The rise of the Lib Dems
Discussion
...throws up some interesting future scenarios.
It looks like there is a very real threat of the Lib Dems taking huge chunks of the popular vote from the Labour Party, and leaving Labour in 3rd place in the election. I'm no LD fan, but this is good news.
This in turn throws up the likelihood of Labour coming 3rd in terms of votes, but remaining the largest party in terms of seats. This is not so good.
What are we likely to see happen if Labour do win the most seats but 3rd largest vote?
It looks like there is a very real threat of the Lib Dems taking huge chunks of the popular vote from the Labour Party, and leaving Labour in 3rd place in the election. I'm no LD fan, but this is good news.
This in turn throws up the likelihood of Labour coming 3rd in terms of votes, but remaining the largest party in terms of seats. This is not so good.
What are we likely to see happen if Labour do win the most seats but 3rd largest vote?
Nick Clegg refuses to prop up 'irrelevant' Brown
I should have read the Sunday Times before starting this thread
I should have read the Sunday Times before starting this thread
Puggit said:
Nick Clegg refuses to prop up 'irrelevant' Brown
I should have read the Sunday Times before starting this thread
he is on bbc with Andrew Marr now. I should have read the Sunday Times before starting this thread
peterpeter said:
Puggit said:
Nick Clegg refuses to prop up 'irrelevant' Brown
I should have read the Sunday Times before starting this thread
he is on bbc with Andrew Marr now. I should have read the Sunday Times before starting this thread
I did catch the last few minutes on bbc (online) - I like Clegg's message. I like it from an anti-Labour point of view. He's trying to appeal to the people who kicked Major out in 97 because they liked Bliar's fresh message.
I see the LD's taking those votes, and working with the Tories as the strongest way forward from the point where we are now, and the creation of an irrelevant Labour party.
I see the LD's taking those votes, and working with the Tories as the strongest way forward from the point where we are now, and the creation of an irrelevant Labour party.
Puggit said:
I did catch the last few minutes on bbc (online) - I like Clegg's message. I like it from an anti-Labour point of view. He's trying to appeal to the people who kicked Major out in 97 because they liked Bliar's fresh message.
I see the LD's taking those votes, and working with the Tories as the strongest way forward from the point where we are now, and the creation of an irrelevant Labour party.
sounds nice but really they just another version of labour. they will destroy enterprise, and do nothing about the largest single problem in the UK- welfare dependency that drives immigration, which in turn strainsI see the LD's taking those votes, and working with the Tories as the strongest way forward from the point where we are now, and the creation of an irrelevant Labour party.
services. This Fair Hard Wire tax policy which means screw anyone doing well will do nothing more than make people either leave the country or scale down their business- exactly what I would do , which would mean laying off staff and lowering their tax take, because quite frankly its just not worth it.- so like most businesses, we will look to reduce profit to a level where we dont get penalized just for being successful.- hows that going to help the economy?
People are repeating their sound-bites on being "new" and its all about change- bulls
t. they are not facing the real issues of massive wastage of public money.Only the conservatives are doing this, but they cannot shout too loudly because of the sickenly hypocritical media, who always interpret reducing costs = massive cuts in service instead of better value for money.
peterpeter said:
Puggit said:
I did catch the last few minutes on bbc (online) - I like Clegg's message. I like it from an anti-Labour point of view. He's trying to appeal to the people who kicked Major out in 97 because they liked Bliar's fresh message.
I see the LD's taking those votes, and working with the Tories as the strongest way forward from the point where we are now, and the creation of an irrelevant Labour party.
sounds nice but really they just another version of labour. they will destroy enterprise, and do nothing about the largest single problem in the UK- welfare dependency that drives immigration, which in turn strainsI see the LD's taking those votes, and working with the Tories as the strongest way forward from the point where we are now, and the creation of an irrelevant Labour party.
services. This Fair Hard Wire tax policy which means screw anyone doing well will do nothing more than make people either leave the country or scale down their business- exactly what I would do , which would mean laying off staff and lowering their tax take, because quite frankly its just not worth it.- so like most businesses, we will look to reduce profit to a level where we dont get penalized just for being successful.- hows that going to help the economy?
People are repeating their sound-bites on being "new" and its all about change- bulls
t. they are not facing the real issues of massive wastage of public money.Only the conservatives are doing this, but they cannot shout too loudly because of the sickenly hypocritical media, who always interpret reducing costs = massive cuts in service instead of better value for money.
Lib Dems are if anything are further to the left and socialist than Nu Labour.
When times get hard people seem to lean more towards socialism and depend more on government / benefits.
In other words the 'workers' in the private sector have to work harder to pay more tax to pay more benefits, and employ even more in the public sector. This is no recipe for recovery.
The recovery must come from spending cuts, paying down debt, and more investment in the private sector, this is the only way to produce real wealth.
Government is just an overhead.
thinfourth2 said:
Puggit said:
This in turn throws up the likelihood of Labour coming 3rd in terms of votes, but remaining the largest party in terms of seats. This is not so good.
In some ways that is the dream situation followed by a nice revolution and winky hanging from a lampost I'm not saying I want a LibDem government, far from it. But with the current situation, with all the parties sharing the vote, a LibDem/Tory coalition seems to be the best fit. It could destroy the Labour Party, and consign them to years in the wilderness.
We could soon end up with the Tories in power and LibDems in opposition.
We could soon end up with the Tories in power and LibDems in opposition.
I think Peterpeter is spot on on this. I also think - and hope - that a lot of this LD support is 'X-Factor' material and will fall away on polling day.
Much as I would like to see the electoral destruction of the Labour party, LD as the official opposition would make a future LD government more likely as well. Cakes and eating them.
Much as I would like to see the electoral destruction of the Labour party, LD as the official opposition would make a future LD government more likely as well. Cakes and eating them.
The only good thing about the Lib Dems displacing Labour as the main party of the left is at least the Lib Dems aren't dependent on the public sector unions and so are more open to reform.
In many areas they are however the most left wing of the two, they are the most anti-car of the three parties, and their fiscal policy is more left wing than labour.
In many areas they are however the most left wing of the two, they are the most anti-car of the three parties, and their fiscal policy is more left wing than labour.
What is Vince on?
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5b37276-4f38-11df-b8f4-...
"Vince Cable yesterday insisted that many bankers were so "ashamed" at the state of their industry that they would vote for Liberal Democrat plans to break up the banks and slash bonuses."
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5b37276-4f38-11df-b8f4-...
"Vince Cable yesterday insisted that many bankers were so "ashamed" at the state of their industry that they would vote for Liberal Democrat plans to break up the banks and slash bonuses."
NoelWatson said:
What is Vince on?
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5b37276-4f38-11df-b8f4-...
"Vince Cable yesterday insisted that many bankers were so "ashamed" at the state of their industry that they would vote for Liberal Democrat plans to break up the banks and slash bonuses."
An ego trip?http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5b37276-4f38-11df-b8f4-...
"Vince Cable yesterday insisted that many bankers were so "ashamed" at the state of their industry that they would vote for Liberal Democrat plans to break up the banks and slash bonuses."
NoelWatson said:
What is Vince on?
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5b37276-4f38-11df-b8f4-...
"Vince Cable yesterday insisted that many bankers were so "ashamed" at the state of their industry that they would vote for Liberal Democrat plans to break up the banks and slash bonuses."
Memory loss pills, so he can forget his career history..http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5b37276-4f38-11df-b8f4-...
"Vince Cable yesterday insisted that many bankers were so "ashamed" at the state of their industry that they would vote for Liberal Democrat plans to break up the banks and slash bonuses."
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