The Ryder Cup lesson for Clegg?

With Europe's last minute come back from the dead to win the Ryder Cup one cannot help thinking perhaps it's not Paddy Ashdown Clegg needs to captain his 2015 election campaign team - it's José María Olazábal...

Remembering Keith Floyd

Keith Floyd's funeral was three years ago today.  Floyd was a punk chef - mates with the Stranglers - and his posh demenour betrayed his humble origins.  Which is probably why he was able to get on and annoy with equal measure a wide variety of people.

But he was a genius - and the man who taught me to cook - or at least throw ingredients in a pot while having a 'slurp'.  Here he is at his best - exploring artisan cuisine in humble surroundings (in the black country)...

On his death the other punk chef Marco Pierre White said, "The thing which is very sad is a little piece of Britain today died which will never be replaced. He was a beautiful man, his ability to inspire people to cook just with his words and the way he did things was extraordinary. If you look at TV chefs today they don't have his magic. It's a very, very, very sad day for my industry and secondly for a nation."

Friday favourite 78

APB are a band from Ellon, Aberdeenshire who formed in 1979.  I was recently reminded of their existence by a chum from university on Facebook.  Anyway, they are still going and have an album out available here.

One assumes the Red Hot Chillie Peppers are fans:

Clegg's Cornish pasty conference speech

There's an old saying about budgets that prove popular on the day, become unpopular in time.  And that was certainly true of this year's offering - shredding the credibilty of the Chancellor with every Cornish pasty sold in bakeries.  Sadly, the various economic and presentational gaffes also meant that its one big liberal success - the increasing of the personal allowance - was buried in an avalanche of negative headlines.

It looks like the same unravelling could be happening with Wednesday's Clegg speech.  Lord Bonker's estimable confidant - Jonathan Calder - being the first to break cover with some measured (and valid) criticisms of Clegg's position.

My problem with the speech was that the dead hand of the world's worst political strategist - Richard Reeves -  was clearly behind it.  Clegg's view is still there are votes to be gained by being 'a party of government' - despite the idea being tested to destruction by the last two and half years of coalition.

Clegg's assertion that, "...The past is gone and it isn’t coming back. If voters want a party of opposition – a “stop the world I want to get off” party – they’ve got plenty of options, but we are not one of them..." conveniently ignores the long term political dissillusionment with party politics - and particularly governments.

In 1951 the two 'parties of government' got 95% of all the votes cast in the UK - in 2010 it was just 65%.  Clegg now wants the party to ignore this growing third of the electorate, in favour of focussing on a shrinking two thirds of the electorate - many of whom have long held partisan loyalties.

It's a crazy strategy.  Many of the people who voted Lib Dem in 2010 (and before) didn't want to 'stop the world' - they wanted a strong Liberal voice to speak up for them in government.  They wanted to take on the vested interests - in politics, business, the media and organised labour - who are responsible for the economic and political crisis in this country.

The reason why these voters have turned against the Lib Dems is that they appear to have joined the vested interests instead of attacking them from a position of power.  Unless Clegg sees the error of his ways they will find other - no doubt more illiberal voices - to take up the mantle of fighting for the little guy against the powerful.

Edit 29.9.12 - the ever excellent Andrew Page has also waded into the debate in similar terms.

Lembit Opik for Richmond Park?

Now Lembit Opik is not a man who takes himself particularly seriously - even if that is still more seriously than the rest of us.  But what to make of his claim that he now wants to be the Lib Dem candidate for the marginal seat of Richmond Park?

He was certainly happy to promote the idea to anyone that would listen in Brighton.  But the prospect (however unlikely) of  him matching up against Zac Goldsmith and his well oiled negative campaign machine really wouldn't fill me with a lot of hope for Lib Dem prospects.

Some conference reflections...

Just returned from a couple of days in Brighton where it was good to catch up with some old friends.  The biggest talking point was not in fact the future of Nick Clegg but the appalling weather.

But the conference was noticeable for the extremely high ratio of non-representative to representatives - either an indication of the party's decline in membership or the attraction of commerce to lobbying ministers.

 

The sight that greeted you on arrival at Brighton station - an advert for an appropriately named play at the Theatre Royale

The angry sea and remains of the West Pier from the Brighton Centre

Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander, speaks in the dark at the Infrastructure Alliance fringe meeting after the venue turned off the lights!

Friday favourite 77

With the European competition commissioner's green light for the take over of EMI there really is no alternative (as it were)...

Lib Dems should back Martin Lewis' campaign

The ever excellent MoneySavingExpert - Martin Lewis - has launched a campaign to rename student loans - graduate contributions.  For two years he has been trying to explain the new student finance system and keeps coming across young people who are being put off university becauseof fears of going into debt.

Martin Lewis says of the new system: 

"Labour and the National Union of Students (NUS) on the other hand want a graduate tax. Frankly, in reality, that’s close to what we have now, as the repayments are more like a tax than a loan."

Perhaps if Clegg and the Parliamentary party had been a bit more bullish about the changes - instead of the defensive dithering that ended up with Clegg's mea culpa - then Lewis' campaign would be unneccessary.

But Lewis is right - the name is important - and a formal change to 'graduate contribution' should be made as soon as possible.  Over to you Vince.

Clegg's mea culpa...

Hot off the (email) presses:

 

Hmmmmm.

'Shock' as team 14 places below opponent loses cup tie

Rangers made a shock exit in the Ramsdens Cup say the beeb. 

The last time I looked Queen of the South were top of division 2 and Rangers were 4th in division 3 - a mere 14 places below.