A few hours ago a LibDem-Tory coalition seemed inevitable. Now Gordon Brown has announced his intention to resign, the Labour Party is making increasingly generous advances towards Nick Clegg and his team and the Conservatives are responding by offering full coalition and a referendum on voting reform. Where is this going to go? Who will replace Gordon Brown? Michael Gove has just pointed out that this could lead to the second "unelected" Labour Prime Minister in a row, which I suspect will become a common theme for the Conservative Party and their allies in the press if a Lib/Lab pact comes to fruition. Please add your comments below!
PS: Thanks for all your comments so far. Keep them coming!
If only I could change my vote on the 'next Prime Minister' poll! It's all changing too quickly, this morning I said that the Conservatives and Lib Dems would make a deal by tonight and it all changed!
ReplyDeleteThe Tories are looking pretty desperate with their new line on electoral reform, but then so are Labour even though I love them.
I guess it's bad that the Conservatives have suddenly changed their minds on electoral reform, because if you voted for the Conservatives based on their manifesto, you've been a bit cheated.
Now a ConDem coalition looks inevitable again!
ReplyDeleteThe last 5 days have presented a very strong argument against proportional representation. As Allie said, it becomes a contest to see which party can swallow sections of the 3rd party's manifesto the quickest. People who voted Conservative didn't do so because they want to see Liberal Democrat policies implemented. In my opinion, a system under which this is normal should be avoided.
Were you the one person who voted 'David Miliband' in the next PM poll Allie? :)
well i'm not sure that a ConDem coailition is the best thing, i personally am hoping for an ineffective conservative minority, that way when the next election comes people will realise the conservatives aren't any good and won't vote for them!!
ReplyDeletehahahaha, no it was ME!!
ReplyDeleteThe time period of my interest is more the Churchill and pre-Churchill years, but this story is fascinating. Is your electorate as torn as ours in the U.S.?
ReplyDelete"well i'm not sure that a ConDem coailition is the best thing, i personally am hoping for an ineffective conservative minority, that way when the next election comes people will realise the conservatives aren't any good and won't vote for them!! "
ReplyDeleteIn response to this: should politics not be trying to achieve what is best for the country not what is best for your favourite party?? This is not some form of school popularity contest, this is about the future of our country!
Also if you really believe that conservatism does not work, you would surely want a Conservative MAJORITY government to show that it does not work? The fact you want a minority government implies that you worry a majority government might just work and that would be bad for your favourite party!
It seems to me that you care more for your 'favourite party' than you do for the country itself; which kind of defeats the point of politics all together!
Actually Alys I wasn't but I am intrigued to know who that was, and who the 'Anonymous' is :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Shelley. The electorate certainly seems fairly well divided at the moment and a coalition government perhaps sums up that mood. Whether events over the next few years, particularly when dealing with our debt crisis, entrench positions on the left and the right and exaggerate that division remains to be seen...
ReplyDeleteOf course this is about the future of our country, and what's best for the country is not a conservative government. well yes to prove the conservatives aren't good it would be better to have a majority government which is rubbish, but of course with the election resul that just wasn't possible, i don't know if you saw the figures, but 306/307 seats isn't a majority in any way.
ReplyDeleteand the reason is, well frankly it was the last conservative government (Thatcher/Major) which saw many "bad" reforms for the country as a whole and frankly caused problems in the years following, and indeed led to many problems due to privatisation etc. Frankly, i don't want that happening again, nor do i want the Tory tax cuts for the rich and poicies that benefit the elite. as for my "favourite party", while i don't support tory policy i am by no means a socialist and don't support labour either. nor would i have voted Lib Dem, i am a "floating voter" and look for policy, and frankly the conservative was the worst of the three main parties.
and all politicians care more for their party - Clegg is a prime example (gain of power for party in coalition) as is Brown (resigning to give chance at coalition with LibDem). They just think they have the right way of improving the country - which none of them really do. Philippa Stroud is another example of "party first" - moved to sutton, constituency she had a chnce of winning, and said she would stand down from centre for social justice if she were elected.
and as for not putting my country first, i think you'll find that i'm rather patriotic - i'd put the country first every time, i just don't feel we have the best government possible - George Osbourne is incompetant at the least! - and 5 years of a coalition (if fixed term gets passed) isn't exactly putting the country first is it...?
This is the problem when people don't identify themselves when they comment; saying 'I agree with Anonymous' just doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anonymous #3 (assuming that #1 and #2 are different people). I used to be hoping for a Conservative majority government, but I've since changed my mind and decided that a stable and relatively strong Conservative government with a Lib Dem influence is better than a unstable and weak Conservative minority government.
Surprisingly I'm relatively happy with the coalition agreement. I'm glad that inheritance tax cuts have been scrapped, that the Lib Dems will not oppose extending our nuclear power capabilities and that Cable has got an influential job. I'm still hoping that the tax breaks for married couples will be scrapped, and yes it's a shame about George Osborne.
Allie, maybe there's a new member of the fan club yet to unmask themselves!
^ Conservative majority? What a horrific mistake to make.
ReplyDelete*Conservative minority