It is totally indefensible of Mr Clegg to even be part of this CSR, let the tories sink or swim on their own. The genuine poor in Britain will never forgive us (Liberals) if this goes wrong. Yes…yes…I know …I’m on my moral high horse again and nobody likes a prophet in their own land !

How about discussing ways to help genuinely poor, isolated and lonely individuals in our own communities ? No, I’m not expecting a great deal of response !

This is obviously some new definition of the word fair, with which I was previously unfamiliar. Either his tiny mind is confusing the word fair with the word unfair, an easy mistake as only two letters are different or the context in which he means it is fair to grovelling Yellow Tory ministers.

So Nick Clegg claims Liberal party values are written through the spending plans “like the message in a stick of rock”.

This astonishing assertion brought to mind x2 items from today’s MSM;
[1] Thatch, the women hell bent on taking down the NHS is recovering in a PRIVATE facility after suffering complications of flu – an example of the kind of two tier health system that the coalition is secretly pining for, perhaps?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/20/margaret-thatcher-london-hospital-flu

[2] The people of Consett weathered mass unemployment after its steel industry closed. Now, it faces going through it all again – it is suggested that insulated rich men like our Nick ‘do not really understand’ how people will suffer?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/20/spending-review-cuts-consett-durham

I wonder if Clegg is nodding his head approvingly while many lefties, and indeed liberals are shaking theirs?

@ 2

Agree. The word ‘fair’ has been redefined for political power and nothing more. To be openly defending a pure tory agenda is unforgivable. He could at least try and keep as quiet as possible or, if absolutely necessary, get one of his Social Democrat minions to speak for them.

@2,

To be fair, we know Mr. Clegg struggles with the meanings of certain words. After all, he signed a pre-election pledge to “vote against” any increase in tuition fees, when what he actually meant was “fully endorse.”

1
We could always give our local poor a copy of Samual Smiles ‘Self-help’

@ 6

Unfortunately the culture of ‘self help’, ‘personal development’ and ‘self improvement’ has been quietly retired by the politically driven social engineers of the past decade.

Future employment is going to depend heavily on a candidates attitude. Employers know that attitude transfers into behaviour.

However, thank you for responding but if you have any ideas on how a “can do” attitude can be taught, please publish ?

Sunny, how about running an open thread on this ?

Yes Nick, and I would say that it is also quite fair for me to call you a lying sack of shit, who would step over his own mother for a chance in govt.

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” – George Orwell, Animal Farm.

Is it not at least possible that without Lib Dem intervention the cuts would have been considerably harsher?

10

Yes, it is possible…. so let’s hear the evidence of what the actual ameliorating impact has been eh?

For all the platitudes about fairness which trip so lightly off the tongues of those in the coalition, I’d actually like to see and hear concrete evidence of where they have reined the frothing Tory pack in.

The evidence to date is that the LD’s have dilated pretty well as far as they could, not that they have acted as an effective brake on Tory extermism at all.

@ 10

Unlikely C G. The tories appear to have pushed their luck to the limit with their own middle / rich classes already. As far as I’m concerned Lib-Dem is just another term for treacherous, power hungry low life..

Now where do us real old Liberals go ? Please don’t say Labour or Tory.

11

“Yes, it is possible…. so let’s hear the evidence of what the actual ameliorating impact has been eh?

For all the platitudes about fairness which trip so lightly off the tongues of those in the coalition, I’d actually like to see and hear concrete evidence of where they have reined the frothing Tory pack in.”

Agreed, although it’s probably bad politics for Clegg to stand next to Cameron and say “in fairness, he was in favour of these nasty policies”. Maybe Clegg should leak it.

Ted, you can join me on the Liberal Conspiracy crossbenches but they are usually pretty deserted.

@ 12

“Now where do us real old Liberals go ? Please don’t say Labour or Tory.”

Well, by the next election you might either have the opportunity to cast a serious Green vote or to vote for one half of a recently divided Lib Dem party (which could well split along the bastard/non-bastard faultline).

@ 14 and 15

It’s highly possible that the Liberal Conspiracy crossbences are heading for a major recruitment development programme. If that fails, I may seek to become a Green version of Ken Livingstone and Dennis Skinner combined.

Well, the LDs can take credit for the pupil premium I suppose. Though it’s somewhat negated by cutting Sure Start and EMA and increasing tuition fees and cutting child benefit and forcing families to move house and… [etc]

15

“or to vote for one half of a recently divided Lib Dem party (which could well split along the bastard/non-bastard faultline).”

I think they might perhaps have to label themselves LD (dilator) and LD (non-dilator) for the sake of propriety on ballot papers and posters etc.

@ 18

Maybe Sally will get her way and they’ll break into the Lie Dems and the Lib Dumbs?

@ 19

How about Lie-Dems for the Social Democrats and Dim-Libs for us Liberals as we voted for this duplicitous fiasco as well.

Oh piss off Clegg. Tory boy.

Be fair, we might have misheard as Clegg’s pitiful little squeaks are usually muffled by Cameron’s buttocks