General Election 2010 Page 129

Quote: Marc P @ May 12 2010, 2:43 PM BST

I can see Dave and George in the study smoking cigars and roasting him in front of the fire! He'll probably bleat like billyo and write a book about it. Nick Clegg's Parliamentdays. Goodness knows what old man Doctor Arnold would make of it all.

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That immediately made me think of the scenes in Blackadder 2 when Melchie and Queenie play a trick on Blackadder and then fall around laughing when he leaves the room.

Dave, George, Vince and Nick are together in number 10.

'Yes, righty ho. Night night Nick, see you bright and early in the morning.'

Door shuts behind him and Nick hear uproarious laughter from within.

I'm confused again, does this mean we won't be getting another GE later this year? So we now have to put up with this wierd hybrid ConDem for 5 years? ?? I wish they'd tell US what's going on.

You can get fully unbiased coverage on Sky News they'll put you in the picture.

Quote: youngian @ May 12 2010, 2:56 PM BST

They could of still looked statesman-like by making way for a minority Tory government, abstaining on the Queen's speech and support the government on an ad-hoc basis.

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How would that demonstrate that they can govern? If the only coalition the LibDems can ever form is with Labour then they might as well shut up shop and join the Labour party.

As for PR the decision to go into a formal coalition with the Tories means the next election will return to a straight two party fight as there will be no more Lib Dem tactical voting

Under AV the maths of voting changes totally. Assuming the hostility between Labour and Tory remains, then in any seat where LibDems currently come second they would be likely to win.

(I assume they will be defending their partnership with the Tories).

I assume they will be standing on their record in office AND their manifesto for the next Parliament, which will serve as a basis for a deal with either Tory OR Labour. For anyone not wholly signed up to either of the other two parties it remains a shrewd vote.

They look like they would settle for AV which is not PR and benefits no small party apart from the Lib Dems.
All very cynical indeed.

AV is a start; it doesn't have to be the ultimate end game; if AV increases the LibDem number of seats it increases the chance of pushing through PR at a later date.

I can't wait to see what The News Huddlines makes of it all.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ May 12 2010, 3:32 PM BST

I'm confused again, does this mean we won't be getting another GE later this year? So we now have to put up with this wierd hybrid ConDem for 5 years? ?? I wish they'd tell US what's going on.

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No, because it could still collapse. As I said earlier, all this means is that the PM won't be able to call an election at a time when it is politically advantageous to him/her. If the coalition lost a vote of confidence, say at the Queen's Speech in a few weeks, then we'd be back to the polls.

Quote: chipolata @ May 12 2010, 3:56 PM BST

I can't wait to see what The News Huddlines makes of it all.

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If their ideas as to what both Labour and the Conservative stand for are anything to go on, some of our posters may well be living in an era where it is still broadcast.

Quote: Nogget @ May 12 2010, 9:41 AM BST

Ironically, studies show that the richest nations are not the happiest, not even for the rich. Doing liberal things like closing the poverty gap benefits the rich.

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Yes I would agree it probably does, but I doubt if many rich people will agree. Is that really high on Liberal's agenda though, that's more an Old Labour staple.

One of the main reasons New Labour got voted out was because for the first time ever during a Labour Govt the poverty gap widened! If the Libdem element can force the Tories to bring in fairer social economic policies then I welcome their strange looking part in the Govt, but I won't be putting money on it happening. The poor are stuffed in this country from now on.

Quote: Aaron @ May 12 2010, 4:10 PM BST

No, because it could still collapse.

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Ah, excellent.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ May 12 2010, 4:17 PM BST

Yes I would agree it probably does, but I doubt if many rich people will agree. Is that really high on Liberal's agenda though, that's more an Old Labour staple.

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Old Labour seemed far more concerned with dragging the rich down than raising the poor.

That was mainly the fault of their hardliners' attitudes. They still had radically anti capitalist notions in the 60s and 70s. Healey's notorious 'Tax them till they squeak' quote haunted them, but they did redistribute the funds. The poverty gap always shrunk under Old Labour.

But then Old Liberal was the same under Lloyd George, which means I was wrong to say it's not really a Liberal policy, it is trad Liberal policy, but the LibDems don't go on about it much now. It's not a vote winner now, is it, taxing the middle classes to help the lower classes! But I know there are still MPs who agree with this.

Theresa May

This looks like being a very interesting parliament. I'm looking forward to it. And Nick and Dave make a lovely couple.

Quote: chipolata @ May 12 2010, 6:36 PM BST

This looks like being a very interesting parliament. I'm looking forward to it. And Nick and Dave make a lovely couple.

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Hear, hear.

Looking at the photos of the new Cabinet I am reminded of the old adage that politics is show business for the ugly.

Looking at Cameron and Clegg together I could not help suspecting that both are more comfortable in one another's company than they are dealing with their own parties. It reinforces my impression that there is a class of professional politician now who, regardless of their political affiliation, have far more in common with one another than with the electorate. I suspect if David Milliband had been standing there instead of Cameron or Clegg the chemistry would have been much the same.

Quote: chipolata @ May 12 2010, 6:36 PM BST

This looks like being a very interesting parliament. I'm looking forward to it. And Nick and Dave make a lovely couple.

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Looking forward to it because you think they will fail or looking forward to it because you think it might actually work ?