Dr Cable's advice clinic
These are heady but challenging times for the Liberal Democrats; they may have the whiff of power in their nostrils but in government they are regularly forced to eat a three-course meal of their own words.
So the Lib Dem faithful will be re-assured by calm words from their former deputy leader, now Business Secretary, Vince Cable.
Interviewed in the , for its "Secrets of my Success" feature, he tells would-be politicians: "Tell the truth - even if some people don't like it.
"The public respect politicans who are straightforward and don't use evasive language, although it's more difficult if you're a Cabinet Minister because you speak for the Government as a whole."
In opposition, as an economic guru, Dr Cable told the truth as he saw it - and the Welsh Lib Dems didn't like it.
Back in September 2009, he scrapping the defence training college at St Athan in south Wales.
He wrote in a pamphlet: "The main proposals are.......Reducing the amount of waste in the defence procurement process, including scrapping........the Defence Training Review contract (£13bn over 25 years)".
Eight days of Lib Dem discomfort with Dr Cable's truth later, : "I didn't actually refer to it being scrapped at all."
That denial didn't convince the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. told her party's conference in September: "Now, he may be a saint, but when Vince Cable, before the election, decided to commit our party to cutting the proposed military college at St Athan in South Wales, he soon learnt of my determination to fight for the best deal for Wales and the best defence for the UK.
"For that project has been identified by the MoD's strategic defence review as critical to our military capability."
Really? If she was right, and the project really was critical to Britain's military capability, then it seems strange that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition Government have finally decided to scrap it.
Dr Cable has one other pertinent piece of advice for those hoping to succeed in the murky world of politics: "You've got to have a sense of humour".
Hello. I'm David Cornock and I'm parliamentary correspondent for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Wales. This is the blog for the latest news and gossip from the Westminster village - with a Welsh accent.
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