Clegg: the Coalition’s priorities must be “jobs and growth, jobs and growth”

The intertwined topics of the economy and Europe has continued to dominate the political scene this week. But as Europhobic Tories continue to froth at the thought of England’s the UK’s retreat from its neighbours, Nick Clegg has maintained a decidedly mainstream approach, and attempted to shift the focus back from constitutional niceties to economic reality. Here’s how The Guardian reports Nick’s words:

Nick Clegg has clashed with David Cameron over Europe as he warned that only “populists, chauvinists and demagogues” would gain from protracted negotiations on treaty change. The Liberal Democrat deputy hit out the day after Cameron used his annual foreign policy speech at the Lord Mayor of London’s banquet on Monday night to say that the euro crisis provided an opportunity for the EU to rethink its purpose and rules and to refashion it as a looser union. … But Clegg warned against the prospect of mainstream politicians becoming locked into “arcane” discussions rather than focusing on economic recovery.

And here’s Nick in his own words on his priorities for the Coalition:

“Clearly the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats, and David Cameron and myself, think differently on European issues. But where we agree is … what do we do to push economic reform and push the liberalisation needed to create jobs and prosperity in the EU? I don’t think anyone is talking about unilateral repatriation of powers. It’s not possible, and Europe doesn’t work like that.

“The danger always is that the debate becomes very quickly polarised between one side which says this is the moment to rush headlong towards further integration, new treaties, new intergovernmental conferences, new arcane debates about EU powers, and another side that says this is the moment to unravel the whole thing. I don’t think either side have got their priorities right.

“The priority should be jobs and growth, jobs and growth. Is the whole political establishment now going to disappear into a windowless room in Brussels, discussing things that no one can understand? It means absolutely nothing to millions of people across the EU who are worried about economic security. They are worried about prospects for their children. The only people who will benefit will be populists, chauvinists and demagogues, who will exploit that lack of political leadership.”

“Jobs and growth” — that has to be the right focus for the Coalition, however much the right-wing of the Tory party would like to spend time on line-by-line renegotiation of England’s the UK’s treaties with our European neighbours.

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18 Comments

  • The tories are desperate for people to avoid thinking about jobs and growth for obvious reasons, hence their attempts to distract with Europe.

    Why would Clegg want to concentrate peoples’ minds on jobs and growth? All it would do is highlight how the coalition’s economic policies aren’t working.

  • Dave Orbison 17th Nov '11 - 10:18am

    I notice in the preceding Blog that Nick is banging on about the links between Labour and the unions again. Really? So this is his priority? Does anyone seriously suggest that this relationship is a serious issue or one that has in anyway contributed to the financial crisis and economic mess we face? Just how many of the profligate bankers that we have propped up contribute to the Tory Party. In any event I seem to recall that Ed Milliband cannot even bring himself to publically support the public service strikes – doesn’t sound much like being in their pocket.

    Occasionally the issue of tribalism comes up on here and I get the sense that some LibDems think they are above this. But I think Nick’s focus on this issue, in the middle of all the issues we currently face, shows that he is no different. I’m not so sure there is anything wrong with it per se but it concerns me that he is ‘fiddling while Rome burns’. With record youth unemployment, a clueless Govt blaming the Euro crisis causing economists to fall about laughing, and listening to the Tories foaming at the mouth in their desire to blame employment protection for low growth, whilst they seek to hammer and privatise the public sector and blame Europe is very, very depressing.

    Isn’t it time the LibDems, or at least those remaining, take stock and ask where are you going with this Governemnt?

  • @Loise Shaw
    ” and in this case the unions are acting directly against the private sector interests (who pay for the generous public sector pensions) ”

    How does the private sector pay for public sector pensions exactly? Public sector pension schemes, such as the teacher’s pension scheme for example, are funded by contributions from teachers. Given that neither the public nor the private sector pay for each other (they’re both part of the same economy) then how on earth did you arrive at the conclusion that the private sector pays for public sector pensions? Furthermore, public sector pensions are dependent on future GDP, which is a lot less volatile than the investments of private sector schemes. Public sector pensions could therefore be said to be more fully funded than private sector pensions.

  • 2 JAGs?

  • ……………………….Are the unions striking going to help either growth or jobs?………
    The coalition’s ‘Austerity’ measures are impacting on those who are ‘low paid’ public sector workers to an untoward degree (Those who caused this crisis have awarded themselves a 50% increase in salary over the last year so are not affected).

    ……………………………….I would be much more pro-union if I felt they had any effect, or indeed interest in the private sector………………..
    The strategy of the current administration is to drive a wedge between the public and private sector (from your comments it appears to have worked). All public sector workers are not idle, jobsworths as portrayed in the right wing press (remember how not long ago we had the ‘idle benefit scroungers’ followed by the ‘idle disability scroungers’ and the ‘idle immigrant scroungers’). Instead of trying to disparage the public sector the unions are trying to enable those in the private sector have their terms and conditions improved.

    ……………………….. the unions are acting directly against the private sector interests (who pay for the generous public sector pensions) In truth, I feel unions have nothing to offer me as a private sector employee, and that is quite sad……………………
    So only the private sector pay toward public sector pensions? Public sector workers are taxpayers too. I agree that “it’s sad” that the unions have nothing to offer you; perhaps an understanding of the history of the Trade Union Movement might get you to realise how much employees in the private sector owe them.

    BTW……….. it is worth remembering that Francis Maude is the same person who was so caring of the taxpayers hard earned money that he claimed tens of thousands of pounds for a ‘second London home’ 70 yards from his existing home.

  • Dave Orbison 17th Nov '11 - 6:06pm

    re Louise’s comments

    I am pro union and I worked have worked in the private sector most of my life.

    One of the most disheartening things about this Govt is the ‘divide and rule’ style no more so than when it comes to pensions. The employment protection rights of today, enjoyed by both private and public sector workers, have never been freely offered by any rightwing Government. These benefits have come about through campaigning over many years, campaigning led by unions.

    It is disingenuous of the Government to keep harping on about how we all pay for the public sector pensions. Indeed we do but so do we for the private sector. The costs of private sector pensions are reflected in the cost of manufacture of goods and the supply of services that we use as consumers.

    However, unlike the private sector pension, some public sector pensions do not have their pension funds invested. This lack of investment deprives these funds of vital growth in value which simply would not be allowed in the private sector. The beneficiary of this slight of hand is the Government, past and present. By using these pension contributions as a form of ‘current account’ they court popularity by trying to keep today’s taxes lower than they should be only for their own sake. They are seeking to buy today’s’ popularity at the expense of future pensions in the public sector.

    Shame on them and how despicable of them to try and set the private sector workers against the public sector. This is a complete diversion from where the wealth in this country goes – those who avoid paying their fair share of taxes, propping up a Government who has no moral authority to lecture lowly paid workers in either sector on the rights and wrongs on our current economic mess. By getting enmeshed in this diversion the LibDems will let the Tories sack our public services and grab as much as they can in their greedy and opportunistic dash for cash.

    LibDems – take a stand before it is too late.

  • When the current administration talks about ‘flexible’ working conditions; Beware…..

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/nov/16/young-jobseekers-work-pay-unemployment?CMP=twt_gu

  • I entirely agree with the above comments – unions play an important role in assisting working people (often on very low wages) in both the public and private sectors. I find it depressing that some LibDems seem so hostile and suspicious towards unions because some (not all) unions help to fund the Labour Party (when approved by a ballot of their members). Strangely, there seems no equivalent concern about the way big business and the City helps to fund the Tories.

  • “The priority should be jobs and growth, jobs and growth. ”

    For a moment I thought your leader had come to his senses and abandon suicidal austerity. You have missed your growth targets, your borrowing is greater than Labours pre-election projections, and the deficit isn’t coming down. All the Lib Dems have given us is no growth and no jobs. Youth unemployment over 1 million, general unemployment heading towards 3 million. Your response has been to cut back in a recession, something that the history of every recession should tell you is the wrong thing to do. You have cut back, and most disgracefully you are blaming the poor for your failure. Making young people work for free, full time, for Tescos and Poundland. Punish the unemployed for the fact you have ruined the economy.

    Nobody cares about Nick Clegg’s vision for Europe, we do care about the fact that the North of England has been left to rot. You want Jobs and growth in Europe, lets have them here first. If you fail to stop the Tories economic wrecking ball, don’t think you will escape the blame. My family were all Lib Dem voters, now we will never vote for you again. You should care about the fate of the unemployed, because at the next election, all the Lib Dems will be joining us in the dole queue.

  • Malcolm Todd 18th Nov '11 - 1:21am

    “Strangely, there seems no equivalent concern about the way big business and the City helps to fund the Tories.”

    Rubbish – there is a very equivalent concern. We are all pointyheads and uncomfortable with entrenched interests being involved in political parties. It’s what makes us such lovable losers…

  • “Strangely, there seems no equivalent concern about the way big business and the City helps to fund the Tories.”

    Rubbish – there is a very equivalent concern. We are all pointyheads and uncomfortable with entrenched interests being involved in political parties. It’s what makes us such lovable losers…

    Oh yeah, you think your parties squeaky clean? You have been bought like every other party, explains why you have become tories 2.0.

  • You will not get jobs back by cutting red tape or any of the other monetry solutions. It’s pure nonsense. There are parts of this country that have remained virtually job ghosts towns for the last thirty years. Blair and Thatcher and their respective governments pursued variations on these crackpot ideas and the results were and are a dysmal failure. The reason we have huge benefits bills is because work stability and jobs were destroyed by cutting red tape and liberalising the markets. Those jobs never came back. It isn’t a new development. The banks tanking simply burst the illusion.

  • Bernard Little 19th Nov '11 - 12:41am

    I note that Nick Clegg continues tackle the economic crisis by pushing for Growth, more competition and reducing barriers to free trade.
    Is this the same man who before the last election was asking people who had voted Green to lend them their vote to stop climate change. The report by the Sustainable Development Commission (remember that the coalition government cut its funding as one of its first measures claiming it was no longer necessary because the lessons had already been learnt!0 “Prosperity without Growth” made it absolutely clear it is physically impossible to reduce emissions while at the same time pursue Economic Growth. Encouraging a further growth in unneccasary global trade in goods is bound to increase emissions.
    Secondly the global economic crisis was caused by governments relentless pursuit of growth which they encouraged by light touch regulation. Gordon Brown was so gung ho about it he sacked 42,000 tax inspectors in 2004 which has allowed nearly £120bn every year to be lost to the public purse through tax evasion, avoidance and uncollected taxes. So why will the pursuit of the same old failed strategies that got us into the humungous global economic mess get us out of it….
    The economic strategy Mr Clegg continues to pursue are illogical and downright dangerous.
    I return to his One Planet One Voice “Its time to work together” 2009 speech… “Climate Scientists tell us the next goverment will be the last one that can stop dangerous climate change. We will demand 10% cuts in emissions in 2010, like the brilliant 10-10 campaign is fighting for. We will demand real commitment to renewable energy. We will demand Britain be set onto a zero carbon future”.
    Global levels of CO2 and their equivalent emissions continue to grow. Discounting emissions from the production of products we now import into the UK is dishonest accounting.
    Mr Clegg along with Cameron and Milliband all subscribe to the mantra of growth, competition and deregulation. However it offers not a hope for any of us. You may continue to cajole the media to try to indoctrinate us by insisting that there is no alternative to growth and stifle any real debate. You may even try to kid yourself you support the aims of the global Occupy Movement….. like you did to the students in the 2010 election. Yet again by not promoting that it is imperative to pursue the alternative economic model of a steady state economy where we can all live within our means and prosper, is a failure of imagination and a dereliction of your duty as a public servants.
    ..Liberal Democrat Voice posted 19th November 2011.

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