Why Labour needs to lay of Nick Clegg.

I must declare from the off that I have been one of the worst offenders in attacking Nick Clegg since he betrayed his party and his principles to become the deputy Prime Minister (just can’t help myself). It was I who came up with the twitter tag #toxicclegg and ran a campaign to find out how many local Liberal Democrat associations omitted #toxicclegg (sorry force of habit) from their local election literature. Alan Johnson summed it up when he said that Clegg had ‘changed his mind from the ballot box closing to the Ministerial car door opening”, inferring that his beliefs and moral compass had been skewed by the desire for power over principles. This may all be true, however, the time has surely come to start attacking the ball and not the man, as there is a hidden danger that lays waiting to bite us on the ass.

When Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister was at its end, the country was wound like a dangerous spring coil waiting to snap at any moment. The electorate was fed up of the state of the country, fed up of false promises, and fed up of divisive and dangerous policy that attacked those most vulnerable in society. The public had witnessed the Poll Tax riots and been scarred by the graphic images that were flashed across the TV screen of Police and protesters alike with horrific injuries. It is even rumoured that Her Majesty the Queen remonstrated with the Iron Lady over her handling of the miner’s conflict, concerned that she was slicing the country into two.

When she was eventually thrown out of Downing Street, tears et al, her replacement was the mild mannered John Major who started to unwind the coil that Maggie had levered to breaking point. Mr Major, although a great intellectual mind was no Tony Blair, he didn’t have the charisma or the charm that Tony had in abundance, however he was the antidote that was needed for the Tories, and it was this antidote, amongst other things that won the Tories the general election of 1992.

So, my point and argument is this. Although you could never compare Nick Clegg to Margaret Thatcher or John Major, the circumstances of his demise and the state of his party have a resemblance. The Liberal Democrats are in a mess, and the membership is starting to realise that. Their current poll ratings would see them losing half of their MP’s and they are still the lightning rod for Tory economic policy. But the leadership carries on regardless. Now I am told that Nick Clegg will be gone by 2014. A nice cosy EU commissioner’s job awaits him, which would see him going back to where he started. Of course there would have to be a leadership election and I personally believe that Tim Farron would get the job. There would then be a rapid repositioning of the current state of the parties politics and they would move slightly to the left of where they currently are, a position which they are much more comfortable in. A major rebranding exercise would then commence, and Farron would be seen to be removed from Clegg . The danger is that if Labour keep on attacking Nick Clegg and not his parties ‘policies’, we may find ourselves in a situation not dissimilar to the Thatcher – Major takeover, where Mr Farron or whoever becomes the antidote, therefore making them appealing again whilst being able to distance themselves from #toxicclegg.

Yvette Cooper and why she is my first lady of Labour.

To set the scene....... It was a cold night in Derby, I was sat in the Socialist republic of the Silk Mill pub, beer in one hand, nuts in the other, and mind on leadership matters. The open fire was roaring in the corner, and the crackle of wood and smell of smoke meant that my thought quickly forgot about the cigarette I was craving to who should be the next leader of the Labour Party.

A mental list started to appear in my mind, and the first person it thought of was Yvette Cooper. To be honest, I can't remember and don't know why she was the first on the list. I think it was a muddled mixture of why she wouldn't stand because her husband Ed might (I still think this is why she didn't stand, and I totally respect that) Going back to my mental list, I thought of the usual suspects, the Mili's, Burnham et al, but I could not get out of my head why I would like Yvette to be on there.

I have only met Yvette once, and that was to say a quick hello at the recent Leicester South Parliamentary by-election. However, previous to this I have watched her in may TV interviews and Parliamentary debates. In the latter she is confident, self assured and speaks with great authority. The Tories are frightened to death of her, and usually have very little in the way of reply to her constructive arguments. In the former she shows great leadership and refuses to be bullied by what are usually hostile, testosterone filled male interviewers. Now before you read too much into this, I am not asking her to challenge the current leader, nor am I saying that Ed is doing a bad job, as I don't think he is. I am merely saying that I think that if we are to adopt Harriet Harman's idea that at least one member of the leadership team should be a woman, then I am of the opinion that it should be Yvette. On the other hand, if Ed decided after a year that enough was enough, then I would certainly have no hesitation in calling Yvette and asking, nay begging for her to stand.

Day 101

I thought I would wait to write what I think of the coalition Government until day 101. The title is better and sort of hints at my scribblings.

So here we are, day 101 and Clegg is in charge, no not the one from last of the summer wine, one could only hope for such competence, but instead we have Nick. His fellow party member (OK not yet, but it's coming) the Prime Minister is sunning himself on the beaches of Cornwall. No doubt he has a photographer on standby whilst he builds sandcastles and pats Samantha on the tummy whilst quaffing a 99. Which got me thinking. The Coalition is on the face of it in good shape, but will it be like Dave's sandcastles and wash away from him as he attempts to keep it together with sloppy sand and a cheap plastic spade? There is talk that behind the scenes it is not Cleggy and Cam having the odd domestic, but members of Dave's own party. There is strong rumour of a fall out between IDS and George Osborne, and between IDS and Dave. According to friends of IDS he was ready to walk away when he couldn't get his own way over welfare reforms, but alas, he threw his sugar dummy across the table at number 10 and it seems he has his way. Unfortunately for the elderly this could mean that Winter Fuel Payments are frozen, no pun intended! But this is contrary to what Dave said during the election campaign when he stormed in to the studios of Sky News like Darth Vader (or was that just Pickles struggling to breathe behind him?) to tell the nation that the Labour party is lying and that Winter Fuel payments will be safe under him. Unfortunately he has told a few porkies already with regards the NHS and VAT, so his credibility on Winter Fuel Payments is well, not that credible.

The one thing I will give them credit for is the introduction of a none emergency number which will be used throughout the country. I like the idea of introducing 101 as a means of reporting something that isn't urgent. All too often I have scrambled through phone books looking for the number of the local police, so this is welcomed.

So here we are, on day 101 and pretty much like the new number, we are not experiencing an emergency, yet! What is happening now, is the coalition are buttering the nation up. They are telling us things are going to be very painful, the media are running with them and the public are in a state of unconsciousness. The people and the economy are in a coma, on life support with Doctors and nurses giving life saving drugs and round the clock care. But the drugs are running out, they are starting to be withheld, the round the clock carers are nipping out for a fag and are putting their feet up, and pretty soon the economy and it's people will realise that where they could dial 101 for a none emergency, they are having to dial 999 because the economy has stopped breathing and their is no oxygen to resuscitate it.

I like it hot but not this hot!

At what point in time did David Cameron's Conservative party turn into old women? I was in the supermarket yesterday buying iced lollies and I over hear two old women 'oh yes duck, it's too hot, oh I like it hot, but not this hot, then again I can't stand the cold'. This got me thinking. I had just watched Gordon's fantastic 'Building Britain's Future' statement in the house of commons. Of course Cameron was in attack dog mode but Gordon gave as good as he got, highlighting the fact that Cameron had been his opposite for 2 years and in that time had not made one policy proposal. As I said, this got me thinking that the Tory party has turned into a bunch of old women. They don't see any good in the forward thinking reformer that is Gordon and just moan at everything he says. Michael Gove has been at it today, attacking the Governments new school discipline ideas and branding it a gimmick. I am sure the teachers who are physically and verbally abused will think it is a gimmick too! So when will the moaning minnies stop crying and give us some policy? when will they come clean on the cuts they will make? I fear they will not and all we will hear between now and the next general election is moan, moan and moan. David Cameron is king of the moaners too, he has turned into a kind of freakish balding mother hen, clucking about (steady) in the house, like one of those wind up dolls. All full of energy but with no ideas, oh apart from giving £200,000 to the 3000 richest estates in the country whilst wanting to repeal minimum wage. By the way, is it just me or has anyone else noticed he blushes if asked a question he doesn't like or know the answer to?

Well I am off for the minute. I have loads to do and it is sweltering, isn't it Mr.C? 'oh yesh Josh, I do like it warm but not this warm..........