In February, the Sunday Telegraph asked Tory donors, “big beasts” and young activists what they thought of the coalition, and of David Cameron’s performance as prime minister. Now, as recess begins, they have returned to them – and thrown in the views of their opposite numbers in the Lib Dems too.
The quotes firmly suggest that Tory donors don’t feel the coalition is Tory enough; that it is pursuing all kinds of footling Lib Dem projects while the economy should be the focus. For example, here’s Lord Harris of Peckham:
“I don’t think David Cameron is representing core Conservative voters or values — he’s a different generation to mine. I’m against gay marriage — may be it’s my age. And when our economy is faltering, I’d rather we didn’t spend hundreds of millions of pounds on [holding] an EU referendum.”
And here is the exquisitely forthright entrepreneur Hugh Osmond:
“They need to be radical and pro-growth. And House of Lords reform? Who gives a f***? Get the economy growing at 2, 3, 4% a year then do stuff like that. Nick Clegg is a banana for getting involved with that stuff now.”
Meanwhile, the big preoccupation among the Liberal Democrats was how to disentangle the party from the Tories in voters’ minds — in time not to be wiped out at the next election. Lord Oakeshott wins runner-up prize in the colourful metaphor stakes with this:
“It will be far easier to get our Lib Dem message across at the next election if Lib Dem ministers are not still in Government playing the pantomime horse with their Conservative colleagues right up to polling day.”
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You can read the full set of interviews here.
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