It is the weekend and that must mean one thing, light news day so a perfect opportunity for the press to do what it does best, Liberal Democrat bashing!
With Clegg's admission last week that he regrets signing the tuition fees pledge, Sky is reporting that the Liberal Democrat leadership had plans not to honour the pledge when discussing a coalition and entering government.
Although, I am angry that the Lib Dems have so warmly welcomed the Browne Review and looks like a few of our Lib Dem MPs may swing the vote in favour of increasing tuition fees, I am not surprised that Nick Clegg and the leadership had these plans.
Only last year at our autumn conference there Nick Clegg was looking to abandon its policy and make it an 'aspiration' rather than something we would fight for. It was only because of the backlash from party members that Nick changed his mind and decided to campaign on the issue at election. In fact our members spoke so strongly about the issue that detail proposals were then put into place to explain to the British voters how we would afford it in the current economic downturn.
So no we shouldn't be surprised with these latest revelations, but we should stand up and say no, not in our name!
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5 comments:
What should happen after enough Liberal Democrat MPs vote for the increase in tuition fees and the plans get passed? The battle is then lost and it will be hard, if not impossible, to reverse. Will there be any point in being a party member?
That's why we have to do so much in our power to convince our MPs to vote against the bill. The petition is just one way of doing that.
That's a politician's answer! There is an agreed party policy, one that was confirmed just before the results of the Browne Inquiry (which the leadership must have known ahead of the final publication). The leadership has reneged on this, saying that the hike is justified due to its progressive patina. If this measure is struck down by parliament by the bulk of Lib Dem MPs, Clegg's position will be untenable. If it is narrowly passed with a minority of loyal Lib Dem MPs, Clegg's position will be untenable. If the majority of the party voted for the measures, will your membership be untenable?
So if I gave a politician's answer.. what do you suggest? Jump ship to another party? If you do that there will come a time when one of their policies becomes untenable and one then has to jump ship again and again and again. I boadly believe in most of the poicies that the Lib Dems are persuing. That is why I am staying put and trying to convince our MPs to vote against the policy I really oppose.
Don't join a party. It's a mug's game.
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