John
06-22-2010, 05:53 PM
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg faced jeers on Tuesday from opposition legislators who accused him of "selling his soul" as he took centre-stage in parliament for the first time.
Clegg, leader of the centre-left Liberal Democrats, entered a coalition government last month with the much larger centre-right Conservatives after an inconclusive election.
The two parties were not natural bedfellows, but Clegg has struck up a friendly rapport with Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron -- much to the disgust of the centre-left Labour Party, who had been in power for 13 years before the election.
"What an outrage it is that Mr Clegg sold his soul to the Conservatives," shouted Labour MP Chris Leslie during a rowdy session of questions to the deputy prime minister in the House of Commons.
Clegg came out fighting, accusing Labour of doing precious little while in office to deliver on promises including electoral reform, now Clegg's pet project in government.
"They had 13 years to do it and they did absolutely nothing," he said, drawing huge cheers from Conservative legislators -- a novel situation after years during which they, like Labour, jeered him whenever he stood up to speak.
Until the formation of the coalition government, Britain's first since World War Two, the perennially third-placed Liberal Democrats sat on the margins of the Commons where they were at best ignored or at worst mocked by the two larger parties.
The sight of Clegg battling at the prominent "despatch box," where ministers stand when taking questions from legislators, was a potent symbol of Britain's new political era.
Cameron sat just behind him smiling appreciatively as Clegg shouted to make himself heard over the Labour booing.
Cameron is accustomed to that kind of treatment. As leader of the opposition from 2005 to this year's election, and now as head of the government, he has faced the weekly ritual of "prime minister's questions," or PMQs, in the Commons.
PMQs is a fierce half-hour verbal joust during which the prime minister and the leader of the opposition hurl insults at one another and compete to come up with the wittiest put-downs while legislators on both sides howl and cheer.
Cameron, who has described PMQs as "a bear pit," appeared delighted on Tuesday that his Liberal Democrat deputy was the one doing the fighting.
Clegg, leader of the centre-left Liberal Democrats, entered a coalition government last month with the much larger centre-right Conservatives after an inconclusive election.
The two parties were not natural bedfellows, but Clegg has struck up a friendly rapport with Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron -- much to the disgust of the centre-left Labour Party, who had been in power for 13 years before the election.
"What an outrage it is that Mr Clegg sold his soul to the Conservatives," shouted Labour MP Chris Leslie during a rowdy session of questions to the deputy prime minister in the House of Commons.
Clegg came out fighting, accusing Labour of doing precious little while in office to deliver on promises including electoral reform, now Clegg's pet project in government.
"They had 13 years to do it and they did absolutely nothing," he said, drawing huge cheers from Conservative legislators -- a novel situation after years during which they, like Labour, jeered him whenever he stood up to speak.
Until the formation of the coalition government, Britain's first since World War Two, the perennially third-placed Liberal Democrats sat on the margins of the Commons where they were at best ignored or at worst mocked by the two larger parties.
The sight of Clegg battling at the prominent "despatch box," where ministers stand when taking questions from legislators, was a potent symbol of Britain's new political era.
Cameron sat just behind him smiling appreciatively as Clegg shouted to make himself heard over the Labour booing.
Cameron is accustomed to that kind of treatment. As leader of the opposition from 2005 to this year's election, and now as head of the government, he has faced the weekly ritual of "prime minister's questions," or PMQs, in the Commons.
PMQs is a fierce half-hour verbal joust during which the prime minister and the leader of the opposition hurl insults at one another and compete to come up with the wittiest put-downs while legislators on both sides howl and cheer.
Cameron, who has described PMQs as "a bear pit," appeared delighted on Tuesday that his Liberal Democrat deputy was the one doing the fighting.