Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Vince: Coalition a "Business, not a Marriage"

I interviewed Vince Cable tonight. He described the coalition as a "business, not a marriage". Hmmm. A business is rather easier to wind up than a marriage!

Discuss.

15 comments:

Obnoxio The Clown said...

"A business is rather easier to wind up than a marriage!"

Not in my experience.

cynicalHighlander said...

Insolvent.

rob's uncle said...

A business partnership is governed by a partnership agreement which spells out what each partner brings to the business, be it know how or capital, and what they can take out, as salary or profit share. Also on what grounds and terms the partnership can be dissolved.

What the partners don’t get is the protection of limited liability, so each is fully liable ‘down to the last cuff-link’ for the debts run up by the other if the business goes bust.

I agree with Vince that this is the right metaphor for the Coalition.

AndrewSouthLondon said...

Correction - government has no cufflinks. Government has only that which it takes from us. They don't go bust - we do.

Mike Wood said...

Isn't that how John Redwood used to describe the EU?

Anonymous said...

Seems a sensible riposte to the Davis remark and all the other hoopla.

Check the divorce rate. Marriage is not that difficult to dissolve.

A partnership can indeed be unlimited liability, but businesses can be limited liability and if one goes bust the owners can always set up in business again.

Quite frankly having seen Simon Heffer ranting for the second time in a week against the coalition I think I would prefer to have Cable on my side when it comes to doing what is right for Britain

Anonymous said...

Don't you love it when people who have had no experience of risking their own money in a business venture or who have ever had other peoples livelihoods directly dependant upon them - talk about "business"?

I can't help thinking that "a marriage of convenience" is a more apt description of this coalition.

Mummylonglegs said...

And when was the last time you wound up a marriage Iain. Your talking shite on a subject you know nothing about. Marriage is easy to dissolve, business ties not so.

Mummy x

Brian said...

It is more like a commercial transaction with payment up front. What does that make the Limpdims?

Grand_Inquisitor said...

... but who is Mr Rolls and who is Mr Royce...?

................................. said...

I think he means the coalition is a matter of the head not the heart!

Penfold said...

Vince is very uncomfortable with the coalition, given that he is a socialist and really a member of the Scottish Labour mafia.
His comment betrays the fact that he recognises that he has been bought and sold into an arranged marriage.

Anonymous said...

What is so hard to understand about this? The Coalition is an fixed-term agreement that secures a majority for a government. Labour is in coalition with Plaid in Wales, but doesn't mean that those two parties are merging or permanently aligned.

Anonymous said...

Once again someone, George this time, misreads I think Cable.

I don't like him, he is somewhat over rated as a politician and sage. But he defended the budget robustly enough and he is currently doing more for Britain than the odious Heffer.

Cables remarks were quite a clever leger de main riposte to the rubbish from Davis. Maybe he is learning on the job.

Joe Public said...

In a marriage, don't both parties enjoy screwing the other?

Oh, now I realise what Vince means.