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High Peak Liberal DemocratsDelivering in Government and Campaigning in the High Peak |
We cannot allow ourselves to be used as scapegoats by the Tories
It was an amazing coincidence that Lady Warsi's interview on BBC2's Newsnight spoke so lamentably about the state of the coalition the evening before YouGov put the Tories 11 points behind Labour. The Conservative Party chairwoman without hesitation accused us of being immature and failing to accept collective responsibility within the coalition.
Patrick Wintour's article on Guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 April 2012 highlights the despicable manner in which Lady Warsi, as a cabinet member showed no loyalty to her coalition partners by putting the boot in as soon as the going got tough and the Tories started struggling in the opinion polls.
The whole episode could easily have been interpreted as the Tories looking for a scapegoat in advance of the poll results becoming public to calm the rabid right wing in their party…not good politics when in the cold light of day you realise that we still have 3 years remaining of a coalition government before the next General Elections in 2015.
Apart from attacking Tim Farron, Warsi even went on to criticise Vince Cable, for expressing unease about the charity tax. "I actually think if you agree something, you are collectively bound to that agreement and therefore you stand by it once that decision has been made," she said.
So she blames Tim Farron and Vince Cable…who else can the Tories blame for their woes?
Well…Tory MP Douglas Carswell claimed on BBC radio on Monday 16 April night that it was all down to Treasury officials who had been waiting to put through their pet schemes for closing tax loopholes. Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator, also claimed the civil servants were to blame.
It doesn't stop there…Conservative right-wingers are accusing David Cameron of accepting the European Court of Human Rights judgments on Abu Qatada because he doesn't want to upset Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems.
We are therefore being blamed for wanting to follow the rule of law and meet our international obligations in safeguarding human rights.
The Qatada case of course goes right to the heart of Tory dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democrats - the natural Tory instinct would be to giveStrasbourgthe two fingered salute.Strasbourgof course previously ruled that Qatada could not be forcibly sent toJordanbecause of concerns that their courts will rely on evidence gathered from torture.
What has now made the matter worse is that MPs learnt last week that the Sarkozy government had deported two terrorist suspects in defiance of the ECHR. 'Why can't we do the same' they say? 'Damn the Liberal Democrats!'
The Home Secretary, Theresa May will therefore not receive general applause from the Tory right wing today with the announcement of fresh attempts to send Abu Qatada back to Jordon. In fact, May can probably expect a bouquet of barbed wire from her own side.
Warsi blames the Lib Dems of being immature in government…I place the boot squarely on the other foot and say that it is you Lady Warsi that shows immaturity and insecurity when the going gets tough for the Tories. You have irresponsibly sown the seeds of distrust through attacking in a public forum, your political partners and colleagues with whom you have been entrusted to co-operate with for the remainder of this coalition government, for the good of everyone and in the national interest. Shame on you!
Issan Ghazni
Chair, Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats
Former National Diversity Adviser to the Liberal Democrats
Website : www.issanghazni.co.uk
Twitter : @issanghazni