[Guy_Montag]

As title - sorry if I've missed anything

[Guy_Montag]

Currently it's a LibDem landslide - yet they do so badly in real life. What's going on?

[magpie]

Guy_Montag, on Dec 9 2009, 11:50 AM, said:

Currently it's a LibDem landslide - yet they do so badly in real life. What's going on?

I don't think we're a very representative group.

[frugalista]

Guy_Montag, on Dec 9 2009, 11:50 AM, said:

Currently it's a LibDem landslide - yet they do so badly in real life. What's going on?

It's the Vince Cable effect. This board is totally focused on the one issue where the Lib Dems trounce the other parties -- warning about the debt mountain and how to solve it.

frug.

[Cletus VanDamme]

OK I put Green

Agree about the Vince Cable factor. It would be interesting to see them in power - they'd need to give him a leading role in the cabinet. Obviously Clegg would be useless, but if he has a good team around him they might achieve something.

[crashmonitor]

Got to be New Labour for me. I like their sweep it under the carpet, we'll sort the National Debt out eventually attitude. Jam today please, buy now PAY later.

[magpie]

Cletus VanDamme, on Dec 9 2009, 12:00 PM, said:

OK I put Green

Agree about the Vince Cable factor. It would be interesting to see them in power - they'd need to give him a leading role in the cabinet. Obviously Clegg would be useless, but if he has a good team around him they might achieve something.

Yeah, but if they went for a bargain on something like Cable as chancellor (or even Chief Secretary to the Treasury) and Clegg in some harmless role like International Development or whatever, combined with Brown buggering off to the Lords, it might just counteract the damage done by "propping up a failing government" - they'd need to be bloody clear on a timetable for PR to make it worth their while though.

But honestly I think he'd be better advised to leave it to one or the other to try a minority government, unfortunately. A coalition could work but it could just as well set them back years.

[AgeingBabyBoomer]

magpie, on Dec 9 2009, 12:09 PM, said:

Yeah, but if they went for a bargain on something like Cable as chancellor (or even Chief Secretary to the Treasury) and Clegg in some harmless role like International Development or whatever, combined with Brown buggering off to the Lords, it might just counteract the damage done by "propping up a failing government" - they'd need to be bloody clear on a timetable for PR to make it worth their while though.

But honestly I think he'd be better advised to leave it to one or the other to try a minority government, unfortunately. A coalition could work but it could just as well set them back years.

Any deal would have to include serious electoral reform - then
their future chances would be much better.
I suspect a hung parliament would also be a short
one (ooer) for this reason alone.
ABB

[magpie]

AgeingBabyBoomer, on Dec 9 2009, 12:12 PM, said:

Any deal would have to include serious electoral reform - then
their future chances would be much better.
I suspect a hung parliament would also be a short
one (ooer) for this reason alone.
ABB

As I've said before, I think that's partly why Brown has put ATV out there as a starting point for possible negotiations - so he can reject anything that would hurt Labour more in the long term, but agree to bring that through in the first year without looking too weak.

I don't say he's necessarily playing it right or will have the chance to argue the toss, but it looks like strategic politics to me.

[mSparks]

crashmonitor, on Dec 9 2009, 12:07 PM, said:

Got to be New Labour for me. I like their sweep it under the carpet, we'll sort the National Debt out eventually attitude. Jam today please, buy now PAY later.

Or, in a less obscure, tongue in cheek fashion.
f' Labour
And the horse they rode in on.
Strip them all of their titles
And Burn them at the stake.

[sine270]

Cletus VanDamme, on Dec 9 2009, 12:00 PM, said:

OK I put Green

Agree about the Vince Cable factor. It would be interesting to see them in power - they'd need to give him a leading role in the cabinet. Obviously Clegg would be useless, but if he has a good team around him they might achieve something.

Isn't it the lib dems that want to do away with council tax and replace it with a local income tax. What kind of incentive is that to get people to go and work? For that reason they will never get my vote.
I'd vote for the party who dropped income tax altogether and put it all on vat and housing/land. Then the country really would get back on its feet.

Voting for the lib dems is a vote for home ownership.

I will not be voting as all parties are as bad as each other.

This post has been edited by sine270: 09 December 2009 - 12:38 PM

[ziknik]

I voted ‘other’.

I can’t bring myself to vote for any of the big/bigger parties at the moment and I DO want my vote to be counted.

I am hoping ‘Beauties for Britain’ field a candidate in my area. I’m happier to vote for a bird on the grounds that she is FIT than any of the other dross.

That said, I’ve been more and more impressed with the Tory’s recently. I don’t know if any of you saw Nigel Lawson doing the rounds on Hard Talk and News Night recently. And Ken Clarke & John Major have done many good interviews. With these guys for guidance, I hope David Cameron can head in the right direction.

I may vote Tory if the Old Guard keep up the good work and a decent candidate is fielded in my area

(We have a Lib Dem MP at the moment and he does a good job to be honest. I would vote for him if he stood as an independent. I don’t like the policies of Lib Dem)

[Father Fred]

ziknik, on Dec 9 2009, 12:39 PM, said:

I voted ‘other’.

I can’t bring myself to vote for any of the big/bigger parties at the moment and I DO want my vote to be counted.

I am hoping ‘Beauties for Britain’ field a candidate in my area. I’m happier to vote for a bird on the grounds that she is FIT than any of the other dross.

That said, I’ve been more and more impressed with the Tory’s recently. I don’t know if any of you saw Nigel Lawson doing the rounds on Hard Talk and News Night recently. And Ken Clarke & John Major have done many good interviews. With these guys for guidance, I hope David Cameron can head in the right direction.

I may vote Tory if the Old Guard keep up the good work and a decent candidate is fielded in my area

(We have a Lib Dem MP at the moment and he does a good job to be honest. I would vote for him if he stood as an independent. I don’t like the policies of Lib Dem)

Great reflection on the Tores that their best strategy is to wheel out the heavyweight politicians that were past their sell-by date 12 years ago.

To be fair the Tories, like labour, did used to have the odd politician who was intelligent, had a modicum of principle, and gave off an appropriate air.

[JimmyJames]

For the first time in my life I'm in a decent position constituency wise - we've got a Lib Dem and Labour are in second place. So a Lib Dem vote for me is a no brainer - as they help towards the best GHPC result of a hung parliament and have Vince on their team.

Think they are characterised by wishful thinking on immigration, and their policy on abolishing council tax for old ladies in big houses is barmy, but on the economy, the mansion tax, green stuff, the war and europe I agree with them.

[drmr]

sine270, on Dec 9 2009, 12:37 PM, said:

Isn't it the lib dems that want to do away with council tax and replace it with a local income tax. What kind of incentive is that to get people to go and work? For that reason they will never get my vote.

+1.
The anti-land value tax doesn't fit with their 'mansion tax' and seems to be some legacy from an earlier political time before the crunch.

[benborg]

I'll vote strategically against the tories, but don't yet know whether libdem or labour is strongest in my consituency. I don't mind who wins as long as it's not the tories.

[liebot]

I vote stay at home and play playstation. I might spoil my paper if I'm feeling really public spirited.

[ziknik]

liebot, on Dec 9 2009, 10:52 PM, said:

I vote stay at home and play playstation. I might spoil my paper if I'm feeling really public spirited.

I don't think they count spoilt papers anymore. That's why I'm planning to vote for Beauties for Britain

[gameover]

I might be tempted to vote for the libdems if I thought they could push labour into third place, even in the popular vote.
Trouble is that they can't make any head way in the polls.
Labour has been electioneering like mad at the moment and may call an early election, they may know an almighty shit storm is about to strike and I mean soon and well before a June election. They may be timing it so that it strikes during the election and voters will be fearful of making a change when all hell breaks loose.

Outside shot, Prince William to get engaged at Christmas.

[mSparks]

gameover, on Dec 10 2009, 12:53 AM, said:

I might be tempted to vote for the libdems if I thought they could push labour into third place, even in the popular vote.
Trouble is that they can't make any head way in the polls.
Labour has been electioneering like mad at the moment and may call an early election, they may know an almighty shit storm is about to strike and I mean soon and well before a June election. They may be timing it so that it strikes during the election and voters will be fearful of making a change when all hell breaks loose.

Outside shot, Prince William to get engaged at Christmas.

Bullshit.
That's like saying you'd vote for Adolf Hitler if doing so would keep Göring out.
Vote for the party that you think should win, forget all this "not going to because they won't" hyperbole.

This post has been edited by mSparks: 10 December 2009 - 01:14 AM