Social Liberal Forum: An Interview with Vince Cable

When Mary Reid over at the Social Liberal Forum offered me a chance to do a blogger interview with a Lib Dem MP, I didn’t need to be asked twice! What followed was an interview with Vince which really did provide food for thought, below is the results of 35 minutes and several question with Vince in the basement of City University, London.

just a note to say that writing about every question asked, would simply make this blog unreadable although in due course I will release the transcript of the interviews.

Being called early to meet Vince, I found myself in a room with himself, a few organisers and a feeling mass excitement. I’ve always had a quiet admiration for the man, and the chance to meet him and interview him was not something I was willing to pass up.

Sitting around a small table with an intimate group, whose blogs I will link to in due course,  the atmosphere was relaxed and just with a slight hint of nervousness, I think mainly from the bloggers point of view though!

The session kicked off with Jack asking about corporate social responsibility as a way and means into higher education, where Vince talked about how important apprenticeships are, and the companies roles in this. Vince said that there are ‘the inducement the governments can offer , it’s what we call off-quota places, It is isn’t widely understood but university places are allocated on a sort of gosplan system where the university is allocated so many places to so many universities. If employers are willing to pay then you just let people in without restriction for those categories’

It’s an interesting point how many companies are willing to put there staff through university, and how many will simply be afraid that their staff will be stolen! I do hope that this government pursues more CSR in the field of education!

As the Interview progressed it seemed, that not just myself, but everyone else was recording it for posterity, and Lee made a comment on this. Saying to Vince “I  bet you are glad to see all the listening devices on the table” to which Vince replied “At least I know they are there” to much raucous laughter, even Vince can make a joke at his own behalf! It certainly saved to lighten the mood!

As the interview progressed, it came around to my question, somewhat flogging a dead horse, I decided to ask about tuition fees. It is something I am keen to discuss. Not what we did wrong, but simply where do we go from here? What is the shape of a future policy.

Vinces answer left a lot to be desired, and it needs to be covered in another blog to do it justice, but the basic answer was wait and see how the new plan pans out because we have no idea how it will.

My second question was in regards to Vince’s media image. As we know there is a number of time he’s spoken out and been castigated for it. He says things which aren’t always popular, but exceedingly I find right. Actually Kel Blundell asked at one point whether Vince was a Cassandra of politics. The answer is yes.  Vince complained about the media make up saying that 70% of newspapers are right wing and hostile, and notably remarking that ‘the Murdoch press which has its own agenda, and is not very friendly to us’ which could be the understatement of the day!

However what Vince did go onto emphasise was was that TV and Radio were neutral mediums and he tried to exploit them as much as possible to explain our cause, and asked just how we thought he was doing? In all honesty, okay, he speaks out and is right, but sometimes with the hostile right-wing press the message can become somewhat distorted.

It finished with Mark Pack, editor of Lib Dem voice asking Vince his favourite moment in government so far? Vince’s answer? Driving an Aston Martin DB at 150 mph round a race track, seems like all the ministers get all the fun!

I can tell you there was a joke made about Chris Huhne and speeding, but it’s not for sharing, and Vince was very funny!

Within 35 minutes, Vince was gone, and that was my interview over, but overall it was damned interesting to sit down with a cabinet minister face to face and talk about policy and futures! Let’s just hope many of the good things Vince talked about come to fruition and people realise that the fruits of Lib Dem toil are sweet, juicy and numerous by the next election!