RADICALE HAIRY SHIRTS How will the Liberal Demoerats present arguments about cutting publie spending at the general election? This is a conundram bein. wrested with, since sounding Loo gung: Aho about tuts does the reverse double of making the party sound indistinguishable from the Tories while offering the electorate no cause for optimism (blood, sweat and tears only works in wartime as 1 political platform) Nick Clegg’s ‘savage cuts’ line was hastily and rightly junked at conference (Liberator 336), but what, will replace it? ‘Attendees at the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors’ Kickstart weekend in Bir gham in late November were startled hy polling evidence presented by campaigns director Hilary Stephenson, which appeared to some to argue that voters wanted chi the Tories represented ‘change’, therefore the Lib Dems shauld not attack the Tories. If this were what she meant, sk would be bit awkward for Lib Dem MPs facing challenges from Tasie: chancellor Vince Cable dtr ets rnd at othe nee, But shad ns sometimes avgued that 0 how will he squire this eirvle, in particular withot sounding close fa the politically tosic dump that is the Labour Party? One MP told Liberator: “Vinee ix attacking the Tories on the ground that they are proposing (a cut public spending too early and will restart the recession eA pat the emerging Jine is also (o attark them on the ground that their cuts will be unfair, that they will favour the very wealthy and kick those whe depend on public serviees in the teeth, “There is understandable anxiety about hein seen to have anything to do with Labour, het Stink of rotting flesh will attach to anyone who 4s Anywhere near it, but that does not mean that. we will restrain ourselves in attacking the Tories.” Annther said there was “some feeling that we ar 2409 hair shirt in going further than the other two parties in apevitying exactly where cuts could fal. The Hleetorate any they nceept the need for euts ~ but not one they realise that it could affect them. “Bven at its highest, the debt-to-GDP ratio will yeach about 70 to 80%, whieh is actually ‘normal for many leading Europesin countries such as Germany.” Perhaps the MPs’ awayday in mid-December could have provided an opportunity to thrash all this out and avoid the confusion aver poliey seen at Bournemouth, Howover, one who attended opined that the late Lord Holme himself (fixer to Messrs Ashdown and Steel) would have been proud of the way in which MPs there “were denied a discussion of anything we wanted e the Poriess want to gp foxy Far too fo dei BULLETIN iAs Liberator went to press, Clegg annauneed (11 January) that he would "shelve eherished party pledges”, including a sis-year delay to the end of {witiun foes. The party's Federal Policy Committee pulled over and accepted this on the grounds that it would make the party look “eredible”. But as one MP Femarked, credible’ is “an adjective often applied to the peeformance of the losing team.” WHO ISTHE FAT CONTROLLER? Liberal Vision, the umbrella group for loony right. wing libertarians, explains on its website that it is “a wholly-owned subsidiary of the classical ‘beral think tank, Progressive Vision, and [we] describe ourselves as an ‘affiliate’, "We share Prov jon's aims and values but Liboral Vision is not obliged to support all o» any of Progressive Vision's specific policies ~ and neither are Liberal Vision's members or supporters.” Do they support this aim? Another venture by Progressive Vision is something called Keep London Moving (www.keeplondonmoving.org), an organisation: whose publicity material will take yeaders with long jnemories straight back to the mid-1970s when mad retired colonels tried to raise brigades of volunteer citizens to break sirikes Tt asks whether readers are fed up with strikes ‘on London Underground perpetrated by “extreme left-wing trade unionists” and whether they would -yolunteer to work on the Tube one day a week during strikes?” Volunteer to do what exactly? Why, to drive ns, And for those who prefer to have their trains driven by people trained and qualified to do so, rathe than by libertarian ideologues, Progressive Vision has: nn veassuring answer: “Let's face it, how much training, tan be roquired te drive a Tube train or work ak a ticket counter? Driving a Tube train will be easier than d ¢ a bus and station work is hardly roc ket Liberal Vision’s Chandila Fernando and Mark Littlewood are now gone from the Li Dems (Liberator 136) nnd its driving force Charlotte Gore may follow, having removed her online drivellings from Lib: Dem Blogs in mid-December after she got the hump over the party promising to use public spending to tombat the recession. She said "Im not sure when my membership of the party itself is due to expive but TIL Inake the decision to renew when that tine comes” Three down; how long hefare they all yo where they belong? By the way, Progressive Vision says it hangs out at tho impressive-sounding Suite 131, 95 Wilton Road’ in central Landon. ‘Phe prestigiousness of this address: nay be judged by picture apposite, sssive V