Posts tagged Liberal Democrats
David Laws: “We must tackle the economy and mend our broken society”
David Laws writing in The Sun:
We don’t pretend that we agree on every dot and comma. There have been differences, including on the NHS. Lib Dem voters want to know that we are fighting for our priorities — that we are partners, not patsies….But let’s be clear — while it is essential that our identity is not lost, it would be a disaster if the Lib Dems were simply to evolve into an internal opposition…On all the key areas — the economy, education, welfare reform — the Lib Dems should be part of the engine of the Coalition, not merely its brake.
Very interesting article. And I think he’s right about focussing on being an active part of the coalition rather than an ‘internal opposition’. The better the Tories and Lib Dems make things work and turn things around, the better the position of both parties.
Video: Happy anniversary for the coalition?
Interesting video by Julian Glover at The Guardian on how localism is where the bond remains with the the two parties who make up the coalition government. And he proposes that maybe, just maybe, there is more to this government than simply cuts as many on the left would like everyone to believe.
Jonathan Freedland on the elections and referendum results
Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian:
Conventional wisdom says Clegg will now demand a consolation prize or two, goodies to soothe his battered party and keep it content with coalition. But Cameron has no pressing reason to be emollient. For what leverage does Clegg have? He can’t threaten to walk out, knowing that in an early general election only annihilation awaits. The Lib Dems are now hostages in this coalition, chained to the cabinet table, fated merely to hope that something turns up between now and 2015.
Strong piece emphasising just how good the results are for the SNP and how strong a position Cameron and the Tories are now in.
Lib Dems battering due to dishonesty in promising left-wing policies in the north?
Tim Montgomerie at ConservativeHome:
[The Lib Dems] weren’t defeated because they got a bad deal from David Cameron. They were defeated because of a fundamental and decades-long dishonesty in their proposition to voters, promising left-wing policies to places like Liverpool and conservative-sounding policies to voters in southern England. Concessions from Cameron aren’t going to alter that.
Of course, it’s much more complex than that, but it is interesting that the Tories have hardly taken a hit at all.
The Observer editorial explains why it is supporting the Yes to AV campaign
The Observer:
AV is not perfect. No system captures the will of the people with photographic realism. The goal is a fair approximate, and FPTP fails utterly. It distorts, obstructs, obscures and perverts voter choices. It causes tens of thousands of votes to be wasted; it forces people to endorse candidates they don’t like, just to punish ones they like even less.
AV will not solve all of the problems of British democracy. It will not undo the harm of the expenses scandal, nor provoke a renaissance of civic participation. It is only a reform. It promises one thing: by taking account of multiple preferences, it would elect a parliament that more accurately describes the political complexion of the nation. That is a start.
I am genuinely undecided on which way to vote come the May referendum. There are some strong arguments here though and if I had to give an indication of intention now, I’d probably be veering slightly towards the Yes camp.
