Did anyone see Danny Alexander be a big boy and stand up to those nasty Opposition men in Parliament? Och, didn't he do well! I'm surprised he manage to stand at all, what with his lack of spine and/or genitals.
Harsh? Possibly. But in my opinion it is valid, although maybe not in as crude a way as I had put it. I think it's just because what he has become is the principally the exact opposite of what he and his party used to represent. The cuts that he announced, and more importantly when they will be cut, were not what many Liberals voted for. I doubt many will vote Liberal Democrats again. The shift in political ideology has happened far too easily, along with many other key Liberal policies, most notably Trident and nuclear power. Cutting funds for a hospital surely breaks the promise of protecting the front line I would have guessed?
Watching him announce these "austerity" cuts was just a bit embarrassing, for both the viewer and, one fears, Alexander himself. The way he rolled through the list of cuts struck an image of a geek announcing how many girls he has pulled. This simile comes to mind as it's impact was one of both surprise and shock. Suspending funds for the Health Research Support Service? May as well of said he "got off" with Jenny round the back of the bike sheds when he was 14. Nobody really knew he had it in him, is the point I'm trying to get at here.The sad thing is I should be proud of Alexander, a former pupil of my High School. Yet all I can think is that Charles Kennedy, another former pupil of Lochaber High School (my Dad's year at school, just saying) could destroy Alexander in a debate, yet won't have a chance because of principal and his past. Danny Alexander would be food and drink for Kennedy. Well, maybe not drink....
I suppose the biggest irony is that, in canvassing as the voice of "New Politics" during the election, the actions of the Liberal Democrats since then has effectively meant a return to two-party politics. As Liam Byrne said, "In five minutes this afternoon you have reversed three years of Liberal Democratic policy of which you were the principal author. What a moment of abject humiliation."
How very true.
DC
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To be honest, much as I admire David Laws, I feel the cuts may feel just that little bit less harsh coming from someone not as self-confident and seen as "right-wing".
ReplyDeleteDisgusting to quote that slimeball Byrne, he's a vicious toad who still cannot explain where the £44 billion cuts he and Darling put into the budget would actually fall.
That was kind of the point of the blog tbh. Part of me would prefer a Conservative to be announcing these cuts, it was them who proposed them after all. Just seeing a "Liberal" like Alexander just made me feel a bit ill, as it was exactly what they disagreed with.
ReplyDeleteAs for Liam Byrne, or the "vicious toad" as you put, I agree that he far from a saint. After all, the note he left was a metaphor of Labour's reckless spending. I just felt what he said echoed my feelings towards this new conservatism amongst the minor partner of the coalition.