It’s fair enough, to be fair to him

“…And there was a third man there. I suppose that doesn’t sound peculiar to you.”

Manifesto edition #3: Liberal Democrat man wants to be Prime Minister

With Labour and the Conservatives having launched their manifestoes, what more is there to do but sit back and watch the two parties hurl mud at each other until polling day? What’s that? There’s another Party? The Liberal Democrats you say? Fair enough.

To be fair, the Liberal Democrats deserve a fair hearing, and their manifesto launch this morning went fairly well. It’s all about – would you believe it – ‘fairness’. Nick Clegg couldn’t have used the word more if he’d been discussing fairground prices. If fairness sounds boringly predictable, then at least the Liberal Democrats have taken the innovative step of confirming specific spending cuts, including a two-year £400 pay rise cap for public sector workers; cancelling Eurofighter Tranche 3b and of course abandoning ID cards. They also want to increase the starting income tax threshold to £10,000 which will save anyone earning £10k-£100k about £700, with those below the £10k threshold paying no income tax at all.

When it came to fielding questions from the journalists, Clegg was able to recite these details at ease, unlike Cameron who delegated to his Shadow Chancellor. Clegg even brazenly said that he “wanted to be Prime Minister”, and reminded them that 1 in 4 of people who voted in 2005 had voted Liberal Democrat. Could they, to be fair, be a serious contender?

Tonight, ITV1, 7.30pm – Mark Austin interviews Gordon Brown


QUOTE OF THE DAY

"…even with their wives in tow Messrs Brown and Cameron have scarcely been setting the country alight"

– is Philip Stevens of the FT perhaps implying that Gordon Brown and David Cameron should try a civil partnership with Vince Cable?


THE GREASY POLL
Lab 33, Con 36, LibDem 21 (The Times/Populus)