It is clearly great news that a Liberal Democrat Councillor in Manchester has resigned days after Nick Clegg becomes leader and defects to the Conservatives. David Cameron's appearance to welcome him into the party shows how seriously we are taking both such northern cities and also poaching of LibDems.
Nick Clegg must have been fuming into his cornflakes this morning. Quite frankly he could have done with a defection at the start of his leadership (he may well still have one tucked away somewhere, but that card should have been played by now) but to lose a Councillor from Manchester like this is very embarrasing to him.
Cameron starts the year well (the NHS speech was very good too) and has laid down a marker that he is not willing to ceed ground to Clegg at all.
Regular readers will know I am generally sceptical about defectors, but this one says a lot about Cameron, Clegg and the political battle ahead.
2 comments:
I think Clegg was impressive rallying against ID cards, but when I heard him say education needed a good shake down, I thought typical. Why don't political parties leave the education rugger ball alone. Just put the cash up, say whats required for the next ten years and let teachers do what they are best at?
Why not ruffle adult education feathers for the lesser educated, dysfunctional and inarticulate parents (in so NU Labour dubbed "deprived areas") of low acheiving/ behaviourally challenged kids, with good doses of parenting alongside quantum engineering?
Maybe the defector just wanted to try his hand at politics.
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