Nick Clegg calls for 10% of the bank tax20: 36 12/03/2010, Patrick Wintour, Allegra Stratton, banking, business, economic policy, the 2010 general ele

Nick Clegg calls for 10% of the bank tax20: 36 12/03/2010, Patrick Wintour, Allegra Stratton, banking, business, economic policy, the 2010 general elections, the Liberal Democrats, News, Nick Clegg, politics recession, news, The Guardian, UK, Guardian Unlimited

Lib Dem leader condemns bankers as "Scargills in pinstripes" and says that voters, not him, decide who's next PM

Nick Clegg calls for a 10% tax on profits of banks to finance a program of 2 million pounds of job creation to rescue victims of the recession.

In an interview with The Guardian, Liberal Democrat leader convicted como''Arthur striped bankers behave Scargill,''and promised that his party will be "a radical rather than moderate force" in the case of a hung parliament that the party time Majority is committed to bringing the deficit under control.

On the eve of the conference before the spring elections of his party, insisted that his party fully consulted before joining a coalition or support to a speech by the Queen, for a minority government.

Clegg stressed that not for himself but for the electorate to decide if David Cameron or Gordon Brown becomes prime minister. However, Brown also attacked in pejorative terms: "It is very difficult to invest much hope or faith in a man who could not even keep their own relationships with colleagues."

He said Brown was not a credible figure to rebuild the economy. "This is the man who caused the damage should not be the person to do the repair work.

The conversion at the end of Brown to the electoral reform was "just a moment, alleluia." He added: "There is no point to hold onto power when it is obvious that the British do not want you ... I prefer someone else.

"That's where subtlety constitutional bumps against the political reality. For me to decide. We give the electorate of cards, dealing with them."

Clegg said he remained, in general, "very critical" by Margaret Thatcher, but admitted that Britain needs to rediscover the enthusiasm displayed in dealing with unions.

The banks, he said, are interested in contemporary Britain. He said: "Bankers are Scargill in stripes. Scargill declared aim was to challenge that runs the country. The bankers have behaved arrogantly the same ... that only benefit themselves ...

"Banks have been basically a support without the hindrance of Labor and Conservative governments to do exactly what they want, and take bigger risks with our lives, livelihoods and savings.

"They've been holding a gun to the economy. A progressive liberal like me will be very careful with the whine of a personal interest.

The only tax increase proposed by his party, now the back of a 10% tax on bank profits, the collapse of investment banks and retail arms, and finally, the requirement that owned banks from taxpayers - RBS and Lloyds - were forced to act in the public interest in matters such as acquisitions in the UK.

It also proposes more stringent requirements on banks to lend. "What I hear from conservatives is ..." we have to wait for the rest of the world. I really do not think the conservatives get much are we skating on thin ice as an economy.

"Unless there is some interest at this time to ourselves, unilaterally, immediately, we are asking for trouble. The liabilities of British banks are now four and a half times the size of the UK economy. We are like a large version of Iceland. We are not protected in any way.

In his interview Clegg also:

Rejects Tory plans to open new schools and nonprofit rejects the opening of new schools. "I keep reading us and the Conservatives have identical policies in schools, but is a total loss.

insists that there will be no cuts ringfence NHS. He said: "We have to make significant savings to safeguard GP surgery or