The Press lay into Clegg

[youngmafbog]

Todays papers, left and right are today laying into Clegg. He is now under the scutiny Senior Labour and Tory members have always had.

Is his party over (and I mean party in the sense of good times before some numbskull leaps on that)

Will tonights debate see Cameron and Brown turn on him, he is afterall on central stage tonight or will Brown rally to his defence in a desparate move to cling to power ?

[jackthehat]

I think the surge in popular popularity for Clegg probably wrong-footed the 'big two'; and they and their supporters, having formerly viewed NC and his party as an irrelevence, are now confronted with the real possibility of the Lib Dems becoming an attractive option in the minds of the voters.

Now the knives will be out.............and we'll just have to see how NC dodges the mud that will be surely slung.

[jake-the-peg]

What you mean is that Cameron's friends in the press have tried to work a hatchet job on him.

We'll see but I think most people will spot what's going on.

Having said that the theme of tonight's debate is foreign affairs which is wher Lib Dem policies are most likely to be out of step with the general population.

If I were Brown I'd continue to play it softly with Clegg ( Or reasonably so ) to emphasise the impression of Cameron desperately trying to smear anyone in his way. He has much less to lose from the Lib Dems than Cameron does.

I'm still of the opinion that a Lib/Conservative pact can't work so Cameron *must* gain seats from Clegg - Having Labour lose seats to the Lib Dems doesn't help him much

[Graudian]

What was Clegg thinking of channelling party donations through his personal bank account?

The Telegraph is only exposing a Libdem as it did Tories & Labour.

[Gromit]

Do you not think the timing of these smears is revealling - the day of the 2nd debate. Murdoch and the rest of press have picked the party to support (most Tory) so they don't want to look foolish when that party loses.

If the Tory plan is to try to prove the LibDems are the same as the rest of them, then they will come unstuck in tonights debate, because non of the other main parties wants to scrap Trident.

Clegg will be more defensive tonight and the Tories will be on full attack. But Cameron is light on proper policies. Remember last week's statement about needing Trident to bomb China, I expect that gaffe to come back and haunt him tonight.

But the most pressure is on Cameron. His TV friendly touch eluded him last week, and for the past 5 years they have be telling us they have changed and they are the nice Party. If he is nasty to that nice Mr Clegg, he could well come second and third again, and the Party will be over for thew Conservatives.,

[modeller]

For the last few years the main parties have largely ignored the Lib/Dems as being a wishy / washy , flip/flop, party who support political correctness , prison reform and human rights but suddenly they realise that they are a threat and they had better do sonething about it. I doubt GB will be saying " I agree with Nick " tonight. He and Cameron will have to expose the Lib/Dem policies in their true light if they are to turn the tide.

[Gromit]

Modeller,

If the LibDems do well at the election, it offers a lifeline for Labour. Labour ain't gonna win if the LibDem vote evaporates, but if it hols up, it will take some votes off the Tories preventing them winning outright.

Then Labour could hold on to power with LibDem help. So it is not in Labour's interest to show up LibDem failings too much, it is in Labour's interest for them to do well, but not too well.