Warning Signs

Nick Clegg’s appearance at PMQ’s will not be judged a success and he has been made a figure of fun by political commentators and the media generally. Maybe he was not as well briefed as his boss or maybe he departed from his brief. Essentially he said what he thought rather than what was so, or what he wanted to happen, rather than what had or was going to happen. He wore the cloak of the Lib Dem leader, not of the Deputy Prime Minister. All is not lost. It was his candid openness in the TV debates that put him and his party on the map (if not crosses on ballots). People may remember when he spoke of ‘savage cuts’ at his party conference there was an outcry, yet events have proved him right.

Everyone who has listened to or read the evidence given thus far to the Iraq inquiry can work out for themselves that it is even now clear that the war could only be judged legal, by the most fluid interpretation of what international law is supposed to be. Everybody knows that it is wrong to invade a sovereign country unless directly threatened by it and it is clear now beyond doubt that no such threat existed. Like savage cuts, the term illegal war was at worst premature, but to say it at the dispatch box on such an occasion was politically flat footed.

This raises a concern. The Treasury team, led by Osborne, is performing way ahead of expectation, but other departments fare less well. Eduction has dropped many clangers and its policies leave many unconvinced. There is some ambiguity in the so called Afghan strategy, with different ministers saying different things about troop withdrawals and both BP and the Lockerbie issue were allowed to get out of control before an attempt was made to rein them in. Where it not for the fact that Labour is engaged in an awkward leadership contest with rather weak candidates (without Blair and Brown and Prescott the orchestra’s tune, though more harmonious, lacks rhythm and power), the government would be having a hard time.

Cameron needs to get a grip and have a frank and comradely talk with several of his colleagues. Some of the older ones will recall that after Margaret Thatcher trounced Michael Foot and Labour, as well as the much heralded Alliance between the SDP and the Liberals, to give her a near landslide, one slip up after another followed. These came to to be known as banana skins in the media. The Iron Lady then appointed William Whitelaw to act as head prefect with some kind of co-ordiating function, but he was quickly dubbed Minister for Banana Skins. He was effective in his mission and remained an essential pillar of the Tory leadership thereafter. Most people thought these mishaps only happened because two of the defeated party leaders had resigned and one had gone sick, leaving the opposition without a powerful voice.

Time to sharpen up the Coalition act. Otherwise when Parliament reassembles in the autumn the new Labour leader will have been dealt a very easy hand to play.