Time for Clegg to read the riot act

Yesterday's events surrounding Vince Cable and comments to journalists posing as constituents should make Nick Clegg confront his party.

Throughout the last 65 years the Liberals and Lib Dems have been seen as a party of protest and not worthy of Government. Their only hope of power lay in coalition, or "new politics" as Nick Clegg might say. They have finally got what they wanted, maybe not with the party they expected and maybe not in the circumstances of their choosing. But they finally have their hands on the levers of power.

They now have their chance, maybe their only chance, to prove that they are fit to govern. They have to show that they can take difficult decisions, look the electorate in the eye and explain that the medicine tastes bad, but is good for them. In the past, Lib Dems have sat on the fence and looked both ways, they can no longer do that. And by being members of the Government they have to face up to collective responsibility in the same way that cabinet ministers have through the ages.

Against this backdrop, Cable's comments yesterday were stupid, naive and hopelessly ill-judged. Having faced up to the backlash of tuition fees why rock the boat now? Mr Cable has shown that he may be out of his depth in Government, and if I was David Cameron I would have thrown the book at him yesterday.

I know that the Prime Minister is desperate to keep the Lib Dems on side, but he shouldn't need to be so craven. The Lib Dems have wedded themselves to the Tory mast and now need to see the parliament through. It is their only salvation; run away and it's game over. Some Lib Dems, such as Nick Clegg, get it. I'm not sure that the others do yet. They have to be fully paid-up members of this club and cannot get cold feet at the first sign of problems.

So it is time to read the riot act Nick, and say next time the person involved will go.

Now, is that enough clichés? You can talk in clichés till the cows come home.

Squiffy.

Clegg fails to inspire

Having listened to Nick Clegg's final speech before the General Election, I couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling.

I know that it is difficult for the third party in British politics but always seems to me that he's failing to face up to realities. Rattling off what a LibDem cabinet would look like may make the conference smile, but it made me want to laugh out loud. Apart from Vince Cable and Chris Huhne, Ed Davey and Norman Lamb, don't make me laugh.

He should look the voters in the eye and say that he would not prop up a defeated Brown Government and would try to get the best out of a Cameron Government.

Attacking the Tories for being lightweight and conmen this week seems laughable when he had no policies to mention in his speech. There were no resolved issues surrounding tuition fees, means-tested child benefit and the rubbish mansion tax. So it all remains an open issue. Don't get me started on sharing an Earl Grey with the Taliban.

The one thing that stands out is a lack of charisma or gravitas. David Cameron seems to have both, which tend to leave me entranced, Gordon Brown reels off his numbers but does it with some kind of gravity. Nick Clegg's words bounce off you or make you laugh at the unrealism.

I now know why Sky covered Obama's speech instead.

5/10

Squiffy.