Cable backs away from Thatcher bashing
By Fran Singh - 19th April 2011
Vince Cable is once again today facing backlash for one his speeches, but rather unusually it seems that this time it is for what he didn't say.
Just days after landing himself in trouble for rocking the coalition boat when he urged Cameron to rethink his speech on immigration, the Lib Dem business secretary is now being rebuked for both attacking the Tories but also for not attacking them hard enough.
Last night Cable addressed both the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and also spoke to the BBC during his campaign visit ahead of the devolved elections. Both were due to follow a largely similar script.
ConHome editor Tim Montgomerie tweeted referring to Cable's use of language in his BBC interview saying: "Another day, another Vince Cable attack on Conservatism. Today, it's about Scottish "revulsion" towards Thatcherism."
However, his address to the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, which was sent out "check against delivery" and tweeted in advance by the Lib Dems, was attacked by opposition parties as it seems the business secretary made a number of last minute alterations dropping planned criticisms of the Conservative party.
In his actual speech, attacks such as "I remember the negative side of Thatcherism - the poll tax, mass unemployment and the claims that there was no such thing as society," were spiked.
Scottish Labour Leader Iain Gray commented: "Clearly Nick Clegg tried to stop Vince Cable making this speech because it is an astonishing attack on his coalition partners."
The SNP said the Cable "shambles" finished off the last of his credibility in Scotland.
Whether or not Vince Cable was "gagged" by Nick Clegg remains to be seen but it seems he is finding out the hard way that he is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd