Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:25 am  

So that snivelling little Quisling has now apologised over increasing tuition fees. Not for approving the increase but for actually making the commitment in the first place. This looks like a desperate act of a party leader who knows he has lost the trust of his rank & file (what little is now left of it) and is hoping this appeasement will help get him through his forthcoming party conference.

I can't see the LimpDems continuing with him into the next election

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:53 am  

My first thought was why? Why in gods name go over all this again? It was being forgotten for the most part (though obviously would be brought up again at election time) and this has just reignited the whole thing, especially as he hasn't actually apologised for approving the increase in tuition fees.
My second thought was did he (and his obviously thick advisors) really think saying "sorry I was that stupid and I was lying to you" would make him look anything but weak and untrustworthy?
I did have a 3rd thought but I got distracted by a bumble bee.

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:54 am  

Two and a bit years to late, and for the wrong thing.

Not really much of an apology was it.

Wonder if he has any more lined up for everything else he's folded on.

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:00 pm  

This apology is aimed at his own party I reckon ... an attempt to hang on to the "leadership".

Barbudo's advice to Cleggy ...
1) Don't make commitments in the first place when you have no hope of executing them
2) Don't just change your mind in the cabinet and then vote for tuition fees ... you should've told Dave you'd abstain
3) Don't try and justify what you can't justify
4) Well ... your whole approach to "coalition" was crap. Coalition isn't about just agreeing with the tories and changing your mind about your manifesto to suit that, it's about cutting a deal where you can point at what was in your manisfesto about which you've actually made some headway.

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:03 pm  

The autotune remix is rather fun.

The autotune remix is rather fun.

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:10 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

So that snivelling little Quisling has now apologised over increasing tuition fees. Not for approving the increase but for actually making the commitment in the first place. This looks like a desperate act of a party leader who knows he has lost the trust of his rank & file (what little is now left of it) and is hoping this appeasement will help get him through his forthcoming party conference.

I can't see the LimpDems continuing with him into the next election

TBH I'm starting to agree with you (I think) and that was aimed more at the tories then his own party IMHO as I think he will be wearing blue in 2 years time.

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:20 pm  

Uncle Vincenzo didn't fare much better on last evenings Newsnight. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100181964/the-lib-dem-disaster-movie/

Uncle Vincenzo didn't fare much better on last evenings Newsnight. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100181964/the-lib-dem-disaster-movie/

[DaveO]

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:07 pm  

Him wrote:

My first thought was why? Why in gods name go over all this again? It was being forgotten for the most part (though obviously would be brought up again at election time) and this has just reignited the whole thing, especially as he hasn't actually apologised for approving the increase in tuition fees.

He has probably mentioned it because those new fees are now just about to be charged and loans taken out and because the grass roots of his party still do not agree with this U turn and the conference season is nearly here.

My second thought was did he (and his obviously thick advisors) really think saying "sorry I was that stupid and I was lying to you" would make him look anything but weak and untrustworthy?

Yep. The other aspect of this is not only did they not abolish fees but they put them up! I don't think he relaises how bad that in itself looks.

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:21 pm  

I can't be doing with politicians saying 'sorry'.
It means absolutely nothing and doesn't make anything right.
It's almost like a fashion.

Sorry only ever means anything if corrective action follows it.
Otherwise it's just a word that trips of the tongue, and the more it is used in this 'get-out' way the less it means.

It's almost abhorrent in itself.
A compounding of the wrong.

Re: Clegg's apology - death throes of a doomed party leader? : Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:24 pm  

I was shocked he couldn't even be bothered wearing a jacket and tie.