Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 12530 / 251,287

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 96 97 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/06
1986/05
1987/06
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05
1992/01 1992/06 1992/12
1993/10
1996/11
1997/12
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples Consulate Naha
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AORC ASEC AF AR AM AS AEMR ASEAN AJ AFFAIRS AFIN AMGT AODE APEC AE ABLD ACBAQ APECO AFSI AFSN AY AO AU ABUD ADPM AG ACOA ANET AINF AC APER AMED ATRN ADCO ARF AL ASIG ASCH AID ASUP AADP AMCHAMS AGAO AIT AMBASSADOR AUC AA ASEX AER AVERY AGRICULTURE AMG AFU AN ALOW ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG ACS APCS ADANA AECL ACAO AORG AGR AROC ACABQ AGMT AORL AX AMEX ADM AFGHANISTAN AZ AND ARM AQ ATFN
BR BK BL BA BO BRUSSELS BM BEXP BU BD BG BP BB BF BTIO BBSR BY BH BIDEN BX BE BTIU BT BWC BMGT BC BN BILAT
CA CVIS CO CS CJAN CU CARICOM CI CB CASC CE CH CN CONDOLEEZZA CMGT CW CODEL CWC CT CBW CPAS CFED CG CACS CY CAN CSW CIDA CIC CITT CONS CM CD CLINTON CDG COM CDC CROS CLMT CAPC COPUOS CTR CF CJUS CL CR CARSON CHR CACM CDB COE CV CBC COUNTERTERRORISM CIA CNARC COUNTER CICTE COUNTRY CBSA CEUDA CAC CBE CTM CIS CKGR CVR CITEL CLEARANCE
DR DISENGAGEMENT DE DJ DA DOMESTIC DEA DOD DTRA DOE DS DEFENSE DO DHS DAO DCM DEAX DK DPRK DEPT
ETTC ECON EWWT EC EMIN ETRD EINV EAID EG EFIN EAGR ENRG EIND EPET EUN ECPS ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ENIV ENGR ECIN ELTN EAIR EI EFIS ECUN EU ELAB EN EFTA ENGY ECONOMICS ET ES ETRDEINVTINTCS EFINECONCS ELECTIONS EIAR EZ EINDETRD EINT EUR EREL EUC ER ESENV ELN ECONEFIN EK EPA EURN EAIG ECONCS EEPET ESA ENNP EDU EUREM ENVR ECA ENVI EXIM ECIP ENERG EFIM EAIDS ETRDECONWTOCS EUNCH EINVETC ECONOMIC EINVECONSENVCSJA EUMEM ETRA EXTERNAL ERNG ETRC ETRO ETRN EINVEFIN ECINECONCS ERD ETC EAP ECONOMY EINN EXBS
FI FR FTAA FAC FOI FJ FM FREEDOM FMLN FAO FTA FDA FARC FBI FO FISO FOR FOREIGN FAS FINR FINANCE
GG GM GZ GAZA GH GR GOI GANGS GV GCC GY GT GAERC GERARD GA GE GOV GTIP GLOBAL GTMO GL GF
HK HR HA HURI HO HUMAN HU HSTC HILLARY HYMPSK HUMOR HEBRON HI
IN IAEA IR IS IT IMF IBRD IZ IC IWC ISRAELI INTERPOL ICAO IO ITRA ILO ISLAMISTS ITALY ITALIAN IRAQI IPR IQ IV IRS IAHRC IACI ID INRB ICTY IL ICRC IMO ICJ ITU ILC IIP IRC IDP IDA IZPREL IRAJ IA ITF IF INMARSAT ISRAEL ICTR IGAD INRA INRO IEFIN INTELSAT INTERNAL INDO ITPHUM ITPGOV IBET INR IEA
JA JP JM JO JAMES JOSEPH JOHN JOHNNIE JUS
KPAO KMDR KISL KNNP KRVC KDEM KCRM KPAL KTIA KV KCOR KJUS KOMC KTFN KWBG KTIP KSCA KMPI KSUM KIRF KIRC KE KZ KIPR KWMN KFRD KSEP KN KAWC KOLY KCFE KPKO KIDE KMRS KFLU KSAF KS KGIC KRAD KU KHLS KCIP KOCI KSTH KG KGHG KUNR KR KVPR KBTR KRIM KREC KTDB KDRG KSPR KICC KAWK KMCA KPLS KCOM KAID KGCC KPRP KSTC KNSD KBIO KGIT KSEO KFLO KPAONZ KFSC KOM KRGY KPOA KACT KHIV KTEX KLIG KBCT KWMM KPAI KICA KNAR KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KHDP KHUM KBTS KCRS KHSA KO KVIR KX KVRP KMOC KNUC KSEC KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KCMR KPWR KPIN KESS KDEV KCGC KWWMN KPRV KPAK KWNM KWMNCS KRFD KSCI KDDG KIFR KMFO KFIN KNEI KTER KWAC KOMS KCRCM KNUP KMIG KNNPMNUC KNPP KERG KTLA KCSY KTRD KID KSAC KJUST KRCM KTBT KCFC KCHG KREL KFTFN KDEMAF
LY LTTE LE LH LU LO LI LG LA LT LABOR LAB LOG
MARR MOPS MG MASS MW MIL MX MNUC MTCRE MCAP MAS MO MTCR MU MRCRE MY MD MK MP MAPP MR MT MCC MZ MIK MTRE ML MDC MAR MA MQADHAFI MASC MV MAPS MARAD MEETINGS MEDIA MEPP MPOS MILITARY MASSMNUC MEPN MI MC MUCN MERCOSUR MOPPS MTS MLS MILI MEPI
NZ NL NI NU NATO NO NPT NE NRR NA NR NATIONAL NIPP NDP NPA NG NAFTA NT NS NK NGO NP NASA NAR NSF NV NORAD NSSP NH NATOPREL NSG NW NPG NSFO NEW NZUS NSC NC
OTRA OPRC OIIP OAS OPDC OVIP OEXC OPIC OECD OSCE OPCW OREP OFFICIALS ODIP OES OSCI OHUM OMIG OFDP OVP OCII OPAD OIC OIE OCS OBSP OTR OSAC ON OFDA
PHUM PREL PINR PARM PGOV PM PTER PREF PA PHSA PK POL PINS PBTS PL PE PFOR PALESTINIAN PUNE PDOV PGOVLO PAO POLITICS PO PHUMBA PSEPC PAK PTBS PCUL PLN PROP PRL PBIO PGOC PNAT PREO PAHO PINL POGOV PU PF PY POV PNR PGOVE PG PROG PCI PREFA PP PMIL POLINT PGGV PHALANAGE PARTY PHUS PDEM PECON PROV PSOE PAS PHUMPREL PMAR PGIV PRAM PHUH PSA PHUMPGOV PEL PSI PAIGH POLITICAL PARTIES POSTS PARMS POLICY PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PBT PTERE PRGOV PORG PS PGOF PKFK PEPR PPA PINT PRELP PINF PNG
QA
RS RU RICE RW RM RCMP RO RIGHTS RUPREL RFE RF ROOD RP REACTION RIGHTSPOLMIL ROBERT RELATIONS RSO REPORT REGION RSP
SCUL SOCI SNAR SENV SY SR SU SO SP SA SZ SF SMIG SPCE SW SIPDIS SYR SHI STEINBERG SN SL SNARIZ SG SNARN SEVN SARS SSA SC SIPRS SYRIA SNARCS SAARC SHUM SK SI SPCVIS SOFA SANC SEN SH SCRS SENVKGHG SWE SAN ST
TPHY TW TU TBIO TRGY TSPA TX TN TSPL TL TV TC TZ TS TF TNGD TI TIP TH TINT TT TFIN TD TP TAGS TK TR TERRORISM THPY TO TRSY TURKEY TBID
UK UP US UNSC UNHCR USEU UNGA UG UNESCO UY UN UNMIK USTR USOAS UNHRC UZ USUN UV UNEP UNODC UNCHS UNDP UNCHR UNFICYP UNAUS UNO UNPUOS UNC UNIDROIT UNDESCO UNCHC UNCND UNICEF UNCSD UNDC USNC USPS USAID UE UNVIE UAE
VT VM VE VZ VN VTPREL VTIZ VAT VC VTEG VI
WI WMD WHO WTRO WIPO WHA WTO WFP WS WTRQ WWARD WBG WITH WMO WEU WZ WHTI WA WB
XM XR XZ XF XA XB XV XL XG XC XTAG XK XY XH XT XE XU XX XD XW XI XQ XS
YM YI YE YMCS
ZB ZI ZA ZK ZF ZU ZR ZP ZANU ZO ZOELLICK ZL ZJ ZEALAND ZN

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 08LONDON2363, C/NF) NICK CLEGG TRIES TO GIVE UK VOTERS A REASON TO VOTE LIB DEM REF: A. LONDON 1886 B. LONDON 732 Classified By: Minister Political Counselor Greg Berry, reasons 1.4 (b/ d).

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08LONDON2363.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08LONDON2363 | 2008-09-18 16:16 | 2011-02-04 21:00 | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | Embassy London

`

    VZCZCXRO6065
    PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
    DE RUEHLO #2363/01 2621616
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 181616Z SEP 08
    FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9782
    INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 002363

    SIPDIS

    NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2018

    TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR UK

    SUBJECT: (C/NF) NICK CLEGG TRIES TO GIVE UK VOTERS A REASON TO VOTE LIB DEM REF: A. LONDON 1886 B. LONDON 732 Classified By: Minister Political Counselor Greg Berry, reasons 1.4 (b/ d).

    1.(C/NF) Summary. At the Liberal Democrats' annual fall conference this week, new leader Nick Clegg tried to stamp his authority on the party by pushing through a radical tax cutting agenda calling for a total of GBP 20 billion cut in government spending, an agenda he hopes will be a defining electoral issue for the party in the next election. The tax cuts mark a major shift in Lib Dem policy, previously known for its tax-and-spend agenda, and Clegg's proposals faced some opposition from the left wing of the party. Clegg's attempts to broadcast his anti-tax message and his success in repositioning the Lib Dems to the center ground of British politics were, however, largely overshadowed by the turmoil in the global financial markets and by the continuing turmoil in the Labour Party surrounding Prime Minister Brown's premiership (septels). Consequently, what has arguably been the Lib Dem's most successful conference has largely gone unnoticed by the British public. End Summary.

    A Policy Shift for the Party ---------------------------

    2.(SBU) The annual political party season kicked off this week when the Liberal Democrats met in Bournemouth for their annual convention. Under new leader Nick Clegg, the Lib Dems have been enjoying a welcome bout of stability, after the turbulent years of Charles Kennedy's leadership - and his well documented problems with alcoholism - followed by the damp squib reign of party elder statesman, Ming Campbell (reftels). The Lib Dems' poll numbers, however, have not improved much in recent months despite Clegg's best efforts, as the resurgent Conservative Party has been the beneficiary of disaffected Labour voters. At present, the Lib Dems are polling at 17 percent, with Labour at 26 percent and the Conservatives surging ahead on 50 percent in the latest polls.

    3.(C/NF) Clegg has staked his name, and the fortunes of the Lib Dem Party, on his radical plans to cut taxes, a major departure from previous Lib Dem policies. Of the three main parties, the Lib Dems in recent years have become known for their tax-and-spend plans, using money from higher income taxes on the well-off to fund a host of public services for the poor and elderly. After a tussle with the left wing of his party, who accused Clegg of aping the Conservative Party and of being "Cameron-lite," Clegg's proposals to cut taxes by GBP 20 billion (approx. 35 billion USD) were adopted by conference delegates. This new tax policy is set to form the basis of the party's next general election manifesto and, Clegg hopes, will set the Lib Dems apart from Labour and the Conservatives.

    4.(C/NF) Whether or not Clegg's radical new taxation plans will set the party apart, making it distinctive and more popular with voters, is questionable. In the UK's political landscape, the Lib Dems have always found themselves squeezed by either a resurgent Conservative Party or a newly energized Labour one and never been seen by voters as having policies that set them apart in such a meaningful way as to justify voting for a party not likely to take control in the Commons. The one notable exception was the Lib Dem's strong opposition to the war in Iraq, which the Lib Dems alone opposed and which resulted in disaffected voters within both the Labour and the Conservative parties voting 63 Lib Dems into Westminster in 2005 -- the party's high-water mark of popular support. With waning public and media interest in Iraq, the Lib Dems' standing has also fallen. According to media observers and party officials, Clegg's tax cutting agenda is an attempt to outflank both Labour and the Conservatives on the issue, as the Conservatives under Cameron have announced that the party will not commit to tax cuts at this time. The Lib Dems, therefore, aim to replace the Tories as the party of low taxation while also appealing to disaffected Labour voters by targeting the party's proposed tax cuts at lower and middle income earners.

     If A Conference Falls in the Forest -----------------------------------

    5.(C/NF) With turmoil in the world markets and rebellion among Labour MPs challenging PM Brown, the Lib Dem conference was largely unnoticed by the UK public and much of the media. One Scottish Liberal Democrat MP told us that, on turning up for a press conference at the conference to outline the party's international policies, journalists were only LONDON 00002363 002 OF 002 interested in whether or not he had spoken with a fellow Scottish MP - and Labour Minister of State - who was rumored to be resigning in opposition to Gordon Brown's continued leadership. The night of party leader Clegg's keynote address he was bumped to the third or fourth item on the main UK evening news programs behind stories on the global financial crisis, PM Brown's woes, and Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin.

    Comment -------

    6.(C/NF) More used to annual conferences dominated by its leaders' indiscretions or personality conflicts (reftels), the Lib Dems finally held a successful conference - but no one noticed. Despite the lack of public attention. party insiders and media observers generally have given Clegg good marks for using the time since his election to consolidate the party's base and reach consensus on the core policies it will present in the next election. The party, in the past, has had difficulty keeping its members on message and defining itself to the public -- a criticism Clegg is clearly attempting to address. Touted just last summer as the possible king-makers in a next election that many saw as likely to be evenly split between Labour and the Conservatives, the subsequent collapse of Labour support and the rise of the Conservatives has meant an end to media attention for the party and left the party struggling to explain to voters why a Lib Dem vote is not a "wasted vote." Clegg's relatively radical attempt to reposition the party's tax policies is an effort to give voters a reason to pay attention to the Lib Dems. Time will tell if the UK public sees it as a bold tactic, or as slightly cynical political gamesmanship. Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX
    TUTTLE

`