Bold words from Young Master Clegg in his campaign email today:
On our core liberal issues, I believe we must be bold. We must take our ideas, and turn them into action. This week I took the first step: we have always opposed identity cards but I became the first national politician to pledge to refuse to register, and risk going to court for my principles.
This blog doesn’t make a habit of saying nice things about Simon Hughes, but doesn’t he beat Cleggy on this score by at least two years? Indeed, I seem to recall him making much out of it during the last leadership election.
The second NO2ID pledge also lists Matthew Taylor MP and Nick Harvey MP. I’m sure people with more time on their hands could probably come up with others.
Taking a principled stance is fine and dandy, but let’s not get carried away shall we?
Hmm, maybe one shouldn’t get carried away oneself. As such. That would be undignified and mean putting down one’s cup of tea. But getting carried away publicly has its place. Clegg may well be stealing a job lot of thunder, but he’s positioned to make a lot more media hay with it than the original proponents did – and not with a stunt but with a centrally enshrined liberal principle, both big-L and small-l. It isn’t particularly fair on the original proponents, but if there’s a chance of a wider audience getting genuinely carried away as a result then we ought to hold off on the buckets of cold water, IMHO.
Disturbingly, I seem to be trapped inside your blog today. Lost in Quaequam…
I think I will have this blog framed and posted in my loo…………..alongside my expensive Simon Hughes boxers!