Nick Clegg Tells Lib Dems: Accept My Cameron Pact
THE GUARDIAN: As party gathers for annual conference, leader says he has been impressed by PM's pragmatism and flexibility

Nick Clegg has appealed to his party to embrace PM and Conservative leader David Cameron, above. Photograph: The Guardian
Nick Clegg tomorrow will launch a heartfelt appeal to Liberal Democrats to finally embrace David Cameron's centre-right party as he predicts that together they can become a "great, great reforming government". In terms that may deepen unease among Lib Dems unhappy with the coalition, Clegg uses an interview with the Observer to heap praise on Cameron as a "big politician" who fully understands how to share power.

As his party gathers in Liverpool for its annual conference, Clegg admits he was completely wrong to call Cameron a "fake" and a "con" during the election campaign and has been impressed by his pragmatism and flexibility. "He hasn't been dogmatic. He hasn't been doctrinaire," he says. "I think this government definitely has the capacity to be a great, great reforming government."

The Lib Dem leader's central message is that the coalition can only work if his own party accepts it is a full and willing participant that jointly "owns the government". The alternative, he says, is to operate in an atmosphere of "poison" as a competing faction "constantly trying to put little trophies on the mantelpiece to show we are winning victories".

He adds: "In fact the truth is much more radical than that. All the big decisions are jointly taken by David Cameron and myself … that is why I didn't want to have a department, why I am a hop and a skip from his office." >>> Toby Helm | Saturday, September 18, 2010

Simon Jenkins’ View: Through Coalition, Nick Clegg Chose Glory in Death
THE GUARDIAN: Nick Clegg's love affair has brought the Liberal Democrats short-term power. But longer term, the deal is a suicide note

Admit it, Clegg, you're in love. You rise each morning with that ache of uncertainty in your breast. You choose that tie, that suit, those shoes with him in mind. You scurry early to the office, practising the phrase that will please him, the gesture he will notice. When you first see him in the corridor … you can't help it. The knees go. He is adorable.

The trouble is, an angry wife and family are watching and waiting back home. This weekend, the Liberal Democrat conference will want to know exactly what has been going on between Nick Clegg and David Cameron these past five months. The party has been forgiving, so far, since Clegg has given its members a high profile, a tinge, a hint of real power. But for how much longer?

From his first storming election debate last April to his present high poll rating, Clegg has led the Liberal Democrats into high places and tempted them beyond their dreams. Assorted party wonkery about income tax thresholds, pupil premiums and electoral reform are suddenly taken seriously. They are in play.

Then there are the jobs. Nineteen out of 57 new MPs have government employment, five of them in the cabinet. No Lib Dem MP ever imagined they would experience such titles, salaries, cars and dispatch boxes. Despite having five fewer MPs than in the old parliament, Clegg has taken his followers where no Liberal since Lloyd George has dared to tread.

So much for the good news. The truth is that behind the razzmatazz Cameron's coalition agreement was a political coup worthy of Walpole. He bought himself a Commons majority for the duration of a parliament. He knew that joining a coalition would devastate the Liberal Democrats at the polls, so he hired enough MPs, bound hand and foot, to give himself safety. The MPs took the bait. Sooner or later, the Lib Dem backbenchers are certain to run for opposition cover, but for those who took jobs with Clegg and entered the coalition, the much-trumpeted "programme for government" last May was short-term glory but a longer-term suicide note. Read on and comment >>> Simon Jenkins | Thursday, September 16, 2010

Watch Guardian video: Nick Clegg's speech at the Liberal Democrat conference 2009: Highlights from the Liberal Democrat leader's keynote speech at the party conference in Bournemouth >>> John Domokos | Wednesday, September 23, 2009

THE GUARDIAN: Nick Clegg becomes a Tory poster boy: Nick Clegg is now more popular among Conservative supporters than Lib Dem ones. What explains this strange development? >>> Tom Clark | Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Heat Is Being Turned On the Coalition
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain faces widespread civil unrest, strikes and more crime as a result of cuts in public spending, one of the country's leading police officers will warn.

The PCS union mount picket lines outside Treasury in whitehall [sic] on the day of the Budget. Photo: The Telegraph
Derek Barnett, the president of the Police Superintendents' Association, will say that the harshest austerity drive since the Second World War is likely to lead to a period of rising "disaffection, social and industrial tensions".

In a speech to his association's conference, he will suggest that history shows that widespread disorder is "inevitable" at some point. Chief Supt Barnett will also warn that crime will rise if front-line policing is cut too severely.

Fears of widespread civil disobedience are being voiced as unions threaten co-ordinated strikes and a "campaign of resistance not seen for decades" against spending cuts.

Delegates at the Trades Union Congress yesterday voted almost unanimously in favour of a motion that called for a co-ordinated campaign against the cuts.

One union leader branded the Government the "demolition Coalition" and said it had declared war on working people.

Brendan Barber, the usually moderate general secretary of TUC, said the cuts would make Britain "a darker, brutish, more frightening place".

Mr Barnett will say that it is "disingenuous" to suggest that any warnings of rising crime under the cuts is scaremongering. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, will be at the superintendents' conference to hear him say that there was "surprise and disappointment" that the police service was not offered protection from cuts like some other public services, such as the NHS.

"In an environment of cuts across the wider public sector, we face a period where disaffection, social and industrial tensions may well rise," Mr Barnett, of Cheshire Police, will say. "We will require a strong, confident, properly trained and equipped police service, one in which morale is high and one that believes it is valued by the government and public." Cuts will bring civil unrest, says police leader >>> Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor | Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Call for 10-year Coalition Pact
BBC: David Cameron and Nick Clegg should bind their parties into an electoral pact by the end of the year, according to a close political ally of the Prime Minister.

Conservative MP Nick Boles warns that unless the two parties form a ten year-programme for the government, MPs will look to "bolt" from the coalition when they are faced with the electoral consequences of its "harsh but necessary measures". Listen to the BBC audio: Conservative MP Nick Boles suggests there is a need for the coalition parties to agree a 10-year pact >>> | Monday, September 13, 2010

Nick Clegg: Coalition Will Go On Even Without Electoral Reform
THE GUARDIAN: Liberal Democrat leader says reform of electoral system, always a central plank of party's policy, is not his 'sole purpose in life'

Nick Clegg says reform of the electoral system is not his 'sole purpose in life'. Photograph: The Guardian
Nick Clegg today risked the anger of the Liberal Democrat grassroots by suggesting he would not abandon the coalition with the Tories even if the key plans for electoral reform were blocked.

In a radio interview to be broadcast this weekend, the Lib Dem leader declared that reform of the electoral system, which has always been a central plank of the party's policy, was not his "sole purpose in life".

The comments came at the end of a week in which Clegg provoked unease among some within his party for agreeing with the appointment of Philip Green, the Top Shop boss whose tax affairs have been questioned, to advise on public sector cuts.

In the interview with Radio 4's Westminster Hour, the Lib Dem leader rejected suggestions that his party was being damaged by the alliance with the Tories, insisting no one would be taking "any notice" of the Lib Dems if they were not in government. >>> Staff and agencies | Friday, August 20, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: Leon Brittan, Tory who discovered Nick Clegg, returns to politics after 24 years: Coalition asks former home secretary, who gave Lib Dem leader job in Brussels, to return to frontline as a paid trade advisor >>> Allegra Stratton, political correspondent | Thursday, August 19, 2010

'PM' Clegg Faces Voting Revolt
MAIL ONLINE: Nick Clegg faced a Coalition backlash last night as he prepared to become the first Liberal leader to run the country in more than 80 years.

The Deputy Prime Minister takes the reins of power today from David Cameron, who is on holiday in Cornwall.

But Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes immediately cast a shadow over the Coalition by categorically ruling out the prospect of any electoral pact with the Tories at the next election.

With the Government marking its first 100 days in power on Wednesday, Mr Hughes torpedoed the growing prospect of closer ties, publicly lecturing Mr Clegg about a non-aggression deal at the next election, which would see both parties tactically backing each other.

Mr Hughes denounced a deal as ‘a nonsense’ and said: ‘We will be standing in every seat in the next election, there will be no deals, there will be no pacts.

‘Nick knows that that’s the party’s position, and Nick knows that that’s the party’s constitution.’ Read on and comment >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Monday, August 16, 2010

Bounty Hunters to Cut Benefit Fraud by £1bn
THE TELEGRAPH: Private agencies are to be paid by the Government to reduce benefit fraud by £1billion, David Cameron is to announce.



Finance experts will identify welfare cheats by trawling through their records, household bills and credit card applications.

The agencies will get a “bounty” payment for each fraudster they identify under government plans to cut the £5.2billion annual fraud bill.

By having access to the Government’s database of incapacity and housing benefit claimants, the companies believe they can shave at least £1billion from the welfare bill, earning as much as £50million.

The Prime Minister will say today that the level of fraud is “absolutely outrageous” and an “uncompromising” strategy is needed.

Mr Cameron will also call on members of the public to report suspected cheats and promise tougher punishments for offenders. >>> Holly Watt, Rosa Prince and Robert Winnett | Tuesday, August 10, 2010

This is so 'old Tory'. Whilst I am not in favour of people cheating the system for benefits, I feel that Cameron should have the balls to target the fat cat bankers who are stealing far more from the system with their multi-million pound bonuses than the paltry sums of money that Jo Average is getting in the form of welfare. Why doesn't Cameron come up with something new and original like jailing bankers who milk the system, and thereby endanger capitalism's very existence? – © Mark | Comment also posted here

Clegg on David Davis' Brokeback Comments


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Tender moments, cowboy-style! A scene from 'Brokeback Mountain'. Photograph: Google Images
David Davis Accused of Lampooning Tory-Lib Dem Alliance as 'Brokeback Coalition'
THE TELEGRAPH: David Davis, the leading Conservative MP, has been accused of lampooning the Tory-Lib Dem alliance and describing it as the "Brokeback Coalition".

In reportedly extended criticism, he also referred to David Cameron's flagship Big Society policy as “Blairite dressing”.

Mr Davis' alleged comments suggest deep frustration at the way Conservative MPs have been forced to accept the deal with Nick Clegg’s party.

Mr Davis is reported to have said: “The corollary of the big society is the smaller state. If you talk about the small state, people think you’re Attila the Hun. If you talk about the big society, people think you’re Mother Teresa.”

The former shadow home secretary was allegedly overheard making the comments in a City of London pub during a private lunch with businessmen.

The leading right wing MP - who stood against Mr Cameron in the 2005 leadership campaign - also allegedly said the Prime Minister was more concerned with appeasing Lib Dems rather than appealing to MPs in his own party.

The Financial Times reported that three of its journalists heard Mr Davis attack the Coalition.

He was alleged to have approvingly repeated a remark attributed to a senior Conservative, which talked of the David Cameron-Nick Clegg partnership as the “Brokeback coalition” – a reference to the Oscar-winning film about two homosexual cowboys. Continue reading and comment >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Friday, July 23, 2010

Ignorance and Dhimmitude! The Burqah? Muslimah’s Choice, Says Stupid Conservative Minister!
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Banning the burka would infringe a woman's right to 'choose each morning when you wake up what you wear', Cabinet minister Caroline Spelman said today.

The Environment Secretary claimed it was 'empowering' to be able to choose your own outfit, and this must not be taken away.

It came after the immigration minister, Damian Green, resisted demands from within the Tory party to ban the burka - which critics claim is actually a symbol of oppression.

Mr Green said a ban would be 'rather un-British'* and run contrary to the conventions of a 'tolerant and mutually respectful society'.

This is despite a YouGov survey that found that 67 per cent of voters wanted the wearing of full-face veils to be made illegal. Female minister insists women must be able to choose their own clothes as ban on burka is ruled out >>> James Slack, Home Affairs Editor | Sunday, July 18, 2010

*It is also very un-British to wear such a ridiculous garment! – © Mark

Related article here

Coalitions Are Here to Stay, Says Nick Clegg
THE GUARDIAN: Deputy PM claims Lib-Con government marks end of tribal politics and shift to more complex relationships between parties

Nick Clegg: 'What we are entering into is a permanent move to greater pluralism, diversity and fluidity in politics.' Photograph: The Guardian
The Liberal-Conservative coalition government is not a one-off but marks "a permanent move that breaks the duopoly of the old parties for good", Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, says in a Guardian interview today that marks his first two extraordinary months in office alongside David Cameron.

The coalition, he says, "is not an aberration, but a natural consequence of what has been happening for years, which is a loosening of the old tribal ties between the old parties and their supporters. Something very, very big is happening in politics."

Clegg, who leads the coalition's plans for electoral reform – a crucial part of the deal that brought the Tories and Lib Dems together – predicted more coalitions in the future, claiming that the "more complex set of relationships between political parties in the future reflects a more complex society in which people do not vote in the old blocs.

"I think what we are entering into is a permanent move to greater pluralism, diversity, and fluidity in politics that does not settle down to one associated pattern between parties," said Clegg.

The Lib Dem leader, who says of himself "I am a revolutionary but I am also a pragmatist", added: "There is a Labour assumption that this coalition is an unnatural act, and all we have to do is put it back in a box, and carry on as before. I really think they are missing something much more profound. That is why people out there, as opposed to the Westminster village, are warming as much as they are to the coalition. That is a deep change in the way people regard politics psychologically."

His remarks suggest he could yet envisage different-shaped coalitions in the future. At the same time he says he has found very quickly an ideological overlap with Cameron on decentralisation, public service reform and civil liberties. "What we have learned about each other most of all is that if you are in a coalition you have just got to be constantly open, pragmatic and level-headed about how you make progress together."

By contrast, he says Labour leadership candidates have rushed to the comfort zone of collective bile and vitriol. >>> Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt | Friday, July 09, 2010

Former Lib Dem Leader On Coalition

Minister Lynne Featherstone Indicates Gay Marriage a Step Closer
THE TELEGRAPH: Homosexual couples could be allowed to “marry” in traditional religious ceremonies for the first time, a government minister has said.

The proposals will delight equality campaigners who believe civil partnership is a 'second-class' status. Photo: The Telegraph
Lynne Featherstone, the equalities minister, said the Coalition was considering allowing same-sex couples to include key religious elements in civil partnership ceremonies.

In a parliamentary answer, she disclosed that homosexual couples could be permitted to use “religious readings, music and symbols”.

This would make civil partnerships practically indistinguishable from traditional weddings as Parliament recently removed the bar on same-sex unions in churches and other places of worship through an amendment to Labour’s Equality Act.

The proposals will delight equality campaigners who believe civil partnership is a “second-class” status, but they prompted fierce opposition from mainstream Christian leaders who believe marriage can only take place between a man and a woman. >>> Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Friday, June 02, 2010

La rigueur met les LibDems en position difficile
Le ministre des Finances conservateur, George Osborne, a annoncé des mesures drastiques. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le plan d'austérité présenté par le chef du gouvernement britannique fragilise sa coalition.

La politique de rigueur mise en place par le gouvernement de David Cameron provoque déjà des tensions au sein de la coalition organisée avec les libéraux-démocrates de Nick Clegg. Plusieurs députés LibDems protestent ouvertement contre les hausses d'impôts annoncées la semaine dernière par le ministre des Finances conservateur, George Osborne. Quatre d'entre eux sont même allés à l'encontre des consignes de leur parti, en proposant un amendement au budget qui rendrait inapplicable la hausse de la TVA de 17,5 % à 20 %, qui devrait avoir lieu en début d'année prochaine. Ces élus s'inquiètent de l'impact de la hausse de la TVA sur les foyers les plus modestes, et auraient préféré que les nouveaux impôts soient plus «progressistes », en faisant porter la facture sur les plus riches.

Le petit parti libéral-démocrate n'a décroché que 55 députés sur 650 sièges lors des dernières législatives, mais il est devenu un partenaire indispensable pour les conservateurs de David Cameron qui, avec 306 élus, étaient restés en deçà du seuil de la majorité absolue. Pendant toute la campagne, et lors des négociations de coalition avec les tories, le groupe de Nick Clegg a avancé un programme fiscal progressiste, insistant sur la nécessité de rendre les impôts «plus justes », en allégeant le fardeau des revenus modestes. La semaine dernière, le groupe d'analyse Institute for Fiscal Studies a commenté que la hausse de la TVA allait avoir un impact plus sensible pour les plus pauvres et a qualifié le budget de «plutôt réactionnaire ». >>> Par Cyrille Vanlerberghe | Mardi 29 Juin 2010

Coalition to Tell Unemployed to 'Get on Your Bike*'
THE TELEGRAPH: Radical plans to relocate the long term unemployed to areas where there are jobs are being drawn up by the Coalition.

Iain Duncan Smith has revealed radical plans to relocate the long term unemployed to areas where there are jobs. Photo: The Telegraph
Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, discloses the move in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph today in which he outlines proposals to make the workforce “more mobile”.

The controversial plan echoes the words of Norman Tebbit in 1981 when he told the unemployed to “get on your bike” and look for work.

It is part of tough action to cut spiralling welfare bills and tackle Britain’s record deficit.

Last week a major shake-up of housing benefit and increased health checks for disability claimants were announced as part of the biggest cuts in public spending for almost a century. >>> Melissa Kite, Deputy Political Editor | Saturday, June 26, 2010

*Bald-headed, too-comfortable politicians, whose livelihoods are paid for by the taxpayer, should also be careful that they are not told BY THE TAXPAYERS to get off their fat arses and do a proper job of work. – © Mark

Cameron: I Won't Waste 10 Years in Power Like Blair Did
Close: Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg are working well together and sources claim they may appear at each other's party conferences. Photo: Mail Online
MAIL ONLINE: David Cameron has declared he would serve only five years as Prime Minister if that is the price of pushing through bold and lasting economic and social reforms.

The Prime Minister, speaking at his first international summit, said he was determined not to emulate Tony Blair's 'ten wasted years'.

'I would rather have five reforming years as Prime Minister than ten wasted years like Blair,' he said.

Mr Cameron claimed that Labour's attacks on the coalition are pushing the Tories and the Lib Dems 'closer together'.

He believes Labour is making a massive mistake in using the Lib Dems as a 'lightning rod' for its attacks on spending cuts imposed in last week's emergency Budget.

Mr Cameron, who is in Canada for the G8 and G20 summits this weekend, claimed that Labour was simply helping to achieve a 'realignment of British politics' with itself on 'the losing side'.

The two parties are working so closely together, according to Downing Street sources, that there is even a possibility of Mr Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg making appearances at each other's annual conferences in September. Continue reading and comment >>> James Chapman | Saturday, June 26, 2010

Bin Taxes and Planning Laws to Be Ditched by Coalition
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A raft of Labour laws which have been criticised for penalising Middle England will be consigned to the scrap heap by the new Government this week.

Bin taxes will be ditched, along with laws allowing developers to build on back gardens, as the Coalition embarks on a bonfire of "meddling" legislation.

Ministers will say they are scrapping controversial Labour proposals to allow local authorities to charge for household rubbish collections or fine those who fail to cut their waste.

And in a major review of planning law, back gardens will no longer be classified as "brownfield" land which can be built on.

The Government will also announce that it is getting rid of a requirement on builders to squeeze more smaller homes onto new housing developments, after complaints that the rule leads to overcrowding.

The shake-up follows years of campaigns, including one in this newspaper against proposed refuse taxes, and is clearly aimed at pacifying core Conservative voters. >>> Melissa Kite and Richard Gray | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Britain Is Full Up - Cameron Must Act to Stem the Tide of Immigration
No one should hold his breath that anything will be done about this most vexing of questions in the near future. It takes balls to tackle the problem of immigration; and balls are what most politicians these days sorely lack. – © Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: With Labour at last accepting that immigration is an issue, the Coalition needs to move fast, says Benedict Brogan

It is still just about possible to go through life without spotting how Britain is being changed by immigration – if you are a hermit, or live on one of the more remote of the Hebridean islands, or are insulated from the realities of everyday life by money or power.

If you are a politician, of course, you can choose not to see. Gordon Brown presided, both as chancellor and prime minister, over a record influx of migrants, but was indifferent to the consequences. Isolated in a world bounded by Downing Street, his official Jaguar and his ethnically homogenous Scottish village above the Forth, his was never the experience of most citizens, in particular those in the capital.

When Gillian Duffy tried to raise the issue with him during the campaign, his instinctive response was to dismiss her as a bigot. No matter that six months before, he had found it politically expedient to identify himself with such concerns. "I have never agreed with the lazy elitism that dismisses immigration as an issue, or portrays anyone who has concerns about immigration as a racist," he assured us, before doing just that to Mrs Duffy. "Immigration is … a question about what it means to be British."

In fact, immigration ranks as one of Labour's greatest, most durable failures. Worse than that, it was a wilful failure – as secret documents revealed earlier this year, Labour opened the floodgate for social as well as economic reasons, in an attempt to change the culture of the country and "rub the Right's nose in diversity".

The consequences, in terms of social tensions and pressures on local services, can be seen almost everywhere. During the election campaign, immigration was consistently the most important issue for voters, after the economy. Yet Mr Brown was oblivious to it. He was the dealer who got us hooked on cheap foreign labour, and its artificial highs of unsustainable growth and low inflation. Ministers learned not to ask awkward questions. With no reliable statistics on who was coming in, who was here, and who was going out, "I don't know" become [sic] a legitimate excuse.

Tony Blair set the orthodoxy by proclaiming that we were not a "high-immigration country", and his followers duly repeated it. David Blunkett, who could normally be relied on to speak plainly on behalf of those who knew things were changing but could not say why, pronounced that there was "no obvious upper limit" on immigration.

And until the economic crisis hit, he was right. The numbers say it all. Net immigration jumped in a decade from about 41,000 a year to 233,000 in 2007. It fell to 163,000 in 2008, but only because more people left the country. The number of people entering Britain that year actually rose, from 574,000 to 590,000. Even now, they keep on coming, drawn to a country that offers more opportunities (and even greater welfare support) than just about anywhere else. >>> Benedict Brogan | Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Pro-Arab Bias in Downing Street! Gaza Flotilla Attack: William Hague Attacks Israel Over Arrests
THE TELEGRAPH: William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, has launched an outspoken attack on the Israeli authorities over their arrests of British detainees from the flotilla.

As the detainees were deported from a prison camp via Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Mr Hague said he was "seriously concerned" at the seizure of British nationals in international waters.

He added that nine had still not been seen by consular staff, and complained of the difficulty in gaining access to the other 28.

"We are urgently pressing the Israeli government to resolve this situation within hours," Mr Hague said. "There is real, understandable and justified anger at the events which have unfolded.

"In some cases consular staff have been having to go to the prison at Beersheva, hammer on doors and ask people if they are British. It has been a chaotic situation, it is completely unsatisfactory."

Earlier in the day the prime minister, David Cameron, used question-time in the House of Commons to call the Israeli attack on the flotilla "completely unacceptable".

Together the attacks on Israel and its government amount to a new low in the rapidly deteriorating relationship between Britain and Israel.

While the Foreign Office has often notoriously been criticised for pro-Arab leanings, the Israelis have always been assured of an understanding ear in Downing Street, particularly under the governments of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. That may now have changed. >>> Richard Spencer and Murray Wardrop | Wednesday, June 02, 2010

UK Chief Treasury Secretary Resigns Amid Scandal


Related here

MAIL ONLINE: Muslim hate preacher is let into Britain despite Tories' pledge to keep out radicals: Home Secretary Theresa May faces outrage after her officials allowed an Islamic hate-preacher to enter Britain.

Zakir Naik, who has said ‘every Muslim should be a terrorist’ and claimed Western women are easy rape targets because of their revealing clothes, is to speak in a tour of the country. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Sunday, May 30, 2010