Wince at Vince

The highly egotistical Vince Cable is in more trouble than is really warranted, after having been "stung" by three Telegraph people into doing what he does best - and most - which is to talk his head off, usually (as in this case) about his own significance.

This has been able to be used to stir up something of a hornet's nest, as he has claimed (when talking to what he had been led to believe were activists from his own party) that he can always walk out of the coalition if he is "pushed too far" and (he thinks) bring the government down.

I don't think so: the first yes, but the second no!

David Laws, as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, was in a far more significant position that Vince's job as Business Secretary, and Laws's departure hardly "brought the government down", so Cable's claim hardly enhances his reputation for understand much about how real government works. Of course, the Lib Dems don't exactly have a track record in that regard...

Cable is just a silly old fool (as commentators have been saying for a long time, especially during these past two days) with a very lefty background, who has been so obviously uncomfortable with the coalition with the Tories that everyone is already expecting him to walk out at the slightest provocation anyway.

There can be no bombshell from Cable!

So, however much the media play this up, it really isn't of any consequence. The only effect this whole incident will have is going to be even further distrust of the media, including those who pose as party activists (i.e. the dishonest ones).

It won't be the first time that has happened, and for similar reasons; but it all adds to the divide between politicians as a group and the rest of society, when they end up pushed into a mind-set like Private Fraser from the Dad's Army closing sequence, looking about him in an almost panic-stricken manner and suspicious of everything (and, in this case, everyone) around him:

In conclusion: no-one is going to benefit from the Telegraph's scam in the long run - but it's done now and there's no turning the clock back.

UPDATE 22 Dec: it seems that others have come to much the same conclusions that I have, including Jonathon Isaby and Paul Goodman, among others.

UPDATE 24 Dec: Guido has run a poll on whether people believe Vince could bring down the Coalition by resigning. Out of well over four thousand responses, nearly 90% said "no" and under 8% said "yes".