Freedom Central » Nick Clegg

Liberal Democrats to get tough on excessive boardroom pay

Newswire — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:09:48 +0000

The BBC report on comments by Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg that the government is to publish new proposals to curb “unjustified and irresponsible” pay rewards in the private sector.

The deputy prime minister said ministers would announce plans to “get tough” on excessive boardroom pay in January and may legislate if necessary. Among likely steps is widening the membership of remuneration committees, which set pay, to include workers.

Recent figures showed executive pay at the UK’s top firms rose 50% last year.

Pay research firm Incomes Data Services said this increase took the average pay for a director of a FTSE 100 company to just short of £2.7m.

Mr Clegg told the BBC’s Andrew Marr that these figures were a “real slap in the face” for workers, many of whom were seeing their pay frozen.

The government should not be setting pay rates and Mr Clegg said he supported top executives being well rewarded if their companies were successful.

But he said “greater transparency” was needed over the process of setting pay and that top bosses should not be rewarded if their companies’ performance was poor.

“We need to get tough on irresponsible and unjustified behaviour of top remuneration of executives in the private sector,” he said.

“What I abhor is people getting paid bucket loads of cash in difficult times for failure.”

Ministers will bring forward proposals in January and Mr Clegg said the government would prepared to pass legislation if necessary

Clegg signals support for 50p tax rate to stay in place

Freedom Central — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:43:28 +0000

The BBC report that Nick Clegg has given his support to retaining the 50p top rate of income tax despite growing Conservative hostility to the measure.

At a press conference in London the Deputy Prime Minister said the coalition’s focus in tough financial times was on helping those on low and middle incomes not “a small minority at the very top”.

The Lib Dem leader said the government was focused on relieving the burden on low and middle income families squeezed by rising prices and stagnant incomes.

Ministers had raised the level at which people start paying income tax, he added, so that 800,000 of the lowest-paid were not paying anything at all, rising to a million by next April.

“The coalition agreement is clear that what takes precedence, if you have got money and the ability to provide tax relief to people, is tax cuts for million of people on middle and low incomes,” he said.

Mr Clegg said he supported the chancellor’s decision to review how the tax was operating – which should be completed by next spring.

But he stressed: “When living costs are high, when people are really feeling the strain, of course it is right to prioritise help, where you can give help, to the millions of people who need that help the most and not prioritise help to a very, very small minority of people who don’t need as much help – in other words, the people at the very top.”

Clegg announces moves to tackle disputes between Assembly and Westminster

Freedom Central — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:54:03 +0000

The Western Mail reports that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced new arrangements have been put in place to tackle disputes involving the UK Government and the devolved administrations.

The changes mean that if representatives of the governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and the UK administration on the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) cannot come to agreement they can call in an independent third party to analyse the dispute.

The paper quotes a UK Government source as saying: “The only way the economic and social problems of Wales are going to be solved is by governments working together, rather than one end of the M4 pointing the finger at the other end.”

Welsh Lib Dems call for an end to ‘one size fits all’ social care

Freedom Central — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:54:44 +0000

Kirsty Williams, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Nick Clegg the Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats today visited Scope’s Skills and Development Centre in Penarth to highlight the Welsh Liberal Democrat committment to improve care and support for the elderly and vulnerable through increased use of individualised budgets.

The ‘one size fits all’ approach of Labour and Plaid ensures that many in Wales do not receive care packages appropriate to their needs. Instead, the Welsh Liberal Democrats will make a tailored social care a priority, using personal budgets to ensure that individuals can choose their own care package.

This approach can have huge benefits to people who need care. For example, Lynn uses her personal budget to pay for an epilepsy seizure alert dog. It means she can now live independently, knowing that her dog will alert her to telltale signs of a seizure so she can get to a safe place free of hazards.

Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said:

“Social care is a vital service for many older, disabled and vulnerable people. It embraces the most intimate care and support for people at times of greatest need. How well we look after each other says a great deal about the strength and character of our society.

“Often people in Wales find the social care system confusing, inflexible and not suited to their needs. That’s not good enough. Welsh Liberal Democrats want to offer more choice, control and flexibility over care.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats will offer everyone receiving social care through the NHS or their local council the opportunity to use personal budgets so that they can choose the kind of care they need, when they need it.

“Too many people are stuck receiving care that is just not right for them. Labour and Plaid operate a system based on the idea that it is bureaucrats who know best. Under Welsh Liberal Democrat proposals we will make sure that we change social care so that it treats people as individuals, offering them the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats said:

“’One size fits all’ services simply don’t deliver the kind if personal care that people need and deserve. Kirsty Williams and the Welsh Liberal Democrats are absolutely right to be making this an important part of the election campaign so that patients can have greater flexibility over what they can spend their care money on.”

Nick Clegg speech to Welsh Liberal Democrat Conference

Freedom Central — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:58:02 +0000

This is the speech given to the Conference rally by the Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister:

It is a great pleasure to be here today, the day after the Welsh people voted decisively for change.
Liberal Democrats have consistently campaigned to strengthen and deepen devolution in Wales.
And so I think the first thing for me to say is ‘congratulations’.
This is another positive step towards reforming our broken political system.
The achievement of the cross party ‘Yes’ campaign will hearten political reformers across the UK.
And put a new spring in the step of the campaign for fairer votes.
This isn’t the end of the devolution process, but it does mark an important turning point.
For the first time ever laws that affect only Wales will be made only in Wales.
It will do away with the current restrictive and unwieldy arrangements.
And it will allow the Welsh Assembly the freedom to get on with the job of delivering for Wales.
I’d like to pay tribute to some of the fantastic people who helped to deliver this ‘Yes’ vote and who already do so much to champion the Welsh cause in Westminster.
Rob Humphreys, who represented us in the cross-party campaign.
Our MPs: Roger and Jenny, both chairing Parliamentary Party committees.
Mark, who secured a debate about a St David’s day holiday just this week.
And as part of the tourism strategy paper announced today we now are consulting on the possibility of making St David’s day a bank holiday here in Wales.
Our peers: Roger, Martin and Joan, Alex, Emlyn. And now Mike and Jenny, who have recently taken on their new roles.
I know they will both be missed in the Senedd.
Our AMs: Eleanor, Veronica, Peter.
And of course there is Kirsty, who I admire not just as a dynamic and charismatic politician, but also as a personal friend.
But I know haven’t always made your life easy, Kirsty, sorry about that.
As everybody in this hall knows she is a passionate advocate for Wales and a powerful voice both inside and outside the party.
When Kirsty Williams speaks Westminster listens.
And of course we’ve even had a Liberal Democrat celebrity flying the Welsh flag in the depths of the Australian jungle!
Now that’s one forestry disaster we’re not responsible for!
Ten months ago, last May, Britain entered a new political era.
And as a party we had a choice: take up the challenge or shy away from it.
I believed then – and I still do today – that we needed to embrace this change and not content ourselves with half measures.
Now, I know Kirsty is very fond of quoting David Lloyd George when he said:
“Don’t be afraid to take a big step. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.”
But I’m sure she won’t mind me borrowing it as to me this really rings true.
We took one big step back in May and we formed a bold, reforming, liberal Coalition.
A Coalition that will last the full length of this Parliament.
Rebalancing our economy, building a fairer society and driving change.
But what was the alternative?
We could have chosen to sit on the sidelines, risking economic instability and turning our back on the challenge of governing.
We could have said it was all too tough, that we just weren’t up to it, that we didn’t have the stomach to take the job on.
But it isn’t, we are, and we do.
Don’t get me wrong, the task we face is truly daunting.
We are under no illusions about the mess we’ve inherited from Labour.
You’d think that a party leaving behind the largest peacetime debt in our national history would show some regret –
That it would apologise for the £120m we are spending every day just to service the interest on their debts – enough to build a primary school every hour.
That it would agree with us when we say there is nothing fair about leaving the next generation to pick up the tab.
That it would at least admit the scale of the challenge and be constructive in its approach.
Not a bit of it.
When it comes to the problems facing our country, Labour has nothing to offer.
They say welfare needs reform, but they can’t say what they’d do.
They say that that the political system needs change but then stand in its way.
They say that the deficit must be cut but oppose every measure we’ve taken to achieve that.
Labour has gone from being a party of government to being the party of no.
No ideas, no direction, no purpose.
If Labour thinks that it can sit this out – that, having created these problems, it can now say nothing about them, let others solve them, and then arrogantly walk back in – then it is mistaken.
Our country is suffering from Labour’s neglect.
Labour must answer for its record, take responsibility and tell us what it’s really for.
Because no is not enough.
I know the Coalition has faced criticism over the reforms we’re making: change will always encounter fierce criticism.
But unlike Labour, we have taken responsibility.
We are facing up to the challenge.
And we will see this through.
Not all the decisions we’ve made have been easy and we must be honest about the many obstacles we still have to face.
But we’re already making huge progress, both for the UK and for Wales.
Just think, thanks to Liberal Democrat tax reform, from next month we will start putting money back in the pockets of over one million Welsh taxpayers.
That’s fair – those who work hard and play by the rules should get a fair deal from government.
Based on today’s trends, by 2015 nearly a fifth of people working Wales will not pay a penny in income tax.
Nearly one in five Welsh workers.
No income tax. Not a penny.
That is Liberal Democrats delivering for Wales.
To fund this, we’re making the rich pay their fair share of tax.
By 2015 we will be raising £7bn a year by cracking down on those who think they can hoard their fortunes away from the taxman.
And, thanks to Liberal Democrat policies, from next month 600,000 Welsh pensioners will get a fairer deal.
Our ‘triple lock’ will ensure the state pension rises in line with earnings, inflation or 2.5% – whichever is the highest.
No more insulting 75p pensions increases that Labour delivered.
Instead, if you retire this year on a basic state pension, you will receive £15,000 more over your retirement than you would have done under Labour.
Scrapping the earnings link was one of the greatest injustices of Thatcher’s administration.
An injustice that Labour failed to rectify in thirteen whole years of majority rule.
We have taken just 11 months to right this thirty-year wrong.
We have begun to create a new economy out of the ashes of the old.
An economy founded not on speculation but on sustainability.
Not on the principle of making a quick buck, but on long term growth and prosperity for our children.
Thanks to the Liberal Democrat Green Deal led by our outstanding Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne, hundreds of thousands of Welsh homes will be insulated, lowering fuel bills and reducing carbon emissions.
And by 2015, the Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm will be providing a third of Welsh homes with clean energy and will have generated over 1000 jobs.
That is the kind of green and sustainable economy Wales and the UK need.
And thanks to Liberal Democrat principles, we’re restoring civil liberties, empowering communities and reforming politics.
And this includes political reform for Wales.
I heard what party leaders have been saying about the timing of UK and Welsh elections.
And as a result the Assembly will now have the power to vary the date of polling day by twelve months, so there’s no clash.
And we’ve decoupled the Assembly constituencies from those at Westminster.
But, while we are in government in Westminster, we are of course the opposition in the Senedd.
A much more effective opposition than the one currently sitting in the House of Commons.
At least we have a plan for Wales and an opposition Leader with a lot more than just a blank sheet of paper!
The honest truth is that the Labour-Plaid administration simply isn’t delivering.
Liberal Democrats are bringing about change for Britain; now we need change for Wales.
Labour’s legacy in Wales is shocking.
Half a million people economically inactive.
Prosperity now lower than when the Assembly was created in 1999.
One in seven Welsh children living in severe poverty.
That’s not fair and it is not good enough.
Labour has let down Wales.
Both in the Senedd and Westminster, their attitude has always been defeatist and patronising.
They have assumed that the only way to help Wales is to shift wealth wholesale from the Treasury coffers to the Assembly Government.
They may have had good intentions, but their actions have only served to smother Welsh innovation and stifle Welsh growth, making people dependent on handouts and overly-reliant on the public sector.
Labour misunderstood devolution.
They gave up a bit of political power, but kept clutching at the purse strings in London.
Their rhetoric was appealing, but the reality was disappointing.
Labour’s pessimistic attitude limits what Wales can achieve. It’s like asking a builder to build a house, but only allowing him enough materials to lay the foundations.
I, on the other hand, am optimistic about Wales.
On my many visits here I’ve always been struck by the entrepreneurial outlook, the immense potential and drive to succeed.
As Liberal Democrats, we understand that you can’t just shift business and growth from London to Wales and call that progress.
Growth has to be organic, nurtured at home.
Liberal Democrats want to see a strong Welsh economy to benefit Welsh people.
That’s the sort of devolution Wales needs.
It’s about creating an environment for Welsh business to thrive and for Welsh entrepreneurs to succeed
It’s about rebalancing our economy so that we don’t ignore everything outside one square mile in London
It’s about creating an innovation fund, as proposed by the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
It’s about listening, not lecturing.
Liberal Democrats in the Coalition are leading the charge.
Thanks to Norman Baker’s brilliant efforts we have secured the electrification of the London-Cardiff train line.
And we are exploring plans with the Assembly Government to electrify key commuter lines in the valleys and along the coast.
This is brilliant news for South Wales in a very tough public spending climate.

Labour failed to electrify a single metre of track in Wales.
We will transform train travel, improving business links, creating new avenues for growth and providing a major boost to the economy.
And Vince Cable has paved the way for radical reform to the banks.
I understand why people are angry when they hear about the super-sized salaries and bumper bonuses awarded to top bankers.
I am too.
But I also want people to understand just how much this government has done to limit banking excess and get the banks lending again.
Our banking levy will raise £2.5bn every single year.
Not a one-off payment, like Labour’s bonus tax
Not a temporary fix.
A permanent, sustained tax on the banks’ balance sheets that will raise £10bn in this parliament alone.
On top of this we have agreed strict limits to cash bonuses –
Established the most transparent pay disclosure regime in world –
And extracted a commitment that the banks will lend £10bn more to businesses than they did last year.
So that’s £10bn more in tax and £10bn more through lending.
Money that will help Welsh businesses generate jobs and growth.
Yet Labour have the nerve to say that their £2.3bn bonus tax raised more money!
Only Labour party economists could claim that 2.3 is greater than 10.
It’s no wonder the economy collapsed on their watch!
But we can’t stop at reforming the banks.
We must start nurturing talent from a young age.
Under Labour-Plaid Welsh pupils receive £600 less in funding than pupils in England.
This is utterly unacceptable.
We want for Wales what we have put in place for England.
Welsh Liberal Democrats will create a Pupil Premium to target funding at those who need it most.
It would give extra money to be spent on the least privileged in our society – and it shouldn’t matter which side of Offa’s Dyke they are born.
That’s why I disagree with the Welsh Conservatives’ budget proposals which could see the gap rise further.
We want to deliver for children in Wales.
And we must ensure that further devolution works for Wales.
Now that the referendum has returned a Yes vote, the Coalition will honour its commitments.
We will work with the Welsh Government to establish a joint process similar to the Calman Commission in Scotland.
Why?
Because greater devolution should go hand in hand with greater control.
I want Welsh voters in charge of Wales’s future.
But while one referendum has been passed, we now face another.
One that goes beyond party politics.
One that transcends national divides.
One whose result will be felt for a long time to come.
The Alternative Vote.
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the way our MPs are elected.
It is a simple change that will make a huge difference.
It means MPs working harder, an end to tactical voting, more voices being heard and power put back in the hands of people, not politicians.
I don’t know what the result of the referendum will be, but one thing’s for sure: this chance won’t come again soon.
So please, get the message out there, spread the word and let’s win the vote for electoral reform.
But as everyone in this hall knows, alongside the referendum this May, we will also be campaigning hard for seats in the Assembly.
This election is a chance for the Welsh people to deliver their verdict on the Labour-Plaid Government and gives us the opportunity to set out our vision for a fairer, more liberal Wales.
We all know what Welsh Liberal Democrats can achieve.
As a partner in the Assembly Government you reduced class sizes and provided hundreds more doctors and nurses.
You fought for free entry to museums and put Wales on the cultural map with the world class Millennium Centre.
In councils in Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport, Liberal Democrats are making a huge difference to their local communities.
In Cardiff we’re spearheading plans to build more affordable housing.
And Swansea Council is reopening the Leisure Centre after it was closed by Labour.
Liberal Democrats in Newport have secured £20m to repair some of the town’s crumbling roads.
And in Wrexham we’re installing solar panels on 3,000 council properties, projecting a profit of about £29m for the local community.
These are real solid achievements that are making Wales a fairer place to live.
But we want to go further, aim higher.
And we couldn’t ask for a better team to represent the party.
Our AMs have already shown their mettle through their hard work and tireless campaigning.
But it’s fantastic to see some fresh faces too –
Aled, leading our team in North Wales
Rob in Swansea West
Nigel campaigning for Cardiff
Ed for Newport East
Liz in Ceredigion
And of course we’re going to win with Wyn in Montgomeryshire!
So I ask every single person here over the next two months –
Please, go out into your communities, deliver leaflets, knock on doors.
Get our message out loud and clear.
I’m not saying it won’t be tough.
There will be challenging questions on the doorsteps.
There will be people not yet convinced.
There will be families worried about the future.
But I know that with integrity, determination and courage of conviction, together, we can change Wales for good.

He who Libs, wins

Freedom Central — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:19:13 +0000

Interesting article from Paul Waugh on Politics Home last week in which he sets out how much influence the Liberal Democrats are exercising within the UK Coalition Government:

Today, Nick Clegg can bask in last night’s AV Bill victory, delivering an historic referendum that could possibly see his party in power for a long time.

But the DPM can also celebrate having played a key role in a string of other areas being discussed today. On each issue, you can judge his success by the irritated reaction of the average Tory backbencher.

On welfare reform, Clegg’s intevention has ensured the scrapping of plans to cut housing benefit from those unemployed for more than a year. IDS this morning said he’d been looking at the issue for a while, but added: “I’m fully at one with Nick and others on this. It’s a very good idea that we don’t have it in.” How long has it been since, we’ve heard the ‘I agree with Nick’ line?

On gay marriage and civil partnerships for unmarried heterosexuals, Lynne Featherstone is delivering a policy that infuriates the Tory rank and file. IDS and the PM both have a strong belief in the power of marriage, but it’s not clear that this is exactly what either had in mind.

On a British Bill of Rights, the Libs can be very happy that their Coalition Agreement tactic of kicking this into the long grass of a “Commission” is still working. Only yesterday, after PMQs, sources close to the PM said that although the Commission’s creation would be “imminent”, it would be upto the Tory party separately to develop more radical policy.

He continues: ‘On the forests U-turn, Libs whisper privately that they always thought this was a ‘bonkers’ policy, even less popular than the Big Society (a marketing label the DPM clearly dislikes).

On green policy, Allegra Stratton’s now unmissable column today reveals how Clegg and Chris Huhne are fighting the Treasury on the Green Investment Bank. As well as overseeing a ‘green week’ next month.

On growth, even a (self-)castrated Vince Cable seems to be having a genuine influence. The Budget will in many ways be the Growth White Paper that Cable wanted last year but was overruled by Treasury doubters.

On social mobility, Clegg led a Cabinet discussion the other week on this very topic and he’s ensured that it colours the way many areas of Government policy (not least Michael Gove’s education plans) are sold to the public. Today, the DPM was hosting a ’roundtable’ on social mobility amid all the splendour of Lancaster House.

On the AV referendum, many Tories fear that Cameron is soft-pedalling his support for First Past The Post simply to help his mate Nick. Although we will have both Cam and Clegg out making different cases tomorrow, neither will actually be leading the charge in the campaign.

He concludes: Yet having executed more U-turns than a Top Gear stunt driver special, it sometimes just looks as though the Cameroons’ haste is catching up with them. Some Libs quietly point out that almost all of the U-turns are on rushed-out policies that they privately warned needed more work.

Ms Featherstone, referring to the differing church views on gay marriage, said today: “It’s quite clear there are all sorts who want different things”.

That’s also a neat summary of the Coalition. It just seems that today the DPM is the one wearing the trousers, rather than the pantsuit.

Nick Clegg’s New Year Message

Freedom Central — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 07:13:25 +0000

Wikileaks outs indiscreet Lembit

Freedom Central — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:26:48 +0000

The BBC report on further Wikileaks revelations that former Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik called party leader Nick Clegg “thin skinned”. They say that Mr. Opik accused the Liberal Democrat Leader of surrounding himself with “insiders” to avoid “direct confrontation”. The conversation is said to have happened between Mr Opik and the US ambassador Robert Tuttle:

The Welsh Lib Dems have declined to comment on the leaked reports made public by Wikileaks and newspapers.

The former MP for Montgomeryshire told BBC Wales that he did not remember having the specific conversation but he agreed with much of the sentiment of it.

Mr Opik said he was “flattered, honoured and proud” to have been connected to the Wikileaks documents.

During the discussion with the diplomat, the Mr Opik is also said to have accused Nick Clegg of initially dismissing one of his ideas and then stealing it.

The confidential cable reporting the conversation was sent in March 2008, the year Mr Opik failed in his bid for the presidency of the Liberal Democrats for a second time.

It says: “In Opik’s view, Clegg has surrounded himself with insiders who carry out his wishes without consulting others, thus allowing Clegg to avoid direct confrontation”.

The memo continues: “Clegg derided one of Opik’s suggestions in front of the Lib Dem cabinet, then adopted it without telling Opik.

“When Opik confronted Clegg about it, Opik says he was immediately whisked away by a Clegg crony who begged him not to make a scene in public.”

Mr Opik told BBC Wales that he believed the Lib Dem leader, who has been deputy prime minister since May, did have to reach out beyond his inner circle and be more sensitive to the wider party.

He added that Mr Clegg should use party figures like himself for advice.

Mr. Clegg has no plans to go into the jungle with a playboy model and several z list celebrities anytime soon.

Liberal Democrats fulfil policy to end child detention

Freedom Central — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:51:58 +0000

Nick Clegg today, made the long awaited announcement that by the first anniversary of the Coalition Agreement, not a single child will be detained. No child is currently in an immigration detention centre and no child will spend this Christmas in an immigration detention centre. The Coalition Government has also announced the reform of our immigration system to make it more family friendly – creating a system that is humane, fair and effective.

In Labour’s last 5 years in office alone the Government locked up 7,075 kids for an average of just under 2 weeks each (12.74 days). That works out at 7 children a day. Last year alone, 1,065 children were locked up by Labour, 173 of whom were locked up for longer than a month.

The Coalition’s Programme for Government stated that ‘we will end the detention of children for immigration purposes.’ This is a policy long-championed by the Liberal Democrats. They were the only party to include this commitment in their manifesto. In an open letter to Gordon Brown in 2009, Nick Clegg wrote: “One of the best ways to judge the moral compass of a nation is how we treat children … How on earth can your government justify what is in effect state-sponsored cruelty?”

Commenting on the announcement by the Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs and Justice, Tom Brake said:

“Today’s announcement marks the fulfilment of an important Liberal Democrat policy: by the first anniversary of the Coalition Agreement not a single child will be detained for immigration purposes.

“Liberal Democrats have finally ended this shameful Labour legacy, who locked up more than 7,000 children in their last five years in office. Many of these children were locked up for more than a month.

“This Christmas, no child will be spending the holidays in a detention centre and this will mark the start of this Government’s overhaul of the immigration system to make it more family friendly, more humane and more effective.”

The American view of Clegg

Myrddin Edwards — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:00:11 +0000

As Julien Assange and his merry men(and women) continue to release leaked US State cables to papers like The Guardian, El Pais, NY Times and Der Spiegel, it has been revealed that the Political Minister Councillor in the US Embassy in the UK sent a cable back to her bosses about Nick Clegg’s foreign policies and a general biography of him.

Here are some of the extracts:

“Clegg, like many Liberal Democrats, is individually articulate, charismatic, and personable. Since taking over the leadership of the Lib Dems, he has become more nuanced and realistic in his approach to domestic and foreign affairs. While he used to focus on Iraq and rendition in Parliament, earning quick applause from his Lib Dem colleagues, he now focuses on domestic issues that matter more to the voting public.

Full cable can be found here

(If Vince Cable were leader, I would have called this blog post Cable’s Cable)