Nick is sorry...

[Kizzy]

Look at his sad face, shall we forgive him?...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/video/2012/sep/20/nick-clegg-apology-tuition-fees-video

[Brother Leon]

I wish him pain and failure in his political career.

[Cherie]

How much more humilation can one man heap upon himself. He really will do ANYTHING to stay in power.

[joeysteele]

His apology is over 2 years too late, he has at last heard that people on his Councillors doorsteps are still moaning about this,
There are loads of other things he has to apologise for too, not just this issue.

Coalition Govt should be about compromise,the Lib Dems warned the Conservatives would if they got an overall majority at least double tuition fees, his party would never support that, also that his policy was to abolish the fees altogether.

Where in any sense of the word is there any compromise in then voting to support the trebling of tuition fees.
Students before the increase could expect to have to pay just over half of a years salary back when eligible to do so.
Under this new level, they will have to pay nearer a year and a quarters salary back when eligible.

He is a total hypocrite and now as we move well and truly into the last expected half of this miserable coalitions existence he decides to now say sorry after spending the last year or so ging on about how it is time to move on from the tuition fees saga.

For a few miserable Ministerial positions and to be able to say the Lib Dems had shared power after so long,also with for himself a title of Deputy PM that the Conservatives had no intention of having anyway, they don't now even have a Deputy Leader.(William Hague would have deputised for David Cameron). He allowed the principles of the Lib Dems to be near completely sold out and abandoned.
He has allowed a hard hammer to be taken to the weakest,poorest and most vulnerable in society so this apology to me is meaningless.

His party will be hammered at the next election, he,if he doesn't lose his seat,will resign from it soon after and head off to a handsomely paid job in Europe.
Good riddance to him for me and I hope re-runs of the last election are regularly shown to the voters at the next election to remind them of the false and meaningless staements that the Lib Dems under Clegg will say.

Under Clegg,the Lib Dems have little or no credibility left,his apology is as much baloney as his promises are.
(Yes for my sins I trusted and voted for him last time, never ever again though).

[Kizzy]

I agree i bet he rues the day he went back on that promise, trebbling them is unforgivable he knows that.
He made a point of saying that labour would have done it too..But would they? without the backing of the tutors unions who were against the fee hike?..Sorry nick you sold your soul to the devil imo.

[Cherie]

His apology is over 2 years too late, he has at last heard that people on his Councillors doorsteps are still moaning about this,
There are loads of other things he has to apologise for too, not just this issue.

Coalition Govt should be about compromise,the Lib Dems warned the Conservatives would if they got an overall majority at least double tuition fees, his party would never support that, also that his policy was to abolish the fees altogether.

Where in any sense of the word is there any compromise in then voting to support the trebling of tuition fees.
Students before the increase could expect to have to pay just over half of a years salary back when eligible to do so.
Under this new level, they will have to pay nearer a year and a quarters salary back when eligible.

He is a total hypocrite and now as we move well and truly into the last expected half of this miserable coalitions existence he decides to now say sorry after spending the last year or so ging on about how it is time to move on from the tuition fees saga.

For a few miserable Ministerial positions and to be able to say the Lib Dems had shared power after so long,also with for himself a title of Deputy PM that the Conservatives had no intention of having anyway, they don't now even have a Deputy Leader.(William Hague would have deputised for David Cameron). He allowed the principles of the Lib Dems to be near completely sold out and abandoned.
He has allowed a hard hammer to be taken to the weakest,poorest and most vulnerable in society so this apology to me is meaningless.

His party will be hammered at the next election, he,if he doesn't lose his seat,will resign from it soon after and head off to a handsomely paid job in Europe.
Good riddance to him for me and I hope re-runs of the last election are regularly shown to the voters at the next election to remind them of the false and meaningless staements that the Lib Dems under Clegg will say.

Under Clegg,the Lib Dems have little or no credibility left,his apology is as much baloney as his promises are.
(Yes for my sins I trusted and voted for him last time, never ever again though).

Me too, mainly because he came out with the most credit from the televised debates ...I wont be caught again:blush:

[arista]

8iN6-Oev6Po

[Redway]

His apology is over 2 years too late, he has at last heard that people on his Councillors doorsteps are still moaning about this,
There are loads of other things he has to apologise for too, not just this issue.

Coalition Govt should be about compromise,the Lib Dems warned the Conservatives would if they got an overall majority at least double tuition fees, his party would never support that, also that his policy was to abolish the fees altogether.

Where in any sense of the word is there any compromise in then voting to support the trebling of tuition fees.
Students before the increase could expect to have to pay just over half of a years salary back when eligible to do so.
Under this new level, they will have to pay nearer a year and a quarters salary back when eligible.

He is a total hypocrite and now as we move well and truly into the last expected half of this miserable coalitions existence he decides to now say sorry after spending the last year or so ging on about how it is time to move on from the tuition fees saga.

For a few miserable Ministerial positions and to be able to say the Lib Dems had shared power after so long,also with for himself a title of Deputy PM that the Conservatives had no intention of having anyway, they don't now even have a Deputy Leader.(William Hague would have deputised for David Cameron). He allowed the principles of the Lib Dems to be near completely sold out and abandoned.
He has allowed a hard hammer to be taken to the weakest,poorest and most vulnerable in society so this apology to me is meaningless.

His party will be hammered at the next election, he,if he doesn't lose his seat,will resign from it soon after and head off to a handsomely paid job in Europe.
Good riddance to him for me and I hope re-runs of the last election are regularly shown to the voters at the next election to remind them of the false and meaningless staements that the Lib Dems under Clegg will say.

Under Clegg,the Lib Dems have little or no credibility left,his apology is as much baloney as his promises are.
(Yes for my sins I trusted and voted for him last time, never ever again though).

Yeah, this.

[fruit_cake]

well in fairness at least he admits he made a mistake.

[Kizzy]

8iN6-Oev6Po

I believe him now! hahahaha

[fruit_cake]

looks like Nicks been putting on quite a bit of weight lately

[Marcus.]

he got himself into this he get himself out

[arista]

I believe him now! hahahaha


Yes great song

[Livia]

Local elections next May. The LibDems have lost a lot of support. Their campaign is starting now, I see.

[Kizzy]

looks like Nicks been putting on quite a bit of weight lately

The power has gone straight to his thighs....

[joeysteele]

What an absolute desperate clown.
Very fitting that the video makes him look exactly what he has reduced his party to, a total joke,(as his apology is too).

[Kizzy]

Can't see dave doing much better thankfully.

[Livia]

What an absolute desperate clown.
Very fitting that the video makes him look exactly what he has reduced his party to, a total joke,(as his apology is too).

I hear he gave permission for the musical version, with proceeds going to a children's hospital. Of course, that doesn't sound like his PR thought it up, or anything.

[joeysteele]

I hear he gave permission for the musical version, with proceeds going to a children's hospital. Of course, that doesn't sound like his PR thought it up, or anything.

Well, that's the only decent thing to come out of this for me then, that any proceeds does go to a Children's Hospital in his constituency.
The one and only decent thing he's done for them since the last election.

[Kizzy]

Still more than cameron has done...I don't see him apologising for his 'austerity' measures (whilst he is quaffing fine wine following his summer break) do you?

[joeysteele]

With fullest respct to David Cameron and the Conservatives though, they said they would set out to do these austerity measures, they are not doing anything they said they wouldn't except for the NHS across the board reforms.

I have no argument with parties keeping their promises,even if some of the means and policies they use are not to my liking at all but I take massive offence at parties who virtually rip up their manifestos and disregard really firm promises after getting people to trust them and vote for them,just to have a period in power.

There are many things I agreed with the Conservatives on,as I did Labour too.
I disagreed with the Conservatives as to the format for their reforms but reforms had to be made,I agree with them on that.
I had my concerns though that they would not have compassion and be fair reforms which is why I didn't vote for them.
I haven't liked the means used to do many of those reforms and measures from this coalition taking office but unlike the Lib Dems, the Conservatives have at least set out to do what they said they would.

[Kizzy]

With fullest respct to David Cameron and the Conservatives though, they said they would set out to do these austerity measures, they are not doing anything they said they wouldn't except for the NHS across the board reforms.

I have no argument with parties keeping their promises,even if some of the means and policies they use are not to my liking at all but I take massive offence at parties who virtually rip up their manifestos and disregard really firm promises after getting people to trust them and vote for them,just to have a period in power.

There are many things I agreed with the Conservatives on,as I did Labour too.
I disagreed with the Conservatives as to the format for their reforms but reforms had to be made,I agree with them on that.
I had my concerns though that they would not have compassion and be fair reforms which is why I didn't vote for them.
I haven't liked the means used to do many of those reforms and measures from this coalition taking office but unlike the Lib Dems, the Conservatives have at least set out to do what they said they would.

Thats a pretty big lie then...As they have done nothing for the NHS and are grinding it into the ground.
Nick has held his hands up on his failing...But its too little too late.
Remember too that during 'austerity' cameron gave some people a tax break...Was it your average joe?....no.

[joeysteele]

It's a separate issue the NHS as no party had across the board reforms in their manifestos as to doing so, I however am really disgruntled with the reforms of the NHS, I have family who work in the NHS, from Doctors to Nurses who hate and detest the reforms being made.
It is the issue where for me,at the next election the Conservatives will not be trusted with it and will therefore lose that election.

How did they get the NHS reforms through in the first place though,only with the support of Nick Clegg and his Lib Dems, who also argued very strongly against any across the board NHS reforms.
None of the reforms could have taken place without the support in Parliament of Clegg and the Lib Dems, another good reason to cast the Lib Dems into a political abyss for a few decades at least.

[Kizzy]

It's a separate issue the NHS as no party had across the board reforms in their manifestos as to doing so, I however am really disgruntled with the reforms of the NHS, I have family who work in the NHS, from Doctors to Nurses who hate and detest the reforms being made.
It is the issue where for me,at the next election the Conservatives will not be trusted with it and will therefore lose that election.

How did they get the NHS reforms through in the first place though,only with the support of Nick Clegg and his Lib Dems, who also argued very strongly against any across the board NHS reforms.
None of the reforms could have taken place without the support in Parliament of Clegg and the Lib Dems, another good reason to cast the Lib Dems into a political abyss for a few decades at least.

Why is it a separate issue?
It would have been very interesting to be a fly on the wall during the decision making process, which policies were supported or shelved from both parties... The lib dems do seem to have come off very badly from this and I can just see the tories emerging unscathed, it makes me sick.

[joeysteele]

Why is it a separate issue?
It would have been very interesting to be a fly on the wall during the decision making process, which policies were supported or shelved from both parties... The lib dems do seem to have come off very badly from this and I can just see the tories emerging unscathed, it makes me sick.

I would think it obvious how the NHS is a separate issue because not one of the main parties,or in fact any other party in the UK claimed to have any plan to reform across the board the NHS in their manifestos so therefore never presented same to the electorate.

Unlike other policies such as cuts being made in the first year, Labour and Lib Dems against,Conservatives for.
Tuition fees, Labour leaving them as they were, Lib Dems wanting to abolish them, Conservatives planning to at least double them.
VAT increase, Libe Dems against, Labour mo plans to raise it, Conservaives likely to raise it.

Even the welfare and benefit reforms have gone much further than is acceptable in my view as to all I am learning about them, they lack compassion, undersatnding and fairness in many areas.
Another back step on fairness especially to the bedroom tax from the Lib Dems again.

How any reform, not in any part's manifesto, as the NHS reforms were not, can then become part of a coalition agreement when having been never presented to the voters at the election is beyond me but for the Lib Dems then to have supported those NHS reforms in spite of that is utterly beyond belief.

I raised the NHS because it is one other thing on a long list of policies they have supported in Parliament that they will be judged massively wrong for doing so and that they should also be apologising for.
It is the message that the Parliamentary Lib Dems are getting even from their own Councillors now,up and down the Nation, that has prompted this apology from Clegg, for over a year he has arrogantly stated it is time for them and the voters to move on from the tuition fees issue.

Now he claims to be apologising for it near 2 years on.
Clegg is worried,not sorry,he is likely to go down as the worst Liberal,(whatever), leader since before the war and he knows that, his party has known it for well over 18 months now.

I do agree that it is the coalition agreement that was wrong, this was the best chance ever since long before the war for the Lib Dems to get much more say and ring moderation and compassion to policies.
The Conservatives failed badly to get an overall majority in an election they should have walked in from, a discredited Labour Govt and a PM who made gaffe after gaffe.
They didn't walk in though they fell well short,the Lib Dems had enormous power there for their taking.
However,in order to get Lords reform and at least an AV voting system via referendum,they moved right back from their bargaining position and agreed to some unbelievable aspects of Conservative policy that were a world away from what they themselves believed in.

I keep saying it but tuition fees is the greatest example of that, how they can call a compromise of wanting to abolish tuition fees as opposed to the other party wanting to at least double them and then agree to support to treble them is unbelievable and has no sensible reasoning to it whatsoever.
Even to get some people taken out of paying tax altogether,they had to agree to a 10% cut in the 50p tax rate,also something they bitterly opposed.

Unbelievable from a party that was,by the voters, put into a position where no other party could have governed securely without their support.
Failing to deliver their principles and right and fair policies in such a scenario is failure in the highest degree.

Back to the NHS,which I believe is now an issue that will lead to even the Lib Dems not being seen as being able to be trusted with it either.
The NHS reforms will bring massive problems to the NHS, they were wrong to be planned without another election and the Lib Dems were 100% out of order to even entertain the idea of them, never mind support them. That's my view anyway.

[Kizzy]

I would think it obvious how the NHS is a separate issue because not one of the main parties,or in fact any other party in the UK claimed to have any plan to reform across the board the NHS in their manifestos so therefore never presented same to the electorate.

Unlike other policies such as cuts being made in the first year, Labour and Lib Dems against,Conservatives for.
Tuition fees, Labour leaving them as they were, Lib Dems wanting to abolish them, Conservatives planning to at least double them.
VAT increase, Libe Dems against, Labour mo plans to raise it, Conservaives likely to raise it.

Even the welfare and benefit reforms have gone much further than is acceptable in my view as to all I am learning about them, they lack compassion, undersatnding and fairness in many areas.
Another back step on fairness especially to the bedroom tax from the Lib Dems again.

How any reform, not in any part's manifesto, as the NHS reforms were not, can then become part of a coalition agreement when having been never presented to the voters at the election is beyond me but for the Lib Dems then to have supported those NHS reforms in spite of that is utterly beyond belief.

I raised the NHS because it is one other thing on a long list of policies they have supported in Parliament that they will be judged massively wrong for doing so and that they should also be apologising for.
It is the message that the Parliamentary Lib Dems are getting even from their own Councillors now,up and down the Nation, that has prompted this apology from Clegg, for over a year he has arrogantly stated it is time for them and the voters to move on from the tuition fees issue.

Now he claims to be apologising for it near 2 years on.
Clegg is worried,not sorry,he is likely to go down as the worst Liberal,(whatever), leader since before the war and he knows that, his party has known it for well over 18 months now.

I do agree that it is the coalition agreement that was wrong, this was the best chance ever since long before the war for the Lib Dems to get much more say and ring moderation and compassion to policies.
The Conservatives failed badly to get an overall majority in an election they should have walked in from, a discredited Labour Govt and a PM who made gaffe after gaffe.
They didn't walk in though they fell well short,the Lib Dems had enormous power there for their taking.
However,in order to get Lords reform and at least an AV voting system via referendum,they moved right back from their bargaining position and agreed to some unbelievable aspects of Conservative policy that were a world away from what they themselves believed in.

I keep saying it but tuition fees is the greatest example of that, how they can call a compromise of wanting to abolish tuition fees as opposed to the other party wanting to at least double them and then agree to support to treble them is unbelievable and has no sensible reasoning to it whatsoever.
Even to get some people taken out of paying tax altogether,they had to agree to a 10% cut in the 50p tax rate,also something they bitterly opposed.

Unbelievable from a party that was,by the voters, put into a position where no other party could have governed securely without their support.
Failing to deliver their principles and right and fair policies in such a scenario is failure in the highest degree.

Back to the NHS,which I believe is now an issue that will lead to even the Lib Dems not being seen as being able to be trusted with it either.
The NHS reforms will bring massive problems to the NHS, they were wrong to be planned without another election and the Lib Dems were 100% out of order to even entertain the idea of them, never mind support them. That's my view anyway.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/party-policy/7157995/Health-Policy-General-Election-2010.html#conservative
QUOTE:
'' Opening up the NHS to new independent and voluntary sector providers''

Well we can't say we were not warned at least.

It is unfair to suggest that the Libdems are a pushover, I think they are anything but. They do seem to have a hard time however defending the country against the political steamroller that is the tory party.
The Labour party have stuck the knife in following his apology, as it is like you say too little too late.
With an initial 19% 0f the cabinet ministers you would have thought he could do more...
God knows we all collectively willed it haha.

[joeysteele]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/party-policy/7157995/Health-Policy-General-Election-2010.html#conservative
QUOTE:
'' Opening up the NHS to new independent and voluntary sector providers''

Well we can't say we were not warned at least.

It is unfair to suggest that the Libdems are a pushover, I think they are anything but. They do seem to have a hard time however defending the country against the political steamroller that is the tory party.
The Labour party have stuck the knife in following his apology, as it is like you say too little too late.
With an initial 19% 0f the cabinet ministers you would have thought he could do more...
God knows we all collectively willed it haha.

I take your point at the start completely, despite the Conservatives stating they had no plans to make across the board reforms of the NHS,I had my doubts, I have a Cousin who is a Doctor in the NHS, he described the NHS as on its knees by 1997.
It was one of the resons I could not bring myself to vote Conservative in 2010.

I did however, hope for a great deal more from the Coalition, I supported the formation of it but hoped to see massive,not token compromises from both parties.
I hoped for more consensus, more compassion, just and fairer policies although I expected to be fair to both, little in the way of any good news for at least 3 to 4 years.

I see virtually no compassion,or many just and fair policies either as we are now halfway through and still more rotten and in my view,many more near heartless and totally unfair policies towards the weakest and most vulnerable in society still to come in the next 18 months.
They have lost me for sure,Coalition Govt has not worked, the deficit will be nowhere near all gone by 2015 as was the main aim of this Coalition,in fact after reducing it by something like 25% only in 2 years,it is in fact, to all reports, rising again.

I really do near believe now Labour needs to do or say very little to win next time,I even doubt they would need the Lib Dems at all.
The reason only 36% supported the Conservatives in 2010,in my view,was becasue they feared the more extreme and sledgehammer polices towards certian sections of society.
I hoped when they failed to get a mandate for their policies that they would moderate them greatly and that the Lib Dems would ensure that in fact happened.
Apart from token gestures,that hasn't happened at all.

I rarely if ever agree with Harriett Har(person)man,she does however seemingly make a good point as to this apology though, that I already hear a great number agreeing with.
She said something that went like, far from being the brake on the Conservatives the Lib Dems became their accomplices.
For Nick Clegg, I do almost believe that will be his political epitaph.

[Marc]

Why was he even backed in the first place... :bored:

[joeysteele]

Why was he even backed in the first place... :bored:

He won a great number of Student votes for his determined stand not to vote for any increase in tuition fees.
That's his worry now the big loss of the Student votes.

The voters had doubts as to the Conservatives, not believeing they had lost the nasty element to them really.
Labour was in chaos in 2010.

In the leaders debates, Clegg said near everything in the main that people wanted to hear and could have happily lived with after the election.
Being so sick of the last 30 years of both Conservative and Labour strong rule,he struck a chord with the voters.

His point after the expenses scandal whereby he said this election had to be about telling people the truth and sticking to promises to restore confidence and trust in Politicians again rang clear to many voters.

The sad thing is he did the total opposite of all he appeared to believe in and stand for in the 2010 election once he had the chance of sharing power for a time and he took his party down that same road to what I believe now will be a political abyss for the Lib Dems for a good few elections to come.

[Marc]

silly students :bored:

[Pyramid*]

silly students :bored:


Which does beg the question: how many of those students - and all others those who cast their votes his way - now realise that what was said and promised, to lure in the votes: is a world away from what the reality is when they are in power and have to come across with the goodies they promised - and fail miserably at. Do they regret being lulled into such a false sense of security now that it's all coming to fruition?

And I say that, knowing that it will also apply to most other parties also but this lot are way out in front as far as my recollection of false promisesand back tracking is concerned. People weren't happy when the Conservatives were in power. Then they weren't happy when it was Labour: now there's a coalition - still not happy.

Makes you wonder where the real answer lies.

[joeysteele]

silly students :bored:

In hindsight,that is right, I was one of them.

However a great many voters from Students families and also future Students families also gave him their support because of the tuition fees pledge.
A massive amount of votes to lose for the future.

[bbfan1991]

Funny song:joker:.

Tbh Labour are being made out that they can save everyone from the big bad coalition again when ALL the politicial parties are as bad as each other and have paid a big part in messing up this country.

None of them cannot be trusted at all!

[Pyramid*]

Funny song:joker:.

Tbh Labour are being made out that they can save everyone from the big bad coalition again when ALL the politicial parties are as bad as each other and have paid a big part in messing up this country.

None of them cannot be trusted at all!

I'd agree with the latter part: and let's be honest: it's not until any new government in put in place: that they get to see the 'real truth' as to what they have inherited from the last one: which I don't doubt for one second, massively impacts on any 'promises' they perhaps genuinely did want to bring into play.

[bbfan1991]

They always like the shifting the blame strategies.

Conservatives will argue that Labour had a long stint in power and look what state we got into before they took over and Labour will argue that the Tories are to blame this, that and the other along with the Lib Dems so the needs of the people are being put to one side, sadly.

[joeysteele]

They always like the shifting the blame strategies.

Conservatives will argue that Labour had a long stint in power and look what state we got into before they took over and Labour will argue that the Tories are to blame this, that and the other along with the Lib Dems so the needs of the people are being put to one side, sadly.

I personally don't hold with this they didn't know the real situation until they get into power thing, policies and promises cannot be made worthless because things are worse than you believed they were.
Policies should be planned with an expectation of the worst.

I take your point in your first post where you said none could be trusted, in likely fact, that was what the voters thought in 2010 too.
Following 18 years of unbroken strong Conservative rule then 13 years of unbroken Labour strong rule too.
It's likely why neither Labour or the Conservatives won the election,only led it.
Not therefore getting a clear mandate to implement those policies.

I hoped for the Coalition to accept that verdict from the voters and set out to be as fully consensus in debating what policies were kept as part of the coalition agreement and also as to how more moderate those policies became.
Sadly that has not happened at all.

So the Country now knows this coalition is not the answer either.
Voters are then,in my view, left with a hobson's choice in 2015.
With all the measures still to come in next year and through 2014, I can however only see this lot being turfed out for the massive lack of compassion in the policies enacted.
Not to mention its failure as to the deficit.

[Pyramid*]

They always like the shifting the blame strategies.

Conservatives will argue that Labour had a long stint in power and look what state we got into before they took over and Labour will argue that the Tories are to blame this, that and the other along with the Lib Dems so the needs of the people are being put to one side, sadly.


the thing is: 'we' (the every day punter) will never be in a position to say otherwise: but this is one area that I do feel any new government going into power has to face: the reality of what the previous one left behind: and I'm pretty sure regardless of which party: there will be hidden horrors that probably sink the hearts of any newly elected government. That I don't doubt for a second.