Nick Clegg is getting an almighty beating in the press today. From the cheeky "Sun Cabbie" Grant Davis handing the Lid Dem leader a "secret dossier", after it was revealed in The Sun that Lib Dem advisers told Clegg to be more like David Cameron and leaving a strategy document in the back of a black cab; to the full body attack by Andrew Gilligan in The Daily Telegraph that Clegg has worked with lobby groups in Brussels with a questionable record.
Those who know how the Liberal Democrats operate will understand that despite the image in public of a "friendly and tolerant party" the Lib Dems have no problem using aggressive campaigning methods to slur opponents and to create "mischief".
Now that the microscope is on the Liberal Democrats and their federal European beliefs, and soft policies on drugs, the scrapping of Trident the Conservatives must now step in with a clear message to the electorate that the fight is between 13 years of Labour mismanagement of the economy and the potential of a hung parliament, or a strong Conservative government committed to free market economics, a smaller state, tough on crime and pro-family values.
Cameron ultimately is fighting a losing battle, the Labour party have already won what they set out to do, and that is to make sure that the middle England vote will not go to the Conservatives. The votes of middle England will be going Liberal, effectively handing the Lib-Lab coalition a stab at a realistic chance of governing the country. Simon Heffer said in his recent column of David Cameron: "The whole strategy was based on this foolishness; and on one other: image would be sufficient to win victory" well clearly this is not the case, and that substance and policies will win over the country. No one seemed to realise that the public had seen through such tactics after its experience of Tony Blair."
The Conservatives, if they manage to "blow the election", in the style of Tim Henman at Wimbledon, always good in the qualifiers and to the build up of the finals, but always losing at the finals; will be a major blow to the right of centre of politics in the UK. Cameron must make sure tonight’s performance is effective, backed up with substance, and he must now start fighting dirty. What are all those advisers telling Cameron to do, attack, attack is the only option!
Boy, 17, among dead in Juarez shootoutSeven people -- including six police officers and a 17-year-old boy -- were killed Friday in a noon shootout in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the city's mayor said. Gunmen attacked police with AK-47s, he said.
