Liberal Democrat conference: Nick Clegg warned over 'dictatorship' risk [View All]

[Turborama]

Source: Telegraph (UK)

Nick Clegg has been warned that he and the other Liberal Democrat Coalition ministers are creating a “dictatorship” at the top of the party which is ignoring the views of the rank-and-file.

By Andrew Porter, Political Editor. Published: 11:50AM BST Sep 20 2010 -

Mike Hancock, a Lib Dem MP, said that the coming cuts to welfare budgets would be “spiteful, vindictive…and pander to the worse aspects of the Tories.

His attack came as Mr Clegg prepared to give his keynote speech to his party at their annual conference in Liverpool. The Deputy Prime Minister will dismiss his critics, arguing that he was right to form a Coalition with David Cameron’s Conservatives.

Mr Hancock wrote an open letter to Mr Clegg outlining his fears for the party. He said: “I am writing to you with two concerns. Firstly, that we may be abandoning a key aspect of the Liberal Democrat policy in supporting the welfare state.

“And secondly, we are going beyond the coalition agreement without it being referred back to the democratic structures of the party. I am sure you agree with me that we must not have dictatorship of the party by 20 Lib Dem ministers.”

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/nick-clegg/8013237/Liberal-Democrat-conference-Nick-Clegg-warned-over-dictatorship-risk.html

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Seems like a rift is developing in the LibCon space-time continuum.