There's no way that either the Conservatives or Labour would have accepted a vote on something like PR. They're the two parties with the most to lose.
I know that this is an unpopular opinion but I miss Nick Clegg.
Poll: Poll: Prime Minister Theresa May calls General Election on June 8th
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There's no way that either the Conservatives or Labour would have accepted a vote on something like PR. They're the two parties with the most to lose.
I know that this is an unpopular opinion but I miss Nick Clegg.
Labour commissioned the Jenkins report while they were in power, problem is after Jenkins recommended AV+ (which would I think work very well in this country) they didn't do anything about it, despite manifesto promises in 1997 and 2005 indicating otherwise. In 2010 their manifesto included the commitment to a referendum on AV only, which we got thanks to the coalition. IIRC the campaign team for AV consisted largely of young, Labour and LibDem activists - they refused to let Nigel Farage join the campaign because they didn't like him, despite the fact he would have got a lot more votes for them imo.
FPTP is here to stay now, the chances of another referendum on anything in this country in the next 20 years is slim I would say.
Firstly, a coalition with Labour was suggested as a realistic possibility at the time and the numbers don't really support what you've just said:
http://www.ukpolitical.info/2010.htm
P.S. I'm not arguing that Clegg didn't bill it as a necessary compromise (much as you seem to now), I am suggesting that he choose that compromise (whilst resisting many others) due to clear self interest (as AV favours 3rd parties which the Libs are/were), at which point he lost the little credibility I'd previously given him.
Soldato
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Did you vote in the EU referendum out of interest?
I did - based entirely on personal circumstances. The bigger picture is ok for most but i will never achieve that.
You need 326 MPs for a majority.
In 2010, Labour and the lib dems would have required at least 1 more party to form a coalition, and none of the others were big enough on their own. The only way to achieve the required number was that most of the opposition parties all formed a coalition, which was completely unrealistic.
Yeah, a rainbow coalition in 2010 was technically possible but it would have been absurdly unstable and impractical. The only realistic options were a Tory minority, a LibDem-Tory supply and demand arrangement, and a full LibDem-Tory coalition.
Not quite the only way. Sinn Fein traditionally abstain, meaning 323 is effectively a majority (unless they decide to turn up).
A Lib/Lab coalition would hold 315 seats, needing 8 MPs from; the DUP (8), the SNP (6), Plaid (3), the SDLP (3), Alliance (1), the Greens (1), and an independent (1).
It would have been interesting, with all of these parties realising the power they (collectively and individually) now hold. Backbenchers would have been a similar problem.
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All of which were options that Clegg entertained (including meeting with Gordon Brown regarding the Labour/Rainbow option) and which were also employed as a bargaining chip for the Red line areas Clegg insisted on before going in to coalition. To pretend there was simply no other way for poor Clegg, but to move to AV for voting reform is entirely revisionist and turning a blind eye to the fact that AV would very likely have supported his third party more than any other starts to make someone suggesting both sound like a joke!
Any change in voting system would have benefitted the Lib Dems more than anyone else at the time (then UKIP in 2015).
Of the systems being discussed, AV offered the Lib Dems the smallest advantage, according to every analysis I can find. However, AV is the only reform Labour and the Tories are ever likely to support; it ensures the duopoly of British politics continues.
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Everyone seems to find a reason to bash the lib dems over the collation be it student fees, voting reform or just jumping into bed with the torries. Everyone seems to overlook that they had little choice about what to do had they not gone into coalition we would have been back at the polls in less than a year and the party would have been wiped out for being week and plunging us into a period of uncertainty when what we needed was stable government. They did a great job of curbing Tory excesses and only now are we seeing how crappy life under a Tory government is if you are not rich or part of the old boys network. History will judge the lib dems in a much fairer way and I for one wish we had a political system and electorate that produced coalitions more often.
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I agree that they took the edge off the Tories more extreme policies, and Clegg was a good leader IMO.
I always voted Lib dem even though they had no chance in my constituency, but will be voting labour this time.
Conservatives have gone so far right and taken everyone for granted (particularly the pensioner vote) that their manifesto and policies are downright horrible.
I always voted Lib dem even though they had no chance in my constituency, but will be voting labour this time.
Conservatives have gone so far right and taken everyone for granted (particularly the pensioner vote) that their manifesto and policies are downright horrible.
The one thing that stood out to me was on one of the debates, a question was asked that was pretty difficult, Cameron reverted to his usual Big Society bull, Miliband stumbled around muttering something irrelevant and Clegg simply said "I don't know, but its something we will look into".
I thought it was a highly polarizing moment for him, to admit he didnt know (neither did the other two) and straight up say it was ballsy and gained a lot of my respect for that. It certainly gave me the impression he was more trustworthy than the other two. And that takes a lot from a stone hearted Tory voter.
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It was sooooo good seeing him being tricked then every interview after he had to try and talk his way out.
Tory party is slowly falling apart. Some of the tory party with an actual conscience (believe it or not) are rebelling against the dementia tax as well.
So our local schools have sent letters out to the parents asking for donations of stationary and play equipment because they've had their budget slashed so much since 2010 that if they're struggling.
TORY BRITAIN. BURN THE POOR
TORY BRITAIN. BURN THE POOR
I just saw her Andrew Marr interview. The bit where she's talking about her hair style and how that apparently has something to do with her past support for the IRA. My God she is such a cretin. I really do despair.
Well, looks like May finally gained some popularity 
"Theresa May's a 'liar' song overtakes Miley Cyrus and reaches Top 10 in the charts"
"Theresa May's a 'liar' song overtakes Miley Cyrus and reaches Top 10 in the charts"
Soldato
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