is attracting 14% support, with the Lib Dems on just 8%.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/dec/17/nick-clegg-lib-dem-tory-coalition

Needs must in desperate times, I suppose! But where oh where have Clegg's fond looks for pal Cameron gone?

On December 17, 'Wailing Lad' Clegg was celebrating - no not celebrating but marking - the fifth anniversary of becoming leader of the LibDems! The fresh faced, confident look now replaced by the ashen, miserable visage that sits alongside the PM in Parliament.

So - what did Clegg say? The BBC News site reported his speech as follows:

The deputy prime minister blamed the "tribal" nature of both the Conservative and Labour parties for what he sees as their inability to remain on the centre ground of British politics.

"There are some on the right who believe that no-one could possibly be out of work unless they're a scrounger," he argued.

"If you can't find a job you must be lazy. If you say you're too sick to work you're probably pretending.

"The siren voices of the Tory right who peddle this myth could have pulled a majority Conservative government in the direction of draconian welfare cuts."

By contrast, he said, the Lib Dems were "a centre-ground party" delivering "centre-ground reforms".

On the same BBC News site there was a quote from Harriet Harman, deputy deader of the Labour Party:

As ever, with the Lib Dems, they say one thing whilst doing another - resulting in a record of economic failure, trebled tuition fees, nurses cut, police axed and millions paying more while millionaires get a tax cut”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20754022

"And it all began so well!" Arturo mused. "Do you know, I think everyone who enters the front door of Downing Street with a smile on their face leaves it with a grimace. You mark my words, mi old pal, this Coalition will go the same way as the other governments - it'll all end in tears!"

I can't swear to it - but I think I saw a fleeting grin cross Arturo's whiskers as he said this! I'm taking him for a scrounge round the No 10 kitchen tonight!

Bye