CABLE SPEAKS OUT

VINCE Cable, the Liberal Democrats economics expert, is probably the most trusted man in British politics today. His popularity stems partly from the Lib Dem's detachment from the election's main jousting ground and partly because he saw the credit-crunch coming and seems willing to talk about Britain's current problems in very frank terms. So his onslaught yesterday on the way in which the Conservatives have involved British business in their National Insurance cut proposal is likely to register with a lot of people. This is what he said about the businessmen concerned: “If they are going to wade into this debate, they do have an obligation to explain how this national insurance cut is going to be paid for and that is where they are failing and they are being used.” (I said much the same in yesterday's Looking Around in the Bulletin) Mr Cable also took Gordon Brown to task for failing to “hit back” adequately at the businessmen -- some of the most prominent in Britain -- who backed the Conservative plan. But by saying that “they are being used” Mr Cable is surely taking exactly the same line as the prime minister who has said from the start that have been deceived and misled. Cable's view is that Mr Brown is in a weak position in criticising the business community because of his “efforts to co-opt captains of industry into the big tent”.