Thursday 23 January 2014

Clegg's 'Fine Mess' ... @ No. 10

"That 'Wailing Lad' Clegg chap, the one who looks as if he's found 10p but lost a quid - you know what I mean about his face?" I nodded to Arturo, fearing to interrupt the flow of thoughts "He couldn't organise a childrens' party in a playground! Is there one single thing that he's ever got right?" Foolishly I nodded again, instead of shaking my head. Arturo pounced. "So what was there?"

"I meant - I agree with you."

"I should jolly well hope so!" Arturo shoved the latest newspapers in front of my nose. "Take a gander at those, if you need convincing. Then cast your mind back to the various travesties last year and the year before."

I decided to start at the beginning. You may recall that one of 'Wailing Lad' Clegg's election promises was that he did not want student tuition fees to be increased. In a 2009 interview with Salman Shaheen in The Third Estate, Clegg is quoted as saying
One of the party’s most popular policies amongst students of all backgrounds has been its opposition to tuition fees. “I believe tuition fees are wrong, I believe they need to be abolished,”
http://thethirdestate.net/2009/10/an-interview-with-nick-clegg/

Yet in 2012, Iain Martin, felt obliged to write in the Telegraph commented
Nick Clegg's apology cannot excuse his contemptible conduct on student tuition fees

Martin went on to say:
Nick Clegg has apologised for the Lib Dems. Sorry, no he hasn't. The Deputy Prime Minister has restricted his apology to the question of the Lib Dems making a promise not to raise tuition fees, which they then broke. You may remember that this pledge was one of the twin pillars on which the party's general election 2010 effort was built. The other was Clegg's sanctimonious observation that it was "time to say goodbye to broken promises".
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/iainmartin1/100181903/nick-cleggs-apology-cannot-excuse-his-contemptible-conduct-on-student-tuition-fees/

So - Cleggo was already in deep trouble for hypocrisy and cant as far back as 2012.

The picture did not and still does not get any better! Remember the Health and Social Care Bill furore, also in 2012? Well - you should! The LibDems under the leadership (leadership????) of 'Wailing Lad' Clegg covered themselves in muck - to put it politely - over the NHS.

There were many rank and file LibDems who were opposed to the Bill put forward by 'Silver Fox' Lansley. They tried to get a debate on the issue at the LibDem Conference. Laura Donnelly writing in the Telegraph stated:
Campaigners against the NHS changes won enough support to have their "kill the Bill" emergency motion debated on Sunday at the party's spring conference in Gateshead.

But, under the party's alternative vote system, the attempt failed on second preferences.

The article went on:
Speaking before the vote on Saturday, leader Nick Clegg ... said: "I think there is a big gap between what people think the Bill is going to do and what it actually says, I think when people actually see that they will be quite comforted."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/9135890/Liberal-Democrats-reject-vote-on-NHS-reforms.html

'Comfort' is not exactly the word that the 'Kill the Bill' LibDem supporters felt at the time. Many rank and file members saw the Bill as the beginning of the privatisation of the NHS and were desperate to get the Party to debate the issue. Now they feel considerably discomforted - to put it mildly. All their worst fears have been realised.

2014 is not starting out well for the NHS and its supporters will not easily forgive the LibDems for their part in pushing through the Health & Social Care Bill. The NHS Support Federation stated:
Private firms win 70% of NHS contracts The NHS Support Federation analysed contracts for clinical services awarded between April and December 2013 and found that 70% of them were awarded to private firms. This is not surprising. The NHS is not in the business of contract winning, it's a publicly-run universal healthcare system...or perhaps was intended to be! It isn't skilled at marketing, that would be a waste of money. CCG's are now presented with slick presentations by commercial organisations making wonderful promises keen to get their hands on NHS funds; it's now a competitive market.
http://www.nhscampaign.org/news-and-views.html

In January 2014, Charlie Cooper in the Independent wrote:
The NHS Support Federation, which campaigns against the marketisation of healthcare in the UK, claimed that, from a sample of 57 NHS contracts awarded between April and December 2013, more than two thirds had gone to the private sector – at a total value of £450m.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/two-thirds-of-contracts-for-nhs-services-in-england-awarded-in-the-last-eight-months-have-gone-to-the-private-sector-9062353.html

Any remaining 'Kill the Bill' LibDem supporters will be tearing their hair out, Mr Clegg!! Will you be posting another discordant I'm Sorry video on YouTube? If not - why not? Maybe you should also try putting on sack-cloth and sprinkle a few ashes on your head at the same time. Much of this is YOUR fault, Mr Clegg.

Now yet another 'fine old mess' for 'Wailing Lad' Clegg. Maybe, quite soon, he won't have a LibDem party to lead. That is if one 'Brer' Rennard isn't allowed to step aside from the limelight! It has emerged, that despite being found not culpable of sexual harrassment, there are some LibDems who want an apology from him to the women concerned. Bright boy Cleggo - ever the insightful creature with a nose for the politically possible (note the irony, please) has called for such an apology before 'Brer' Rennard sets foot again on the LibDem benches, in the jolly old House of Lords! Now that is a hostage to fortune since 'Brer' Rennard's influential friends have advised him not to apologise.

Steven Swinford and Georgia Graham on 16 January in the Telegraph wrote:
Nick Clegg should “man up” and take action over evidence of sexual misconduct by a senior Liberal Democrat peer, one of his alleged victims has said, as the Lib Dem leader was warned he faces a revolt from female party activists.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/nick-clegg/10578349/Nick-Clegg-should-man-up-over-sex-row-says-peers-victim-Susan-Gaszczak.html

The Independent's Oliver Wright, also in January 2014, wrote:
The Liberal Democrats’ calamitous handling of the Lord Rennard sexual harassment allegations looks set to be arbitrated by the courts after the peer’s supporters indicated he would if necessary take legal action to retain his position in the House of Lords.

On Friday, under huge internal pressure, Nick Clegg announced he would instruct the party in the Lords to remove the whip from Lord Rennard unless he apologised for alleged inappropriate behaviour towards female party members.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lord-rennard-will-sue-party-if-lib-dems-withdraw-whip-over-sexual-harassment-allegations-9070664.html

No wonder 'Wailing Lad' Clegg looks so miserable. He must have eaten Eton Mess for lunch. One wonders what further calamity the coming days and weeks will bring to his door? How 'Boy David' Cameron must be laughing up his sleeve! And - it's still only January!

Just saw Arturo peering out of the window to get a good view of Downing Street. If the coast is clear we're having a Chinese tonight. Yum Yum!

Bye