Britain must aspire to be an “open society” and government must play a key role in ensuring there is a level playing field where the wealthy pay their fair share, Nick Clegg said in a wide ranging speech to Demos yesterday. He delivered a passionate speech that envisions the role of government as a “force for good” in society but the big question is whether the electorate would change its mind about Nick Clegg and his party.
The Deputy Prime Minister made a passionate case for a more equal society when it comes to wealth and said he would like to see more taxation on wealth and not work. Wealth inequality is very much greater than income inequality, and widening," Clegg said. "The bottom third of households hold just 3% of the nation's wealth. The top third hold three-quarters of it. This inequality of wealth then cascades down the generations, potentially widening the opportunity gap."
He went on to claim that intergenerational social mobility is the coalition government’s key “social policy” and warned bankers in the city against excessive bonuses and he singled out state owned banks such as the RBS and Lloyds. “On the eve of bonus season, let no one be in any doubt about our determination to use our clout as the major shareholder in these banks to block any irresponsible payments, or any rewards for failure," the DPM said.
He wants dispersal of powers and he attacked "media moguls, dodgy lobbyists corrupting our politics, irresponsible bankers taking us for a ride and then helping themselves to massive bonuses, boardrooms closed against the interests of shareholders and workers".
He promised government legislation on excessive pay in the boardrooms and wants shareholders and workers to have more say in how the company is run. Open society, in the Deputy Prime Minister’s view has to include “"social mobility, political pluralism, civil liberties, democracy and internationalism".
He once again attacked the House of Lords and said it represented “the most potent symbol of a closed society saying it is an issue where the boat needs rocking. Lloyd George described the House of Lords as being 'a body of 500 men chosen at random from amongst the unemployed”.
He went on to say: "So we will have a House of Lords reform bill in the second session of this parliament. I am hopeful that we can secure a significant degree of cross-party consensus on this, and indeed support from Lords themselves. But let there be no doubt: if it comes to a fight, the will of the Commons will prevail."
He pointed out just like the state, social institutions too could be oppressive and re-emphasised the Liberal ethos of focusing on the individual and ensuring everyone has the opportunity. Not much different from Cameron’s big society but Clegg’s version, rightly has a healthy dose of scepticism when it comes to social institutions.
It was a good speech on all accounts – he firmly believes this and his party grandees would be delighted and so would the grass roots. But the same party made him look like an irresponsible and untrustworthy politician to the whole electorate when he was forced to flip-flop on the Prime Minister’s veto.
On Friday, the Deputy Prime Minister was squarely behind the Cameron veto but by Sunday following chastisement from Asdowns and heel biting by Huhne and Cable, Nick Clegg was forced to act angry and also make the politically stupid decision not to attend the Prime Minister’s statement on Europe.
Majority of the country thinks (54%) that Clegg is a weak leader and only 7% sees him as strong. And his overall ratings are worse than Ed Miliband’s and his party’s ratings although better than the leader is nothing to write home about. In short, unless something radical happens Liberal Democrats are facing electoral oblivion and Mr. Clegg’s speech is going to do little to improve that.
However, on the other hand, he has given both the electorate and his party some criteria to base his and his ministers performance – and with the opposition to Lord’s reform quite widespread he might find out that Liberal Democrats have lost this one as well like the AV referendum.
Europe is the party’s biggest weak point where the party’s position is against the vast majority of the country and the Lib Dems are viewed as being for Europe but against Britain. Nick Clegg siding with the French President few days earlier and calling Britain a “pygmy” did not help his or his party’s case either.