howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
they will have to reinvent themselves over a period of time, other political parties have done so in the past.
they cannot do much now, if they changed the leader the coalition would not work, just a case of sitting tight for another 4 years, taking their medciine at the polls and then starting a rebrand.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
The LibDems do not have to have any kind of re-brand.
They have only one choice as I said before - stick with the coalition and hope to benefit from economic recovery in 4 years time. Hopefully they will still sink without trace but at least they would have done the decent thing for once.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
barryw,thats a cruel remark about your coherts in power.

Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
Liberals and now the Libdems have always relied on the protest vote, as part of the government they are part of the establishment.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
so lets have a look at these results;
LIB DEMS;
Let's be honest the lib dems are in melt down and looking to be a party of the past
they don't have much choice other than to stick things out.
the call by leading cabinet members, and senior lib dems over the disaster in the election results will damage the lib dems, and clegg under the pressure that's mounting already and going to get worse, the lib dems survived a lot longer that even i tought they would.
but these latest calls for clegg to resign by leading lib dems will destroy the lib dems and they will crumble and with it will be the cobbled together govt
the lib dems having won so many council seats and built so many councils hard work, and then all destroyed in a day.
the lib dems losing all but 2 of there cllrs in sheffield(home of where clegg is an mp) showed on he leaders face, they were upset to have built it up takingit from labour
to lose it all.
theres so much going on between the tories/lib dems just read paddy ashdown a greatr believer in the co olition on his view of cameron now.
big big splinters.
cONSERVATIVES;
Without doubt the tories across the country there vote held up, and they should be pleased they were not hounded out like the lib dems, and must be laughing that the lib dems are taking the flak when they are the major party making the decisions.
the split by cameron getting so involved in the AV vote and the comments he made upsetting lib dems will be hard to heal, and unlikely to.
the prob the conservatives have is all the no go area they have in scotland and wales where they struggle to win seats.
LABOUR;
Labour as usual doesn't learn from it's errors and still turns out every 4 years in the hope that people will elect them even though they are not inviolved in many communities.
they lost out to the S.N.P. in scotland some very marginal, but even the S.N.P. couldn't have expected the gains they got.
and i n wales they did okay but should have done far better.
ed i'm still baffled by why he joined the A.V. campaign, with little benefit to the labour party, still scratch my head on that one.
we did see ministers out and about across the country but is that enough?
more locally
the DDC result
many seats went the way expected of course there were a few blips
shepherdswell seeing p walker take a tory seat rather a surprize, and labour just failling to take the 3rd middle deal seat from tories.
of course reg hansells vote will have taken votes from both labour and tory
but likely to have kept the second labour candidate out.
so why didnt dover d c go labour?
without doubt labour did well to get ed milliband down, and other shadow ministers, but that's not enough, and with 20/30 labour guys out on the street realy looked impressive.
but on the day it took me by surprize that there were no labout tellers on all the doors across the district and none of the usual committee rooms so that didn't bode well.clive meridith getting hammered with his friend from deal coming out of retirement(both living in deal) showed that the tories had worked hard and this time developeent didnt have the affect as there are differing views.
this does of course not help the poor blighters who still don't want the developement this result won't help them.
labour should have won dover but didnt
the work rate wasn';t there.
good luck to all those that stood, and those that did get elected
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Just a slight correction.
My vote was 1,175 and Paulines 1,008
We were able to man three polling stations from 7.00 am in River and Temple Ewell until 9.00pm Alkham until 7.00pm.
Keith is right you have to support your community .I have been at the local bazaar since 8.30am until just before 1.00pm
Its not just when you want a vote .
Nice to see you Keith .
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
Sorry Sue that was my mistake,it was a long few days.
Keith Tower Hamlets had both polling staions manned until 6pm at Salem and 8pm at Curzon then we did a final knocking up,I and Pam Brivio have been running campaigns for a long time,I first stood in Sandwich 23 years ago and was taught how to run a committee room

If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
SUE;
Well then sue, you made wild alegations when you felt your grip on control slipping away, you never did say the tory leaflets were inaccurate
or even sustantiate your wild allegations.
now tonight vince cable is having a go at the tories
it can't last
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
agree with most of the summin up by keith in post 105.
dave and cohorts must be laughing their socks off at the result, nick and mob treated as sacrificial lambs.
jan made the point about the protest party bit, that will always be needed.
tony and dave both rebranded their ailing parties and got them elected by slick presentation rather than long term policies.
all the yellows have to do is to get a new front man like nick clegg but with scruples and they will soon regain their normal place in the political battleground, as things stand sandal suppliers and chunky knit sweater sellers are suffering.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
I know Sue and Pauline got elected for River, did Jean Newman or were there only two seats available.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
HOWARD;
I don't think it' that simple for the yellow's
theres big big splits opening up
think we will more resignations before long
the crumbling goes on
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
Jan there were only 2 seats at River so it was Sue and Pauline,Jean and Bill who I spoke to yesterday didnt get elected,but were pleased with thier result,and they still looked pleased when I saw them down the Town this morning.
I also had a chat to John Gordon Killip who was telling my Mum he started as a Councillor in Tower Hamlets 30 years ago.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
and talking vince cable and the libdems.
heres somthing that uncle vince said earlyer.
And Calculating 154 Comments
5:27pm UK, Saturday May 07, 2011
Ruth Barnett, political reporter
Business Secretary Vince Cable has described the Conservatives as "ruthless and calculating" after the country overwhelmingly voted against changing the electoral system.
The senior Liberal Democrat said the coalition would become more "businesslike" in the wake of a bitter refendum campaign which saw the two governing parties on different sides of the argument.
In an interview, Mr Cable said: "Some of us never had many illusions about the Conservatives, but they have emerged as ruthless, calculating and thoroughly tribal, but that doesn't mean to say we can't work with them."
He also acknowledged the AV cause was "dead for the foreseeable future".
His remarks came after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said losing the referendum had been a "bitter blow".
"In a democracy when you ask a question and you get an overwhelming answer, you just have to accept it and move on," he said.
In only the second nationwide referendum in the UK, the No campaign won with 67.9% of the vote (13m votes), beating the Yes camp who polled 32.1% (6.1m votes).
Provisional figures from the Electoral Commission suggested turnout was 41.8%.
sky election expert: no comfort at all for lib dems
Lib Dems wanted the country to vote yes, but Conservatives including the Prime Minister wanted to keep first-past-the-post.
Former Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown accused Mr Cameron of "bloody stupidity" for failing to prevent personal attacks on Mr Clegg.
It was David Cameron who recently coined the term "muscular liberalism". Now the Prime Minister is preparing to face some muscular liberals.
Joey Jones, Boulton & Co blog
And Lib Dem peer Baroness Tonge told Sky News the Prime Minister "behaved absolutely appallingly" by campaigning so hard against AV and his coalition partners.
"David Cameron, having promised in the coalition agreement that he wouldn't take part in the referendum campaign, did so and did it in a very personal way by attacking Nick Clegg." she said.
She added her party would fight harder against the Tories on areas of policy including the Health Secretary's controversial NHS reforms. "The game has changed," she said.
scottish lib dem leader tavish scott resigns
However, former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell told Sky News: "It is time for the name calling to stop."
He said the negative comments had mainly come from Mr Cable and Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, who he referred to as "two assertive personalities".
But he said it was now time to stop the exchanges and focus on securing economic stability and creating growth, the main reasons behind the coalition.
The Lib Dems also suffered defeats in local elections across the country, losing 752 councillors in England and seeing their support north of the border pour away towards the Scottish National Party.
As a result of what he referred to as the "disastrous result", Tavish Scott, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrat Party, has resigned.
lib dem voters vent their collective spleen
Alex Salmond's SNP celebrated an unexpectedly good result in Scotland, returning to Holyrood for a second term as First Minister and prompting Iain Gray to announce he would step down as the leader of Scottish Labour.
Labour gained 839 seats and 26 councils but were sorely disappointed by their performance in Scotland.
home secretary: the coalition will survive the av vote
The Conservatives gained 94 seats - a surprise to many as they started with a high number of councillors and losses are often considered inevitable for any party in government.
Over the next few days, there will be intense scrutiny of what impact the results will have on the coalition government.
A Lib Dem party source told Sky News the relationship between the two parties would become more businesslike, with them determined the Government stick to the coalition agreement.
Lord Ashdown Accuses PM Of A Breach Of Faith
They are likely to be more bullish on other areas of constitutional reform, such as overhauling the House of Lords and party funding.
The source also suggested the blame for the defeat should lie with Labour leader Ed Miliband rather than Mr Clegg.
You know you're in interesting times when a Conservative backer of the No To AV campaign heaps praise on Labour MPs.
Boulton & Co blog
Mr Miliband backed the Yes campaign but allowed his MPs to make up their own minds, with most siding against alternative voting.
"I'm disappointed that we lost the AV referendum but I think the people have spoken very clearly on this issue and it is a verdict that I accept," he said when the result was annoying.
Posted by: gb for pm on May 7, 2011 3:53 PMThe only reason cam and clegg want this coalition to stay is because they want to play the big-shots.
Chevenings and the jaguar driven cars are enough for clegg to stay, and being PM (UNELECTED) is the only reason for cameron to keep hold of this coalition!Recommend (26)Report this commentPermalinkPosted by: cymru68 on May 7, 2011 3:53 PMscottie 2 I think you will find that if the uk splits up ,the four countries will be weaker for it.is scotland a rich country?what happens when the oil runs out, is the shipyards booming, i dont think so ,no oil no oil rigs.Recommend (14)Report this commentPermalinkPosted by: CobraOne on May 7, 2011 3:51 PMThere isnt a single politician who really gets it. None of us care a toss about party infighting and we are sick of you all disagreeing with each other to try and score points.
Your jobs is to do our bidding! The AV vote is not dead for the forseeable future its bloody dead period as agreed by a democratic vote.
Vince Cable - you are just beginning to annoy me now. Shut up and do your job and dont dare start thinking that this is Ireland and we will keep voting on the issue until YOU get the answer that YOU want.Recommend (77)Report this commentPermalinkPosted by: www,jellynuts.com on May 7, 2011 3:50 PMThursdays elections prove beyond doubt that the only people who want the tories are those in the south of England and they are not wanted anywhere else!
I can remember as a young lad living on the sussex coast how people used to refere to other parts of Britain like they were insignificant and the people there like they were inferior.
It is that bigoted attitude which was always eventually going to split the UK and I wouldnt be surprised that the north would want independance too never mind Scotland and Wales!
Cable has now seen what the tories are like first hand, lying cheating decieving, grabbers who will do ANYTHING to get their fingers into every pie, much like those who support them!!Recommend (28)Report this commentPermalinkPosted by: The Thunderer on May 7, 2011 3:50 PMNick Clegg, you are the weakest link, goodbye.Recommend (26)Report this commentPermalinkPosted by: Larry4911 on May 7, 2011 3:49 PMClegg, Cable Et al, should not confuse the AV referendum result with a competency vote against the LibDems. The majority of the "People" are not as dim as they (politicians) seam to think. I think most people, realise there is a need for voting reform and would have voted "YES" if they thought the AV system was anything like good enough. The reason for the "NO" vote is because most people realised the complicated and compromised Governments that this system would have thrown upon us. Then there is the problem that we all feel, NOBODY VOTED FOR THE COALITION. We all voted for the party we wanted to win and ended up with a group that not one single person voted for.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Brian that last post of yours is a load of regurgitated crap that is not worthy of a member of this forum.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
cut deep did it peter.?
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
John, thank you for that. I was curious as Jean is one of our volunteers and I wanted to know if I should address her as Councillor Newman next time I saw her.

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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
jan,first name seems to work ok.

howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i must admit to being impressed by mr cable(note the new respect).
he describes the blues as ruthless and calculating even before he gets to meet our barry.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,888
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940