Latest post on Left Futures

The Coalition goes nuclear….

Vince Cable certainly got more than he bargained for when he spoke to two Daily Telegraph reporters posing as constituents. He, now infamously, said he had a ‘nuclear option’ which involved walking out of the government and ‘bringing it down’. The first thing that struck me about this story was that even if the Daily Telegraph acted alone, without inspiration then there is clearly a ‘get Vince’ angle. He brought this on himself with his ridiculous hokey-cokey over the fees vote.

It’s quite clear to me that senior Conservatives want rid of Cable now with him having proved his unreliability. Even before the fees issue, remember the furore surrounding his ‘Marxist’ comments to the Lib Dem conference? Furthermore, the right and restive and on the move and it scents blood.  More will follow from the Telegraph; and meanwhile Conservative Home is developing as the focal point of opposition to the government within the Conservatives.  It has forced a complete retreat on Cameron’s plans to not effectively campaign at all in Oldham East and Saddleworth and is launching a broad spectrum ideological assault on both the Cameroons and their Liberal Democrat allies in the name of ‘mainstream conservatism’

Behind closed doors the Coalition is slowly going nuclear much earlier than expected. Serious resistance on the streets emerging to this governments ideological attacks will only make the internal contradictions more combustible. It is therefore my calculation that neither Cameron or in particular Clegg can afford to get rid of Cable. He may lack credibility in the wider country as a powerful opposing voice but he is beloved in the Liberal Democrats and his dismissal would heighten agitation with the situation within the Liberal Democrats. I don’t think Cable could bring the government down but he could end Nick Clegg’s tenure as Liberal Democrat leader. Clegg is already facing a motion of no-confidence at the Liberal Democrats annual conference; a motion that may well succeed if the electoral massacre in May is also coupled with defeat for AV.

With Clegg gone the Liberal Democrats would become even more unreliable and its just possible Cameron will be backed into a corner by critics within his own Party who are itching for a chance to go to the country and have a straight fight with Labour in which there will only be two outcomes; the death of opposition or the glory of governing alone and no longer being dictated by the need to grant concessions to the Liberal Democrats. All of this should be music to Labour ears accept for the fact we have our own quite severe problems and are obviously not in a position to govern; let alone change society along the lines demanded by the crash. If we were elected now it may well tear the Party in two….however, we may not have much choice because even without our intervention the pace of events is quickening.

2 Comments

  1. Steve Kelly says:

    Although personally I would like to see an election tomorrow (well the New Year lol) I do think kindling has begun with this joke of a Government. The bonfire will start to rage in May after the Lib Dems defeat.

    However Labour can’t afford to start wasting time. While I agree we have problems and need to look at developing new policies, we still need to be able to offer the people something they can cling to if a snap election is called.

  2. Darrell says:

    @Steve,

    I think it will start sooner; in March depending on the size and the militancy of the TUC demo but yes your right. Its only just begun.

    We do indeed…we cant just bank on the government lasting five years.

© 2024 Left Futures | Powered by WordPress | theme originated from PrimePress by Ravi Varma