Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
#1
Labour has been bolstered by an unprecedented surge of new members who have signed up mainly to oppose the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, Harriet Harman has claimed.
Some 21,000 people had joined the party since the general election as part of what the acting Labour leader hailed as an "emerging political movement" on the left.
Almost a third of the new members were Lib Dem voters dismayed by that party's partnership in power with the Tories, she said. Half were Labour voters who were now especially determined to get the party back into power. I think most pundits could have forseen this once the LibDems entered into a pact with the Tories and sold their souls and those of their members in order to taste the glory of limited power. Will they ever recover from this? Only time will tell.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
#2
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
#3
The Libdems are in disarray at grass roots. Following the double triple somersaulting by their management team of Nick Clegg and Uncle Vince and the tall red one, nobody believes in them anymore. So desperate were they to get a sliver of two bit power (lets face it they slimely salivated at the prospect), that they sold their souls to get it, as Marek said. This resulted in total credibility freefall. They did a back flip somersault of Olympian skill to justify the fibbing in their manifesto on vat, on schools, on cuts, well the list is so long.
In order to provide an opposition, the Libdems rank and file are doing the right thing..by joining Labour. Once the good ship Milliband hits top gear a real revival will take place in Labours fortunes. Lets be clear and remember, the Conservatives did not win this election. They are being propped up by the hopeless and the desperate!
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#4
This is so funny, it really is.
Bob is so right with that cartoon..... Lemmings jumping off a cliff but perhaps rats jumping onto a sinking ship might be a more appropriate comparison.
Interestingly, if this is true, then there is a gulf between
LD voters and LD members - LD voters in every survey are approving of the coalition.
The LDs fight every election on the back of wanting a hung parliament as as soon as they get one we see their members running away from the responsibility of government. I have always said the LDs are a complete joke.
At least the LDs do have some people of principal and even some of ability, hoisted by the electorate by their own petard, these more reasonable and sensible people are cooperating in the national interest.
PaulB - I have to laugh when Labour supporters claim the Tories did not win the election.
The Conservative share of the vote was higher in 2010 than Labour's 'winning' share in 2005 while the Conservative 'losing' share in 2005 was also higher than Labour's 'losing' share in 2010. Hence is the bias in the electoral system, something changes to seat boundaries and the reduction in the number of seats will help address.#
Hopefully the electorate will not ever be daft enough to elect an irresponsible high spending and incompetent labour administration again. We have a lot of pain to go through thanks to Labour but when we come out the other side people will not want to risk that shower again.
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
#5
Sorry Barry many Libs have felt let down and I am sure some Tories,I hear I voted Liberal I don't want the Tories,that is why they are leaving!
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#6
They cant have it both ways JHG. If they vote for a minor party then they were voting for a hung parliament. They did not vote for Labour any more than they voted Conservative. If they wanted a stable government then voting LD was no good. Electoraly it was the Conservatives with the mandate to form a government seeking help from third parties, a mandate by virtue of both the highest vote and highest seat count.
This kind of thing is normal in Europe where, thanks to PR, people never actually get the government they vote for.
That is why we must do two things:
Keep first past the post system, and
Rebalance our electoral system to ensure no one party is favoured overly. Reducing the number of seats, evening out the electorates in each seat and getting more frequent boundary reviews so at all elections there is no more than a 5% difference between seats.
We will then get a higher proportion of marginal seats and, mostly, an overall majority government.
#7
Two words: Closet socialists! Labour is welcome to the "I can't make up my mind or stick to principles brigade", as they will be perfectly at home with their new friends.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#8
the fact is that many yellow members left the party and signed up with the reds within a week of the coalition forming.
the third party has always been made up of disenchanted reds that looked for a new way.
the new way is not with the blues.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#9
So what would have been your alternative after the election Howard?
We have always said the LDs are a protest vote and not a vote for government. What you are saying is evidence of that. I really dont care what happens to the LDs longer term. Hopefully though this will provide a shift back to a two party system. Maybe, just maybe, that by the time of the next election things will have changed enough to make those two parties the Conservatives and LDs, with Labour consigned to mnor rump party obscurity where they belong.
We definately have some interesting political times ahead.
What was that old Chinese proverb, may you live in interesting times...
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#10
there was no alternative after the election barry other than leaving the blues with a minority government.
i think everyone wants this coalition to last, i do as the country needs some sort of stability, the top yellows want to have their taste of power, the reds want time to regroup select a new leader and an effective front bench team.
i doubt that the rank and file yellows will allow the situation to continue for more than a year or two though, then who knows?
i see that you still have this forlorn hope of the reds being relegated into third place in british politics, tebbitt said it in the middle eighties immediately after that they started to regain their old support.
many on the red side said that the blues were consigned to the history books in 2001, still they return.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#11
But never has any government run the economy as badly as Labour over the last 13 years Howard. It will not be easily forgotten.
I suspect that the coalition may end up locked together in adversity and wont want to tear it apart until the fruits of the difficult choices they are making start to show. That is why 5 years and not 4 years was the coalition agreement.
I can hope for Labour to be obliterated, it is in the interest of the country for that to happen. It may be helped by new funding rules likley to be brought forward for limited individual donations. That will cut off Labour's financial lifeline from the Unions. The LDs have an opportunity having tasted government to become the second Party as well, I dont have a lot of faith they wont mess it up though...
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
#12
Sorry BarryW alot of people feel let down and who can blame them, but only time will tell you may be true blue but some will wonder what do you get for being true blue
#13
What you get Jan is a well managed economy. Not much to ask for, but beyond the wit of the New Labour and Old Labour party to deliver. With all due respect, it was also beyond the capability of the previous Labour DDC administration.
Hopefully we will also get the State off our backs and regain some of our freedoms that were taken away under the Blair/Brown regimes.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#14
We have to remember we dont have a Conservative government, it is a coalition and yes there are things I dont like, daft calls like keeping the latest bit of Batty Hatty nonsense and Clarke's soft approach to criminals, it all sops to the LDs. Then not repealing and getting rid of the Criminal Rights Act, putting reform on the back burner. But what we have is better than before and as long as they do well by the economy and the Armed Forces along with taking a robust line on Europe, most of us on the right will be supportive.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#15
actually ken clarkes approach to justice is not that simplistic.
on other threads here we have heard tales of how low level miscreants can contribute to society through the payback schemes and also save us a lot of money on housing them at a high cost.
#16
Good point Howard; not all convicted felons need to be locked up at our expense. Social payback is a good idea for the 'safe' ones.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
#17
The public unrest has now started and we will see alot more of it over the rest of the year,this is going to be their downfall and it will not take long.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
#18
as with bobs cartoon reminds me of the thatcher years when they sold the silver ware,the condem colilition is going the same way playing with peoples liverly hoods.bring on the revelution.
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
#19
The Lib/Dem Con/Dem Minister on Question Time last night got booed by the Scottish audience.Mind you they Con/Dem did only pick up 17% of the vote up there but they were angry about the savage cuts and not only its effect on benefits but also on growth. All economies can make cuts but if it's not tempered by plans to help the economy grow then the next round of cuts will be even greater and deeper.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
#20
They were probably closet ScotNats Marek. One day they may get their wish and acheive freedom from their English masters. Then they will realise just how well off they were. At the end of the day, only some of Scotland is good to look at, and after that there is nothing of note. The Jocks won't have two pennies to rub together but the chumps (New Labour) who tried to split the United Kingdon have led them to believe otherwise.
