Up for the job

In short, Mr Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, was blaming the appalling state of the public finances that the coalition had the misfortune to inherit for its failure to put in place an effective growth strategy while his Labour counterpart said the Government’s spending cuts threaten to “betray” those young people and apprentices who cannot acquire a job.

Both men are right – up to a point. As Mr Clegg visited Rotherham to try and put a positive spin on his administration’s efforts to rebalance the economy, he was correct to highlight the difficulties posed by the deficit.

Yet, while Mr Miliband and his cohorts still appear to be in denial about their economic legacy to the nation, Labour is right with its criticism of the Government’s lack of practical help for young people, with various funding streams being scrapped or squeezed.

This was one of the biggest mistakes that the Thatcher and Major administrations made and it appears that neither Mr Clegg, or David Cameron for that matter, have learned the lessons of history.

While the DPM’s advisors talked up his speech, its contents appeared somewhat devoid of ambition at a time when the country is looking for firm economic leadership following the criticisms that have been made by, amongst others, the CBI.

Mr Clegg talks about long-term objectives, but the reality is that his party, and government, will be judged by the more immediate impact of their policies in a town like Rotherham which has become over-dependent on the public sector.