"Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving", wrote William Shakespeare in Othello.
This might have been written about Vince Cable, a policitian whose integrity towered above his colleagues matched with a razor-sharp wit; how can anyone forget the famous put-down when he compared Gordon Brown, when he was prime minister, to Mr Bean? Today, however, after revelations in the Daily Telegraph in which Vince Cable told (nay, boasted) to undercover journalists that he could topple the coalition government if he resigned from the Cabinet. He is now looking more like Mr Clumsy than the able politician that he is. However, his gaffe over tuition fees (in which he threated to vote against his own policy) seems to have started the rot.
But what can we take from this major error of judgement? Firstly, that when you're a politician you should always keep your personal views to yourself. You never know who you're talking to and you simply cannot risk anything leaking out that isn't government policy. This is an area in which New Labour excelled; everyone followed the official party line and maintained strict discipline when communicating with the media.
Secondly, that as Shakespeare so eloquently put it, reputation can come and go at the whim of those who bestowed positive attributes to you in the first place. Vince Cable's reputation is now heading south faster than a flock of migrating birds; if he were a Plc we would be selling shares and I can't see that situation changing in the near future. I would be surprised if he didn't do the decent thing and resign before or during the Christmas recess.
The same problem, of a sliding reputation, is also being visited upon Nick Clegg. Was it only 6 months ago when, on the lawns of No. 10, we all witnessed that friendly, knock-about banter between the newly-weds, Clegg and Cameron? Today, Clegg's reputation has been tarnished partly by his volte face on his party's position of tuition fees.
It seem that the problem with both politicians is that they have come under the spell of power and will do anything to keep hold of power. Before the election it was all heart-felt pledges and a promise to do politics differently. Clegg sounded convincing and Cable was his powerful right-hand man, and there was a sense that we could have witnessed a new dawn in British politics.
Of course, the electorate failed to deliver a decisive victory to any party and we now have a situation in which the Tories are getting their own way and the LibDems are having to bite their lips (or so it seems) as they agree to policies that were never in their manifesto. Perhaps Cameron should have formed a minority government, which would have given Cameron a working majority but the opposition parties would have had real power.
I am sure that Clegg enjoyed the moment when he became deputy PM, but he and his colleagues are actually part of a Tory government, which is great news for Cameron because the LibDems are being wheeled-out to take the flack for unpopular policies whilst they sit back pinching themselves, because I am sure that they can't believe they're not dreaming.
This might have been written about Vince Cable, a policitian whose integrity towered above his colleagues matched with a razor-sharp wit; how can anyone forget the famous put-down when he compared Gordon Brown, when he was prime minister, to Mr Bean? Today, however, after revelations in the Daily Telegraph in which Vince Cable told (nay, boasted) to undercover journalists that he could topple the coalition government if he resigned from the Cabinet. He is now looking more like Mr Clumsy than the able politician that he is. However, his gaffe over tuition fees (in which he threated to vote against his own policy) seems to have started the rot.
But what can we take from this major error of judgement? Firstly, that when you're a politician you should always keep your personal views to yourself. You never know who you're talking to and you simply cannot risk anything leaking out that isn't government policy. This is an area in which New Labour excelled; everyone followed the official party line and maintained strict discipline when communicating with the media.
Secondly, that as Shakespeare so eloquently put it, reputation can come and go at the whim of those who bestowed positive attributes to you in the first place. Vince Cable's reputation is now heading south faster than a flock of migrating birds; if he were a Plc we would be selling shares and I can't see that situation changing in the near future. I would be surprised if he didn't do the decent thing and resign before or during the Christmas recess.
The same problem, of a sliding reputation, is also being visited upon Nick Clegg. Was it only 6 months ago when, on the lawns of No. 10, we all witnessed that friendly, knock-about banter between the newly-weds, Clegg and Cameron? Today, Clegg's reputation has been tarnished partly by his volte face on his party's position of tuition fees.
It seem that the problem with both politicians is that they have come under the spell of power and will do anything to keep hold of power. Before the election it was all heart-felt pledges and a promise to do politics differently. Clegg sounded convincing and Cable was his powerful right-hand man, and there was a sense that we could have witnessed a new dawn in British politics.
Of course, the electorate failed to deliver a decisive victory to any party and we now have a situation in which the Tories are getting their own way and the LibDems are having to bite their lips (or so it seems) as they agree to policies that were never in their manifesto. Perhaps Cameron should have formed a minority government, which would have given Cameron a working majority but the opposition parties would have had real power.
I am sure that Clegg enjoyed the moment when he became deputy PM, but he and his colleagues are actually part of a Tory government, which is great news for Cameron because the LibDems are being wheeled-out to take the flack for unpopular policies whilst they sit back pinching themselves, because I am sure that they can't believe they're not dreaming.
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