“It’s not up to me to dispense lofty advice to Israel.” So spoke Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg this evening. Astonishing. How did the man who never stops waving his fingers at Israel come to be so humble? Because an audience member had asked him what he would do if he was confronted by relentless rocket fire, and many a gushing critic dries up when asked that. Funny that.
This evening’s event was sponsored by the brilliant Jewish News, which is edited by the lovely Zeddy Lawrence. Clegg was evasive throughout. He truly is the David Brent of politics – totally unself-aware and reminiscent of the pieces-to-camera that the paper-merchant boss did on The Office. On the occasions that anyone managed to squeeze some scrutiny through the protective fence that was placed around him, he looked on with almost psychotic fury. Good job he’s in such an insignificant party, one wonders how he would deal with real power.
He kept insisting that Operation Cast Lead “didn’t work”. Mr Clegg, Israel is fighting against enemies that want it and all its people wiped off the map. The fact that Israel is still on the map proves that its actions do work in the most fundamental way. And what was all the pro-Fatah stuff about? Fatah’s leadership includes holocaust deniers and terrorists, yet you spoke as if they were the good guys. I hope it’s just that you’re naive, because the alternative is almost unbearable.
He tried to distance himself from Baroness Tonge but cacked himself royally when reminded that she has the party whip. If only he had been required to answer that point, but the soft-touch chairing let him off the hook again. I was pleased to hear his opposition to the BNP. Small, insignificant political parties that use dishonest rhetoric against minority groups really do suck.
Which is why, having heard him speak this evening, I will never vote for the Lib Dems.
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He is a hateful man.
Another brilliant post, Lord Vinder!!
Nick Clegg and his party are a disgrace.
Cast Lead didn’t work? Tell that to the lone Italian journalist who reported that there were more likely only 600 deaths and most of them teenagers who were armed combatants Hamas. http://www.solomonia.com/blog/archive/2009/03/lorenzo-cremonesi-in-gaza/
Over at Hudson New York, Khalid Abu Toameh says the reason for Hamas’s continued popularity (and continued rocket attacks) despite the devastation it has brought is Fatah’s unpopularity and the US and other western powers, by throwing money at Fatah is only ensuring that Fatah will neither clean up its act nor regain popularity with the Palestinians.
http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/03/why-palestinians-prefer-hamas.php
Cruel as it sounds, giving money to the Palestinians is like trying bribery as a means of correcting a child’s bad attitude in hopes that he will see the light.
Clegg failed dismally to respond to critics of his inconsistent stance on Israel.
He says that Israel has “every right to defend itself” but then wants to deny us arms. Does he expect us to defend ourselves using only our fists? Does he have the same policy for England’s defence?
This idea of “disproportionality” of the operation cast lead has gotten way off mark. It has been used by anti-israel group even during 2006 South Lebanon war. Why are some British political leaders so apologetic about the recent conflict? Why are they credulous to believe that Israel is at fault here? Israel could have wiped out Gaza off the map, that’s what I beleive is disproportional. Simply targeting Hamas military instalations in mosques and homes (which they should never have been set there) is not at all disproportional, it is fair game under conventional warfare. Let me remind these british leaders that they do not know what total war means, and what the British and USA armed forces did in World war II to end all wars. Bomb is the shit out of towns like Dresde/Berlin and Hiroshima/Nagazaki.
If you want to end all wars have a total war. Why use the disproportionality rubbish……
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7324541.stm
On the basis of last night’s performance Clegg couldn’t convince a nymphomaniac alligator to sleep with him
Clegg was dreadful. It was good to witness the audience giving him a hard time. When he suggested that all those involved in the confilct agreed on the desired outcome (2 state solution, unified palestinian state, and divided Jerusalem), he made it clear he has no real understanding of the situation at all. Even Grunwald in the chair, keen to keep him on side to encourage further engagement with the Jewish community, wouldn’t let him get away with that, agreeing with the hecklers (well ok, me!) that Hammas wanted nothing less than the total destruction of Israel (as stated in their charter). Clegg showed himself to be a total fool on this issue.
Jonathan I think foolishness is certainly more at work in Clegg than genuine anti-Israel feeling. I believe his hideous “let’s stop arming Israel” article was, more than anything else, a cynical attempt to shore up the Muslim vote for the Lib Dems. Likewise, his cowardice when it comes to dealing with the rampant antisemitism in the Lib Dems is more to do with his weak grip on the leadership than him having any secret sympathy with it. I’ve read numerous articles/heard grapevine gossip about his colleagues hating him. So I think it’s more foolishness than evil. I’m not saying that makes it all right, mind.
I wasn’t there but it sounds like a waste of time. It’s his wife I feel sorry for. Did you see that interview he gave to Piers Morgan in GQ?
Chas, I agree with you, I think it is more foolishness, or strategic vote-auditing on his part. The Lib Dems have done well out of the Muslim voters who hate Labour for the war. So yes, he is keen to throw them a bone every now and then. But I don’t think he’s stupid enough not to realise that in doing so, he is hurting Israel. To say that she has the right to armed self defence against terrorists, but that she should not be supplied with arms, is absurd. So anti-Israel / anti-Jewish sentiment is not the *motivation*, but it is the end result / effect. And I was pleased that the audience tried its best to make that clear to him.
Turns out I am not the only one to spot the Nick Clegg/David Brent link: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/iain_martin/blog/2007/12/19/time_for_nick_clegg_to_be_brave
http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/c-11415/clegg-tackles-your-questions/
Well the Jewish News certainly did not pull its punches
Loving the alligator comment!