Posts Tagged “nick clegg”
“Is the coalition government doing enough to encourage social mobility?”
by Stephen Tall on May 23, 2013
That was the question I was asked to answer for a new magazine, The New Idealist (available online here). Here’s what I said… Social mobility: it’s a phrase much-beloved by politicians from all three parties. Who, after all, can possibly disagree with the fine sentiments of Nick Clegg in his social mobility strategy paper, Opening [...]
Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: “Of course the EU has to change”
by Stephen Tall on May 19, 2013
No prizes for guessing which subject Nick Clegg tackles in his latest weekly letter to supporters: Europe. He rattles through the three positions: ‘calamitous outers’, ‘inconsequential renegotiators’ and ‘achievable reformers’. No prizes for guessing which he identifies with the Lib Dems. Over to Nick… I’m writing this week’s Letter to you from Kirkwall in Orkney. [...]
How Nick Clegg should deal with Tory Eurosceptics at PMQs today
by Stephen Tall on May 15, 2013
Caron’s already given you the 70 minute warning that Nick Clegg is standing in for David Cameron at PMQs today at 12 noon. The Mail’s Matt Chorley has a suggestion for his best approach to the head-banging wing of the Tory party: The best way for Nick Clegg to deal with Tory Eurosceptics at PMQs [...]
Clegg leadership plot: Gove’s ‘crazy grenade’ detonates, briefly, before Tories revert to arguing about Europe
by Stephen Tall on May 12, 2013
Hats off to Mr Gove! With the Tory party in its customary state of internecine warfare over Europe, the education secretary used his interview this morning on The Andrew Marr Show to allege a leadership plot to overthrow Nick Clegg. Here’s PoliticsHome’s account: Michael Gove has suggested Nick Clegg’s opposition to increasing childminders-toddlers ratio is [...]
Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: “Lib Dems remain focused on the things people really care about”
by Stephen Tall on May 12, 2013
Nick Clegg isn’t one for the pomp and pageant of parliament (he’s rather keen to let you know). He’s also keen to let you know that this week’s Queen’s Speech was “designed to build a stronger economy and a fairer society in Britain, enabling everyone to get on in life” (to quote Her Majesty). Over [...]
“We cannot afford it” – Cameron on raising income tax threshold to £10k. In 2010.
by Stephen Tall on May 1, 2013
With a hat-tip to Ed Stradling, here’s a reminder of what David Cameron told Nick Clegg about raising the income tax threshold in the first leaders’ debate: Cameron 2010: “I would love to take everyone out of their first £10,000 of income tax, Nick…We cannot afford it” youtube.com/watch?v=rk5HvJ… — Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress) May [...]
Clegg threat to block any further welfare cuts unless Cameron agrees to tax wealthy pensioners’ benefits
by Stephen Tall on April 25, 2013
It’s 18 months since Nick Clegg first publicly aired the idea that some universal benefits given to better-off pensioners should be means-tested — an idea that’s found favour with two-thirds of Lib Dem members. There have always been three problems with the idea. The first problem is that means-testing is bureaucratic and potentially expensive. However, [...]
Relief as 0.3% GDP growth shows economy flat-lining not shrinking. Has the Coalition’s mid-term slump bottomed out?
by Stephen Tall on April 25, 2013
Reading too much into quarterly GDP figures is, of course, a mug’s game. They’re noticed mainly by avid Westminster-watchers and frequently revised both up and down. None of that means they don’t matter, though. They frame the way politics is reported in the here and now. And that can affect what happens in the future. [...]
Times: ‘Cameron is told to drop snooping on web users’
by Stephen Tall on April 22, 2013
Today’s Times front page is dominated by the news that nine cyber-security experts and academics have issued a stark warning to David Cameron to halt ‘sweeping plans to hand the security services the power to snoop on emails, website visits and social media sites’: “they remain as naive and technically dangerous as when they were [...]
Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: “I absolutely love being out on the campaign trail”
by Stephen Tall on April 21, 2013
With local elections taking place across much of England (and, lets not forget, the Isle of Angelsey in Wales) on Thursday 2nd May, Nick Clegg’s letter this week focuses on the drive to get out the Lib Dem vote… With less than two weeks to go until this year’s local elections, the campaigning has really [...]
