LibDem Conference - Clegg's speech

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scorza

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24137394

Anyone see this on the news? Wondering how it makes people feel towards the LibDems now they seem to be differentiating themselves from their coalition partners. Basically Clegg listed a load of Conservative policies that he claims were blocked by the LibDems in coalition. The list is:

1. Inheritance tax cuts for millionaires
2.Bringing back O’ levels and a two-tier education system
3. Profit-making in schools
4. New childcare ratios
5. Firing workers at will, without any reasons given
6. Regional pay penalising public sector workers in the north
7. Scrapping housing benefit for young people
8. 'Ditching the Human Rights Act
9. Weakening the protections in the Equalities Act
10. Closing down the debate on Trident
11. ‘Go home’ poster vans
12. Boundary changes
13. Scrap Natural England
14. Hold back green energy
15. Geography teachers to stop teaching children about how we can tackle climate change
16. Snoopers' charter
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Now I would actually like to see some of those policies implemented but overall, if true (and we probably will never know for sure) I'm quite glad we don't have these things enshrined in law - we did actually get the "Go Home" poster vans though. Makes me feel a little bit more well disposed towards Clegg - I note Michael Gove in particular seems to have suffered under coalition and that can only be a good thing :D
 
Boundary changes
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As I understand it this would have made it fairer (willing to be corrected). Basically, each constituency should contain roughly the same amount of people and this is what the boundary changes seeked to address.

It is not fair that a constituency with a 250k people should have the same say as one with a million people, this seems common sense to me but the Lib Dems blocked it because the AV vote didn't go their way.
 
1. Inheritance tax cuts for millionaires
2.Bringing back O’ levels and a two-tier education system
3. Profit-making in schools
4. New childcare ratios
5. Firing workers at will, without any reasons given
6. Regional pay penalising public sector workers in the north
7. Scrapping housing benefit for young people
8. 'Ditching the Human Rights Act
9. Weakening the protections in the Equalities Act
10. Closing down the debate on Trident
11. ‘Go home’ poster vans
12. Boundary changes
13. Scrap Natural England
14. Hold back green energy
15. Geography teachers to stop teaching children about how we can tackle climate change
16. Snoopers' charter
Click to expand...

I would be in support of 1. if it was for everybody and not just millionaires.
I'm also in support of:
6. 8. 11. 12. 14. & 15.
 
I voted for them
I didn't mind the idea of the coalition
I was getting pretty disappointed with them earlier this year
I think though they have been a normalizing factor on the conservatives, like a good conscience sat on Camerons shoulder, I do feel sorry for them with all the rubbish talk people say about clegg etc, but id rather carry on with what we have now then one of the other two parties getting a majority next time
 
gettothechopper said:
I voted for them
I didn't mind the idea of the coalition
I was getting pretty disappointed with them earlier this year
I think though they have been a normalizing factor on the conservatives, like a good conscience sat on Camerons shoulder, I do feel sorry for them with all the rubbish talk people say about clegg etc, but id rather carry on with what we have now then one of the other two parties getting a majority next time
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This is GD, your common sense is not welcome here. I advise you to join the more vocal Lib Dem voters (i.e Guardian readers) who demand a party that came third in the popular vote should pull all the strings and be the de-facto government.
 
I'd say it's a pretty obvious play. Feels the Conservatives are a sinking ship, time to abandon ship. He must realised that the LibDems are never going to get power in their own right and the only way they'll be elected is as part of a coalition again.
 
That's a nice list of things they will sell out immediately just to have the vague scent of validation being in a coalition gives them as a party.
 
1. Inheritance tax cuts for millionaires - A way to gain votes, few will care about
2.Bringing back O’ levels and a two-tier education system - Not going to happen - see previous education promises
3. Profit-making in schools - So long as it doesn't cause any diminishing in education quality, or increase in cost, there's no issue here
4. New childcare ratios - Needs expanding
5. Firing workers at will, without any reasons given - Good for labour mobility from a company perspective, bad from the perspective of the workforce - this exists to gain company support
6. Regional pay penalising public sector workers in the north - Why not, they tend to earn less privately, and also general living costs are less in the North. Seems a sensible way to save some money
7. Scrapping housing benefit for young people - Don't like this one, although it could have it's advantages. Generally feel like this is incredible agist
8. 'Ditching the Human Rights Act - Can't do it
9. Weakening the protections in the Equalities Act - Unlikely to be able to do it
10. Closing down the debate on Trident - Closing down the debate. Well that's stupid, that just means deciding what to actually do
11. ‘Go home’ poster vans - Waste of money, not going to happen
12. Boundary changes - It helps gain votes
13. Scrap Natural England - This'll lose votes
14. Hold back green energy - As will this - although the switch over to renewable fuels is inevitable no matter what he does. Just research can speed it up
15. Geography teachers to stop teaching children about how we can tackle climate change -Never going to happen, the big brotherness of this is stupid
16. Snoopers' charter - Should probably research this before commenting

If Clegg wants to win votes, he needs to be Blair. Labour are going back to the Left, the Tories are going back out to the right. He needs to fill the middle ground, and it'll bring him votes galore.

kd
 
King Damager said:
10. Closing down the debate on Trident - Closing down the debate. Well that's stupid, that just means deciding what to actually do

kd
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As far as I'm concerned, they didn't do this at all. Before the election they made out to some extent that they'd get it scrapped, which obviously never happened. extremely disappointing really.

I support the lib dems, but am disappointed, like many people. I'll continue to support them, however.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
I support the lib dems, but am disappointed, like many people. I'll continue to support them, however.
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Disappointed by what? Are you really suggesting that the minority party in a coalition government should get to impose 50% of their manifesto in government?

The Lib Dems have tempered by could have been a rather right-wing Tory majority, which is a good thing. Expecting anymore than that is expecting too much for too little.
 
I suspect that most of those things wouldn't have seen the light of day with or without the Lib Dems input.

Clegg taking credit for rather tenuous points to be honest.
 
Dis86 said:
I'd say it's a pretty obvious play. Feels the Conservatives are a sinking ship, time to abandon ship. He must realised that the LibDems are never going to get power in their own right and the only way they'll be elected is as part of a coalition again.
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My inital thoughts, too. "Oh yeah, this is what we would've done and stuff." I'm finding it hard to like any party enough for a vote.
 
Castiel said:
I suspect that most of those things wouldn't have seen the light of day with or without the Lib Dems input.

Clegg taking credit for rather tenuous points to be honest.
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Definately, its the old, everything thats good is ours and everything bad is the Tories. I smell BS although I dont doubt that the Lib Dems have tempered the government.
 
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