THE Lib Dems should be thoroughly embarrassed by a carpeting they have received from the Information Commissioner's Office, which ruled that the party broke rules over direct marketing techniques by placing a quarter of a million cold calls to prospective voters.
And the party's leader, Sheffield MP Nick Clegg, has shown himself to be woefully out of touch with normal family life by defending the idea when it was first put forward last week.
He had defended the idea when it was first put forward, suggestin
g that 'people don't have to pick up the phone' if they don't like the time when the call is being made.
That is simply ridiculous. In the average home, until you pick up the phone people don't know who is on the other end of the line. And the chances are that it could be an important call, rather than a pompous politician intruding into your private life.
Someone who would be Prime Minister needs to do better than that if he is to persuade the man and woman in the street that he understands what makes their daily lives tick.
And he needs to show that his party, which after all plays a part in the law making process, understands rules - and knows how to obey them.
True story hammers home the dangersTHE city's first ever Alcohol Summit got underway today to hammer home the stark warning of the dangers of drinking too much.
Organised by the Drug and Alcohol Action Team, it will bring together a wide range of people with vested interests in the issue to pool ideas and share experiences. And there can be no more chilling an experience than that of city councillor Clive Skelton whose 32 year old daughter died as a result of her drink addiction.
He shows great courage to speak out on what must be a crushingly painful episode in his family's life. We are sure that the tragic story of his daughter will do a great deal of good, hammering home the danger of over-indulgence better than a mountain of statistics and community initiatives ever will.
Got a view? Add your comment below.READ MOREMain news indexYour letters.
FeaturesMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport.The full article contains 408 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
