Clegg's popularity soars on two fronts
Lib Dem leader's stock rises with voters, while Mandelson concedes possibility of a coalition. Andrew Grice reports
Labour dangled the prospect of a Lib-Lab coalition government in front of Nick Clegg yesterday as a fresh poll showed that the Liberal Democrat leader's personal ratings have soared.
The Conservatives, alarmed by Mr Clegg's triumph in the first televised leaders' debates last week, issued a stark "vote Clegg, get Brown" warning as they tried to halt the Liberal Democrat bandwagon. The Tories will tell voters that backing the Liberal Democrats could result in a hung parliament with Gordon Brown remaining Prime Minister. A YouGov survey in today’s Sun newspaper puts the Liberal Democrats ahead on 33 per cent, the Tories on 32 per cent and Labour trailing on 26 per cent.
A ComRes survey of businessmen for The Independent revealed an improvement in Mr Clegg's standing. The proportion who have confidence in him has doubled from 20 to 41 per cent in the past month. Although he still trails David Cameron (65 per cent), he has surpassed Mr Brown's 28 per cent. The number of businessmen who believe the shadow Chancellor George Osborne "lacks experience" has risen from 78 to a record 80 per cent. The survey of 170 business leaders shows that the number who detect the "green shoots" of economic recovery in their sector has risen sharply in the past month from 49 to 61 per cent.
The economy will take centre stage this week with the publication of official figures on unemployment, inflation, the public finances and growth. Although the number of jobless has fallen in the past three months, ministers have been warned that Wednesday's figures may show a rise.
The Secretary of State for Business said a two-party government would not be so stable without a "big unifying challenge". He named that as constitutional change, urging Liberal Democrat supporters in 100 or so Labour-Tory marginal seats to vote Labour to secure reform of the voting system for Westminster. He predicted, however, that the voters would turn away from their current "flirtation" with Mr Clegg.
Mr Brown adopted a similar two-pronged approach, branding the Liberal Democrats' economic policies "a mistake" but saying he wanted them to join a "progressive consensus". Interviewed on BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show, he tried to head off the "vote Clegg, get Brown" Tory attack by refusing to confirm he would serve a full five-year term in Downing Street.
At a press conference today Mr Brown will try to shift the spotlight to the economy and away from what has been called "Cleggmania". Labour insists the public's main concern is securing the recovery and the Prime Minister will attack over the Tories' decision to halt most of next year's rise in national insurance contributions, arguing that the £6bn of cuts it would require would risk a double-dip recession. The Tories insisted they would be "relentlessly positive" but would attack Liberal Democrat policies on immigration, crime and Europe, while warning that voting for Mr Clegg could keep Mr Brown in No 10. "It comes down to who you want to be prime minister," said one Tory source.
Speaking in Swindon, Mr Cameron said: "If you want to wake up on 7 May and be absolutely certain that you've got new leadership in this country and are not stuck with another five years of Gordon Brown, stuck with dithering and despair and depression, the only way to get that is a decisive Conservative vote."
The Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable was asked if he would serve as Chancellor in the event of a hung parliament. He said he would act "not just in the party's interest but in the national interest", but would demand certain "fundamental economic policies" such as tackling the public deficit and getting banks lending again.
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Comments
I think Clegg's support will now start falling away as their policies come under closer examination.
Of course the origin for the amnesty idea is Boris Johnson, who will be the next tory leader, by about Christmas on current form.
Regards
None Tory voter
So what the hell are you going on about?
This will happen again and again if you go down this road, unless every lorry is checked before leaving foreign ports which will never happen. Once the immigrants are in this country they will just disappear into the background and await the next Lib Dem amnesty, which is exactly what happens in Italy.
The number of illegal immigrants who can PROVE they have been here for ten years must be very few indeed.
Incidentally I have just been looking at a poll carried out on purely Lib Dem supporters yesterday. Over 50% did not know the amnesty was a policy and 49% were against, as opposed to 35% for, it turned out most of them did not have a clue what the Lib Dems policies were, but I guess they thought Nick Clegg had a nice smile.
Don't forget a vote for the Lib Dems should ensure Brown back as PM, what a thought!
As far as an amnesty is concerned, what else can we practically do to remove hundreds of thousands of people from this country apart from send in the troops. A lot of British - and colonial - people fought to free Europe from that kind of opression. By all means get rid of the gangsters, the nutters, the criminals and the drones, but we have no option but to come to an accomodation with decent, hard-working people who are prepared to pay their way, integrate and contribute.
On the other hand if you vote Cameron it is even worse - you get Cameron!
I was always told as a child that you should not get involved in someone else's fight, if you do, it will be you that comes worse off.
That is what Clegg has done, he has moved in between the two main fighters. Watch this week's debate, the poor lad is going to get a battering from Cameron and Brown.
The more they attack him, the more he will look like the one the two old parties are trying to silence.
We should also bulid more Mosques and Arabic speaking schools to help educate people from improverished Muslim countries that the UK have attacked in order to prevent them falling to the extreamists.
Mutli-culturism is here to stay, there is no way to "get rid off" other peoples and cultures that are now entrenched in the UK, you may as well embrace it and let go of your own culture and replace it with the new one, its the only way forward. If you don't like it, move.
Look at the roots of your surname and you'll probably find a Scandinavian, French, German or Eastern European origin.
Now stop whinging about immigration!
I understand that the Liberals want to reform the system to make every vote count (which is dosen't now which could well be why people stop turning out).
Lets hear it loud and clear that the First Past the Post is a corrupt system and is on its way out.
Let the people's vote represent the numbers correctly and see what the turn out is then.
All this talk about Vote for Change when it should be Vote for Reform in every sense of the word.
But the only answer you ever get to "exactly what change?" is "The LibDem Party want proportional representation". Thsnkyou, but we already knew that.
That has zippo to do with addressing the public finances (except in the mind of LibDem theorists desperate to give some sort of response).
At the real-world policy level, the LibDems are unelectable because of their policies.
The LibDems are not a "centre" party. Numerous of their policies are to the left of Labour's. Cable, far from being the right man to address the debt and public spending as he so often claims, in fact has produced the SLOWEST plan of all three parties. He says one thing; his actions are different.
So let's go back to where most of us started this journey. We knew Brown and Labour had to go for mismanaging the economy and overborrowing massively. Only a clear Conservative majority will sort that out. Voting for a second socialist party to cure the problems created by Labour is nonsensical.
Vote Labour = 5 more years of Labour
Vote LibDem = 5 more years of Labour
Vote Conservative = Get Conservative
How exactly are Lib Dem policies unelectable? Creating a more progressive taxation system? Scrapping a ridiculously expensive nuclear weapons system? Promoting green technology? Creating a more liberal and fair society? Creating a more representative electoral system and House of Lords? Adopting a more passive stance in international war mongering?
Pretty electable policies I would say.
At least thats better than the "hidden migrants" who seek to control our money systems, supermarkets, and other assets. They do not pay taxes to support our country because they live elsewhere but still, unvoted for seek to use and control our country and lead us into illegal wars.
Its time we had a party who will stand up to them, and not make themselves rich beyound the dreams of averice out of our people's tiny income.
So in order to give balance and to fully and impartially inform the electorate in the run up to the election, I call on the 'Independant' to publish a few articles on him. I know this isn't a new story, but then neither was Lord Ashcroft.
I shall keep a copy of this text in expectation of it not being published on first posting.
Well done bonzo53 - more of the old bogyman stuff.
getting rattlead are you? Ha Ha
Vote Tory and get Cameron and Osborne
Vote Brown and get beaten up.
Vote Cameron and get something.
However going back to the point , Vince Cable actually made it clear that we need to detect the illegal immigrants first , before deciding on whether they meet the criteria. For example how would David Cameron handle the issue? Would he for instance use the London Metropolitan police tactics of trying to flush illegal immigrants by chance , by believing that they look like terrorists , follow them into an under ground station and bump them off while they sit in the train heading to work , a tactic they used with a certain illegal immigrant from Brazil (Charles De Menezes) ,for instance ? Cameron has no real idea on ho w to deal with ethn iullegal immigrant issue . Ofcourse with eth number of Illegal immigrants from China , it is likely they may create a big enough threat to recommend that we nuke China . But then again we need to ask the logic of david Cameron's reasoning to him .
Cameron did not say China was a bigger threat, he was pointing out that in an unstable world where countries like China continue to have nuclear weapons we should keep ours, engage your brain. China might not be a threat at present but it is no friend of the UK. Oh and the Chinese are only in Tibet for the mineral resources, end of story... not sure what your point is though?
On immigration no party has a decent policy, the Lib Dem one being the most insane. Ask some other countries who have had tried an amnesty what happened... increased immigration.
None of the three will be getting my vote until somebody comes clean about the only important issue in this election, how to reduce the deficit. The Lib Dems and Labour are leading us on the path to an IMF visit (70's anybody) and I have no idea if the Tories have the balls to reduce it. Talking about �10 billion here and there is crap when we are borrowing �168 billion this year alone.
The electorite seem to be in denial about the pain that is coming whoever gets in, I'm just not looking forward to the interest rate spike when the money markets make us squeel when we need to sell our debt for June...
You are not related to Rupert Murdoch or paid by him by any chance are you Stuartc44???? Well ?? Are you ?? Surely you are not going to claim that Nick Clegg did not look more intelligent and articulate than Cameron ? After all does Nick Clegg regard China more of a threat than North Korea? Do You?
Oh and before I forget Chairman Mao did not invade Tibet for the minerals, he was thinking of Millitary advantage,as he believed in world domination (He was a really nasty man you know Stuartc44?, or perhaps you dont? Thats maybe why you are not clear ? I take it you do know that China was invaded under Mao?
Oh and before I forget Chairman Mao did not invade Tibet for the minerals, he was thinking of Millitary advantage,as he believed in world domination (He was a really nasty man you know Stuartc44?, or perhaps you dont? Thats maybe why you are not clear ? I take it you do know that Tibet was invaded under Mao?
A Lib/Lab pact would paralyse the country and cause a run on the pound.
Your 'paralyse the country' and 'run on the pound' comments have no basis in truth whatsoever, they are just very weak assertions to try and scare people into voting for Conservative.
i really don't think that the poor boy knows quite how sinister and devious mandy is;if he doesn't wake up soon, he'll get well shafted
Whilst it is fun to live in history, it is pointless
The Brown money was given for the 2005 General Election and was spent on the 2005 General Election. Money can only be spent once.
Also, he was convicted in 2007. When he donated the money, it was legal and he had no criminal convictions. Do you know how many Conservative donors will be convicted of fraud in 2012?
Rob Saunders
Arrogant or what ? Mandy you are third in the polls you don'y get to pick the cabinet .
Clegg would be barking mad to enter into a deal with labour.
Why do a deal with anyone ? If he does well make constitutional reform the first item on the agenda and a fresh election. Or no deal.
Never believe a Tory or a Nulabour Promise Nick- they will betray you.
Question is who'll lead - Mandy of course with Cleggie led all the way up the garden path.
What will Clegg do to represent the majority voters as he claims he will do ? He should form an alliance with the tories. That would be proper porportional representation.
I would be very upset if the LibDems tainted themselves with the Labour party which sold off our Gold reserves, put a dividend tax on pensions, wasted billions on ill conceived NHS reforms, allowed uncontrolled immigration, and promised to put and end to boom /bust cycle-just look where we are, broke their promise on the EU referendum and to cap it all, despite the expenses debacle, you could still hire a labour minister for a few thousand a day to change government policy.
Power corrupts all political parties, absolute power has absolutly corrupted Labour, they dont deserve a fourth term.
A Tory/Lib dem pact needs a chance to show what it can do.
Rajesh Munglani