This is the first of a new series of posts pointing out the obvious hypocrisy of politicians that most people don’t have time to spot – I do, so here is a classic example.
The following article appeared in the Guardian on 21st December 2010.
A humbled and diminished Vince Cable was tonight allowed to cling on to his cabinet post as business secretary, but was stripped of all responsibility for media policy after it emerged he had told undercover reporters that he had “declared war” on Rupert Murdoch over the media magnate’s plans to take over all of BSkyB.
Cable’s reckless claims, in a secretly recorded conversation, were considered a flagrant breach of his duty to take a quasi-judicial approach to the proposed takeover, and were declared “totally unacceptable and inappropriate” by Downing Street. Many had expected an angry David Cameron to sack Cable or transfer him to a lesser cabinet role.
But instead the business secretary was hauled in front of his party leader, Nick Clegg, and then Cameron. After a series of emergency meetings, which included George Osborne, the chancellor, Clegg felt he could not afford to lose the second most senior Liberal Democrat from the government.
Nearly 70 civil servants responsible for all aspects of media and telecoms policy will now be transferred from Cable’s business empire to the Department of Culture Media and Sport headed by Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary and a Conservative likely to be sympathetic to Murdoch …
Now that Murdoch has been accurately exposed as a gutter dwelling, lying stinkpot (which we all knew anyway), Vince Cable is seen to have been justified and correct in his observations.
So much for a rational and principled response from politicians then eh? Cameron, Clegg and Miliband owe Vince a huge apology – but I haven’t spotted one yet – have you? Cable has obviously been gagged by Clegg and Cameron – can’t have truth being aired in Westminster village, can we – bah, poo & piffle says I.
The pathetic displays of self righteousness, in the last few days, from people like Prescott, Brown and Cameron is truly nauseating …
