Daniel Radcliffe has declared himself to be “underwhelmed” by the Lib Dems in the wake of the tuition fees controversy, according to a report in the Daily Mail:
A source inside the party said: ‘Daniel does not in any way support the violence of the rioters, but to say he is underwhelmed by his party is an understatement. Like millions of others he was under the impression that the Liberal Democrats had no plans to increase the cost of studying.
‘While Daniel will never have to worry about his finances again, a tuition fee hike is a serious issue which will directly affect many of his fans. And these fans have contacted Daniel to tell him so in their droves. Quite frankly, he is beginning to regret his loyalty now.’
A friend added: ‘Daniel has many friends at university. It’s been a topic of conversation that has been raised on numerous occasions and he has confessed that he feels genuinely uncomfortable about the fact that his support for the party could have affected people’s choice of vote.’
Daniel is the richest British celebrity under 30, with a £45 million fortune. Neither the Liberal Democrats nor Daniel’s agent responded to requests for comment.
The Harry Potter star is the latest celebrity to cast a Disillusionment Charm on the party — earlier this month, Colin Firth and other A-list party supporters went public with their discontent, Confunded by Lib Dem MPs’ decision to breach their Unbreakable Vow on tuition fees.
Nick Clegg and Vince Cable appear Impervius to their critics, even as the party’s poll ratings Descendo, hopeful that time will enable them to Reparo the damage of the last few weeks. Nick is all too aware that many members believe him to be the victim of a successful Tory Imperio curse, while Vince is still suffering from his failure last week correctly to cast the Muffliato curse at his constituency surgery.
Nick will be hopeful his magic touch returns in 2011, enabling him to maintain the party’s Protego Totalum shield-charm. Remember, Nick: ‘Help will always be given at Cowley Street to those who ask.’
[ /self-indulgent Potter-obsession ]
Cartoon from CartoonStock.com.
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12 Comments
Sorry, having never read any HP or seen any of the films this one rather passes me by!
Radcliffe seems to be experiencing something similar to a lot of those who campaigned for the party on the basis of its pre-GE policy platform. If the fact that he is doing so rather more publicly increases the chance it will register with the powers that be then I guess that’s no bad thing.
I’m not inclined to believe everything in the Daily Mail and this story isn’t any different. “A source inside the party” doesn’t sound like a particularly credible source.
“Has Daniel Radcliffe hexed the Lib Dems?”
No – I’d say the Lib Dem leadership did it all by themselves.
I’m just relieved the economic crisis has passed us by and maybe now we don’t need any cuts; they’re just so yesterday!
This is the same Daily Mail that thinks a ‘poll’ of 57 people in Oldham gives a meaningful insight into the pending by-election. Any chance we can all just agree to ignore them?
Perhaps Daniel would like to set up a few scholarships on the proceeds of the excess income from capital of £45 million! (I speak as someone who was slightly appalled to discover that a phased gift of £600 to my alma mater made me a Silver Donor.)
Perhaps someone could tell me why saddling every tax-payer with large long-term debts through a runaway deficit and overuse of PFI is supposed to be better than allowing people to choose to go to university without paying up-front and having only to pay if and when they were doing quite well financially.
@Ian Sanderson (RM3). “Perhaps someone could tell me why saddling every tax-payer with large long-term debts through a runaway deficit and overuse of PFI is supposed to be better than allowing people to choose to go to university without paying up-front and having only to pay if and when they were doing quite well financially.” You had better ask Mr Clegg, because what you describe “was” official LibDem policy at the last General Election. Mr Clegg and all the LD MPs promised, pledged, hand-on-heart “new politics”-style that they would implement this policy. I think we all know what happened to the policy (as with many other policies) when the Tory party started calling the shots. “No more broken promises”
Instead of blaming others for the public turning against them, prehaps the lib dem leaders should take responsiability and face upto the fact that they made a complete U turn on the cost of studying. I am definately regretting my vote, not because Daniel Radcliffe or anyone else has spoken but because Nick Clegg seems to have turned into Cameron’s lap dog.
@ Lexi
Well there’s the small problem of 306 Tories in Parliament who do support increasing fees isn’t there?
There’s also the small problem of all the Labour MPs in Parliament too, who pretty much stood on a platform to increase fees!!!
So, given the public voted for all these MPs who want to increase fees . . . what has happened!!?
The Lib Dem MPs could sit on their hands and let purely Tory policy through; or engage and try to make the new scheme it as fair as they could, the price being a vote in favour. A horrible decision to make, and I respect MPs who voted with their consciences on this (you might be interested in Martin Lewis’ blog on this: http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2010/12/17/will-new-student-loans-stop-you-getting-a-mortgage/)
As for fairweather celebrities; I hope we’ve learned the lesson of making a big thing about celebrity-backers. They’re as fickle as most voters, so of course, given we’re down in the polls some of those celebrities will have dropped away.
I don’t see how it is fair to force those leaving full-time education at the age of 16 to pay for those who go on to university and benefit from their degrees. The argument is often made in response that graduate education has a larger public benefit. Really? Try telling that to my mother who is blocked from employment she is more than qualified for due to the lack of a degree.
A graduate contribution is the fairest way to fund student finance, something that at least the NUS understand. Whether its called a contribution, tax, loan, or fees is all just semantics given the amount of money you end up paying is pretty much the same anyway.
For people on low incomes this Government is doing marvellous things. Low-earning graduates will pay back far less than they did previously thanks to the shift in the repayment threshold in the student finance system, and low-earners in general are being taken out of the tax system altogether. Of course though, Daniel Radcliffe would not understand that.
@ Grammar Police
Would that be the Tory MP’s who make up a minority in the House of Commons, and who would not be able to pass anything without the support of the LD’s then?
As has been said many times before; at least be honest with the electorate! Don’t make pledges you can’t keep (and probably didn’t believe in anyway) then throw the baby out with the bathwater when you get into power because you pretend to have discovered things were in a worse state than you thought pre-GE!
It just doesn’t wash. Tuition fees are a bad idea period; we already spend too little on tertiary education, not too much. This one issue has probably done your party more harm than anything since Jeremy Thorpe, and at the current rate you will be heading back to the level of support and parliamentary representation enjoyed when he was in charge. Good job….!
@ Grammar Police
I was merely pointing out that the Lib Dems seem to be blaming everyone else for the public’s response to the rise in tuition fees. It has nothing to do with ‘ fairweather celebrities’, they should accept the responsibility and stop passing the blame off on other.