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Cheated!
Reporter: Beatriz Ayala EXCLUSIVE
Date online: 23 December 2010
Election 2011
Clegg’s verdict on Oldhamers’ treatment in botched poll Troubled Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has slammed the actions of Phil Woolas during the General Election, saying Oldham voters were cheated the last time they went to the ballot box.
Speaking to Chronicle reporter Beatriz Ayala in an exclusive interview, Mr Clegg said he could not understand why neither Mr Woolas nor Labour leader Ed Miliband had not apologised.
Mr Clegg — today facing fresh revelations about his ministers’ private thoughts on leading Conservatives in the coalition — urged residents to vote for “plain talking, straight-forward” Lib-Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins in the January 13 Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.
Mr Clegg said: “I’m here to support Elwyn in what is a really exciting by-election and an opportunity for the people of Oldham East and Saddleworth to choose an MP they want.
“Frankly, they were cheated last time.
“I’m so full of admiration for the way Elwyn, with true plain-spoken grit, took this case to the court.
“The court showed that his Labour opponent had basically lied and stirred up tensions in the local community.
“I don’t understand why Phil Woolas or indeed Ed Miliband have still not apologised for what happened because it really was way below even the lowest standards of politics.”
Mr Watkins said Mr Woolas owed an apology to the people he had lied to and called for the Labour party to take action against all the people involved in the previous campaign.
He said: “The Labour party should be taking action against all those people who were involved in the spreading of hatred, not just Mr Woolas.
“What has happened to people like Joe Fitzpatrick (Mr Woolas’s agent) and John Battye (Oldham councillor and part of the Woolas campaign team)?
“They were all laughing and joking about the leaflets.
“We don’t need stirring up of racial tensions in Oldham.
“It’s for the Labour party to decide what action should be taken internally.
“It has now been three months since the leaflets were revealed in open court and apart from Harriet Harman suspending Phil Woolas immediately, they have taken no action. I’m happy to call for action to be taken against them.”
Mr Clegg said he believed the Lib-Dems could win the by-election and Mr Watkins had shown himself to be authentic and true to his values.
He said the Labour party had created a huge mess and it would be a great pity if Oldham East and Saddleworth residents were represented by a party he said had shown itself as “not fit” to manage Britain’s economy.
When questioned about the Lib-Dems being criticised for U-turns on issues such as tuition fees, Mr Clegg said: “Only the Lib-Dems wanted to get rid of fees.
“Since no-one won the election, and we didn’t win the election, we clearly had to compromise.
“It was a compromise rather than a U-turn.”
He said in practice the coalition Government had created a system that was fair and made it cheaper and easier to go to university.
He added: “While we are saying the charges a university can charge might be going up, actually the repayments made by graduates will be going down.
“All graduates will pay less every month than they currently do, the majority of graduates will never have to pay back the full value of the loan.
“When people start to see the details and start looking beyond the misleading allegations made by Labour, they appreciate that what we’ve done is create a system that is really fair, cheaper and easier for people to go to university.
“Students will not pay a penny, you only pay well after you’ve left university and only then after you can afford to.
Mr Clegg said it was right to bring the date of the by-election forward as it was unfair that Oldham East and Saddleworth was not currently properly represented in parliament.
He said: “My message to Oldham Chronicle readers is that this is a simple decision as to who they will believe will stand up for the local area.
“Elwyn has already stood up for himself in terms of the most horrid lies and misrepresentation by Labour.
“A vote for Elwyn is a vote for plain-talking, straight-forward political representation.”
Comments
Mr. Clegg may be right. Maybe the people were cheated by Mr. Woolas and his team; but maybe they were also cheated by Mr. Watkins who went to the polls with his party's policy not to increase tuition fees. Mr. Clegg has spent many weasel words trying to "move on" from that lie and Mr. Watkins has said he supports his leader's position. It seems there are lies which must be challenged in court, and other lies which can be forgotten when they become inconvenient.
Which of the current LibDem values is Mr. Watkins supposed to be true to? He will need some guidance here as there is quite a range to choose from. Should he stick to their manifesto ones for example or should he go with ones that see principles sacrificed for ministerial positions and a chance to be David Cameron's toy poodle?
Cheated! All those who voted Libdem and got Tories.
I think Clegg needs to be careful when he talks about who cheated who.
The LibDems said they would scrap tuition fee's, and their candidate, Mr Watkins, signed a pedge to that effect. He has since said he would have voted for the increase. Isn't that cheating the electorate?
Clegg of course comes out with the well rehearsed excuses, for this and all the other policies they did a u-turn, sorry, compromised, on!!!
He's right, they didn't win the election, and they shouldn't win this one either!
"Cheated"? a dangerous word for Clegg to use. What about the Lib Dem voteers who feel cheated by the Lib Dem "U" turn on student fees? What about the Lib Dem voters who feel cheated by the Lib Dem "U" turn on not increasing VAT? What about the Lib Dem voters who feel cheated by the Lib Dem "U" turn on plice numbers.?
How about all of the students and their parents who voted Lib Dem on the basis of their pledge to oppose rises in University tuition fees? Pot, kettle, black. They're all as bad as one another.
The only reason we are not being represented at Parliament is because Watkins is a bad loser and thinks the voters of the constituency believe everything they read in the dross that is constantly pushed through or doors and it influencies the way we vote. Watkins you and your party have blown it big time and bringing opportunists like Clegg to support you is another clanger.
Wasn't the Liberal Democrat 'pledge' on university funding a lie? What about reducing knife crime and now not sending perpetrators to prison; a lie? What about helping people to get jobs and now removing the Educational Maintenance allowance; a lie?
This is a Tory government, with right wing Tory policies, that is enthusiastically supported by our local Liberal politicians. The whole Tory/Liberal arrangement is a lie. Hypocrites.
Ho! Ho! Ho! well it is Christmas after all.
And if you cant get tickets to see the local pantomime,well
at least youve just read a good script for one.And to finish off--He's behind you--Ho! Ho! Ho!
Nick Clegg has got a cheek. He is the one who should be apologising, to the whole country, for the utter betrayal of his written pledge on tuition fees he gave before the general election.
Clegg has abandoned his principles for the sake of a government limousine and, with the Lib Dems only on 11% in the national polls, he'll pay the electoral price very soon.
my parents have had numerous unwanted canvassing calls off watkins,who is paying the phone bill he is racking up?
something fishy there i think
Talk about 'calling the kettle black'. Shouldn't Mr Clegg apologise for his own deceit during the election campaign? He certainly ought to.
I cannot believe what I have just been reading, regading Mr Clegg, saying Mr Woolas was a cheat. I think that is right out of order, and a full written apology should be sent to Mr Woolas, if he did wrong he has been punished beause of your Mr Watkins who is a cheat saying he would vote with you over the students. Mr Clegg you are a bigger cheat as you went on National TV with your signature and a big smile on your face, saying you would not go against the students in any way and signed it
Mr Watkins is far too desperate to becoming an MP. Whats the big pull? Who is he going to take to court if he doesnt get in in February?
I read in a Liberal supporting paper that the Liberals are expected to win the bye election. I suspect that the journalist has never been to Oldham or spoken to many Oldhamers since the Liberals threw in their lot with the Tory government. The voters who now regard themselves as having been conned by the Liberals are saying that they will never give the turncoat party their support ever again.
dam is right, that's what they are saying to me too.
Have Your Say
Pity Clegg and Watkins didn't meet local students - and ask them if they feel cheated by the Lib Dems broken promises over Tuition Fees and EMA.
Oh silly me ! the election has been timed so that University College Oldham students won't be back in time for the election !
By Red Delpher @ 23/12/2010 15:38:36