Same old politics

I remember it all quite vividly.  The day Cleggmania caught on.

His first appearance on a stage next to the main UK political parties.  Fresh, open, different.

Doesn't it seem that so much water has passed under the bridge since then?

Well.... forgive me for getting on my political soapbox.... but the sad truth of politics is that you go into it because you're power hungry.  Let's look at the "new politics" that tweedleclegg and tweedlecam promised.

New politics was going to be working together for the greater good of the country.  So their first cynical symbolic act is to cut 5% from cabinet members salary.  Of course... from being promoted from MP to Cabinet member you instantly get a payrise of just under £70,000.  Hmm.... 5% drop or 95% increase?  Maybe just a one off oversight?  Let's give them the benefit of the doubt.

Ok new politics.... less waste then yes... they must cut deficit.  So why rebrand a department the day you gain power?  And to rebrand a department, thats been thought through in advance hasn't it?  You can't just have a new logo and website done in a day... that's been in the pipeline for months.

So we now have the department for education.  Not the department for children and families.  Yes that benefits every single tax payer doesn't it?  And knowing a little about rebrands, that will have cost something going into the millions once print costs and change of livery has been taken into account.  So the "savings" of cabinet salaries is easily swallowed and more by this symbolic gesture of changing the guard.

But you know what rankles more than anything?

Just how easily the Lib Dems threw away their policies at the first sniff of a deal and getting some nominal positions around a table.

Trident.... a huge waste of money. £100bn over 20 years.... no longer mentioned

Immigration, open, welcoming, amnesty.... nope.. a straight forward cap that the tories wanted.

No cuts this year, let the economic recovery take hold.... *sigh* but now we hear the cuts must be made now.

So we're left with an undemocratic party that lied to gain power.  But not just one party that lied, two parties that lied.  Lib Dems and Tories, fierce enemies, now cradled together in sympathetic power sharing.

Disappointing, extremely disappointing... and they wonder why people don't vote?