Poll: General election voting round 5 (final one)

[Danthus]

Posted in a paper with total integrity and non-party bias.

You can't argue with the picture though.

 

[robgmun]

Posted in a paper with total integrity and non-party bias.

Yeah that picture is all photoshop

(btw, not a paper)

 

[Burnsy2023]

If by 'failed miserably' you mean they 'got loads of their manifesto into the coalition agreement even though they were a relatively small minority of the coalition', then I wonder what'd constitute success in your view?

http://www.libdemvoice.org/lib-dem-manifesto-coalition-agreement-ucl-29188.html

I think that's a good point. People tend to think that because the LibDems didn't do everything in their manifesto in coalition that they failed. Better to be in government and be able to influence policy than in opposition.

 

[Mr Jack]

Still odd though, I know the parties are desperate for votes but why would senior party members put themselves in such an embarrassing situation? It seems they would so just about anything to get a handful of votes.

I imagine they turned up to be faced with a segregated audience and were left with the difficult choice of either addressing the audience or causing a ruckus with stories of Labour vs. the Muslim community running instead. Probably they didn't think it through too hard.

 

[Mr Jack]

If by 'failed miserably' you mean they 'got loads of their manifesto into the coalition agreement even though they were a relatively small minority of the coalition', then I wonder what'd constitute success in your view?

The trouble with the argument that they got loads of policies in is that the overall impact of those policies depends on their context. Lib Dems had long positioned themselves as a part of the centre-left and then formed a government well to the right. Moreover, they gleefully supported a string of outright nasty Tory policies that undermine the ethos of what their manifesto proposed and sold out one of the policies they'd put front and centre of their publicity (if not their manifesto) for nothing at all.

It's also a matter of politics: regardless of the truth of the matter they're seen as being Tory glove puppets and that's very harmful to them.

 

[Glaucus]

I think that's a good point. People tend to think that because the LibDems didn't do everything in their manifesto in coalition that they failed. Better to be in government and be able to influence policy than in opposition.

Unfortunately it seems most LD voters are brain dead. I don't understand them and got in heated debates with some mates, who are no longer voting LD.
They don't seem to understand they were the minority but still did some great things. In fact for the amount if MPs they've punched far above their weight.

 

[PermaBanned]

Are the circumstances that different from 2010? I mean, you said the members understood why there wasn't really a choice in terms of coalition... why's it different now? Going with the party which has the most votes and most seats would be completely legitimate, no?

As long as these 'red lines' are kept to, what's the big issue who they go with? They got a number of decent wins last time, no? Can't the members see that being in government can achieve a lot? Especially if there's not going to be a repeat of tuition-fee-pledge-gate.

The difference is that the current coalition has a majority, and that if the polls are anywhere near correct it's going to be impossible for anyone to get a majority this time round.

To the people talking about it, I don't know much about TUSC, but they have a candidate in my constituency. What attracts you to them? I'll admit that my first impression was that they looked like just another socialist activist group, which i haven't had great experiences with in the past, but i'm welcome to be proved wrong.

 

[Stretch]

Unfortunately it seems most LD voters are brain dead. I don't understand them and got in heated debates with some mates, who are no longer voting LD.
They don't seem to understand they were the minority but still did some great things. In fact for the amount if MPs they've punched far above their weight.

It is slightly frustrating. I voted Lib Dem last time round, and will be voting for them again. I think they done a good job under the circumstances.

They now represent pretty much the only chance of a stable government. I can't understand why people aren't queuing up.

People moan about party politics, but they've got no one to blame but themselves. They tend to always see something as good/evil, left/right, Tory/Labour. The first alternative that got a sniff of power has been wiped off the map because they didn't do enough.

If you'd like to see more of their policies implemented, maybe you need to keep voting for them.

 

[Glaucus]

Yep, unfortunately it seems they won't get enough to make a difference this time.

I read that currently SNP don't vote on English only acts, is that right?
If so, no wonder they say they don't won't a coalition. As they would have to change that.

 

[Mr Jack]

They don't seem to understand they were the minority but still did some great things. In fact for the amount if MPs they've punched far above their weight.

Being a minority shouldn't have stopped them slapping the Tories around like a ginger stepchild. Instead, in a string of absurd decisions, they undermined their own strength with the Fixed Term Parliament act and seemed to think they'd actually be rewarded by voters for putting a ridiculous obsession with "stability" above getting what they wanted.

 

[Mr Jack]

I read that currently SNP don't vote on English only acts, is that right?
If so, no wonder they say they don't won't a coalition. As they would have to change that.

They've already said they will change that.

 

[do_ron_ron]

You can't argue with the picture though.

I assume he was invited to an ethnic event and building rather than being set up by Labour. He was the guest.

 

[Glaucus]

Being a minority shouldn't have stopped them slapping the Tories around like a ginger stepchild. Instead, in a string of absurd decisions, they undermined their own strength with the Fixed Term Parliament act and seemed to think they'd actually be rewarded by voters for putting a ridiculous obsession with "stability" above getting what they wanted.

So you would rather they had zero say and introduce zero policies. Utterly stupid opinion. It would have gone back to a general election and LD wouldn't have got anything in. Being in a coalition means compromise, and LD got a hell of a lot in.

 

[the_r_sole]

Unfortunately it seems most LD voters are brain dead. I don't understand them and got in heated debates with some mates, who are no longer voting LD.
They don't seem to understand they were the minority but still did some great things. In fact for the amount if MPs they've punched far above their weight.

I think that's pretty harsh - it really depends on why you voted for the libdems the last time around and if they delivered on that - imo they got a lot of student support for the tuition fees policy which they completely failed on.
It doesn't really matter what they did achieve if they disregarded the reason you voted for them, they took a lot of floating voters last time, it's only reasonable to assume the same voters will be floating again.

 

[Stretch]

Yep, unfortunately it seems they won't get enough to make a difference this time.

I read that currently SNP don't vote on English only acts, is that right?
If so, no wonder they say they don't won't a coalition. As they would have to change that.

The SNP will soon have to face the reality of a simple choice.

Either they vote in support of Labour without getting a bean in return, we have conservative government or we have another election.

 

[do_ron_ron]

Yeah that picture is all photoshop

(btw, not a paper)

Blog supported by a paper, the giveaway is in the header. SUN+

 

[Glaucus]

I think that's pretty harsh - it really depends on why you voted for the libdems the last time around and if they delivered on that - imo they got a lot of student support for the tuition fees policy which they completely failed on.
It doesn't really matter what they did achieve if they disregarded the reason you voted for them, they took a lot of floating voters last time, it's only reasonable to assume the same voters will be floating again.

Of course it matters. They were not in power they can't do what ever they want.
The alternative was LD have no power and introduce zero policies. They've done far more in the last few years than they have done in all time before.
So no it's not harsh, most LD voters are being stupid over what has happened.

 

[mmj_uk]

Both Miliband and Cameron are either idiots or showing contempt for the electorate, and I know it's contempt, by constantly going on about winning a majority. I know it won't be in my lifetime but the sooner both parties are, as they are and have been for a long time, consigned to history the better. I think the whole political class thing is an anachronism and the sooner change comes the better.

They shouldn't even be allowed to talk about election outcomes, this whole strategic voting scaremongering (ie. saying that voting Labour will let in SNP) is a disgrace to our democracy frankly. The only thing parties should be able to talk about is their own policies and election results should dictate who forms a government, not pre-election campaign planners and media moguls with smear/scare stories. Cameron shouldn't have had a choice in ducking out of a debate either.

 

[robgmun]

Blog supported by a paper, the giveaway is in the header. SUN+

No, the writer of the blog also freelances for the Sun, he also only started quite recently i believe, either way, what are you saying that this never happened? You seen the photo right?

 

[McPhee]

Obviously. But they had a similarly legitimate choice to go with Labour last time. I'm asking him why the circumstances are different this time and make a Tory coalition something awful.

The fundamental difference is, at the last election we were sold a Conservative/Lib Dem coalition as the only way to form a stable government. If that's true again, fair enough. If there's a left-wing alternative and Nick takes a deal with the Conservatives anyway, they'll be wiped out in 2020. They'd definitely lose more of their support base, and I'd be surprised if they wouldn't also start losing MPs to the Greens or TUSC.