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They think it’s all over…

May 12th, 2010 · Posted by Skuds in Politics · 15 Comments · Politics

Quite an eventful evening apparently.  I missed the events because I was over in Horsham for a constituency meeting.   Somebody with a BlackBerry or iPhone or some other gadget let us know the main points so we were not completely in the dark, but I had to wait until getting home to find out any details.To be more precise, I had to get home, make myself something to eat, spend an hour listening to a new podcast, then have a shower, and then I could get the details. Very interesting indeed.

Camera-on as PM, Clegg as deputy, Osborne as Chancer of the Exchequer…  It could have been worse I suppose: they could have won in 2005.  If that had happened the failure of Northern Rock could have led the whole banking system collapsing.  We could have been Iceland.

It would be nice if the new government had a bit of success: I don’t particularly fancy losing my job and turning into Yosser Hughes.  Our best hope is that those Lib Dems who are a bit more idealistic than Clegg will prevent the Tories carrying out some of their worst plans.

A bit worried that they will get stitched up with this business of having more equal-sized constituencies, and fully expect the referendum on voting to be a farce, with the Tories forced to vote it through and then campaigning vigorously along with all the papers to defeat it.

Maybe the Lib Dems will stop the hunting ban getting repealed though.  That would at least be something.

I have a suspicion the Lib Dems have been done up like a kipper though.  At some point they will be faced with something they really don’t like and realise that if they don’t support it and let the government fail it will undermine their argument that coalitions are a viable paradigm.

The good news: the Horsham meeting was very upbeat and positive. No recriminations or regrets but just a focus on the positives of the campaign: the increased membership and membership enquiries, the improved contact with scattered members, the extra names on petitions, and so on.

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15 Comments so far ↓

  • Richard

    I hear (unconfirmed) that the agreement is that the LibDems will not vote against the ToryCons for at least 12 months ?

  • David

    Well the Lib Dems have finally got a taste of power. Like you I hope it doesn’t turn round and bite them in the proverbial..
    Similarly lets keep our fingers crossed that they can reign in the worst excesses of the Tories for a while.
    The question now is is this the dawn of a new era in politics or just a blip before things return to the status quo? Labour quite obviously don’t want to get involved in coallition style politics but will they be forced to change their stance over the coming years ?
    Another question is how many lib dem supporters have a bad taste in their mouth after their leadership essentially whored their party for a taste of power – defintely makes me think of Churchill’s comment to lady Astor.

    DinAlt

  • Hiro

    I think we can see already see Our ‘Enry has a bit of a problem with the “Truth” already. Who really believes that during negotiations with the Lib Dems; that Dave had the time to pick up the phone and ask the newly elected ‘Enry for advice?? Also he seems to be “confused” or deliberately obtuse by stating that under AV Crawley would lose it’s constituency…..simply not true!!! Pants on fire!

  • Richard

    I think it entirely possible Tory Cameron contacted his new MP’s (eg HS) to ‘sound them out’ on the Lib Dem coalition – he’d have been a fool not to.

    Where HS will have a problem – and other political animals like him – is with Orwelluan ‘Doublethink’ – a psychological state which is a personality requiremen within a totalitarian state.

  • Gordon Seekings

    For info Skuds et al the details of the Lib Dem/Tory coalitions policies are at http://www.libdems.org.uk/latest_news_detail.aspxtitle=Conservative_Liberal_Democrat_coalition_agreements&pPK=2697bcdc-7483-47a7-a517-7778979458ff

    Although you would expect me to say it the document in my opinion is “Tory lite, Lib Dem heavy” :-))

    Oh, and I’m meeting the Deputy PM face-to-face at 3pm which may, or may not, trump Henry’s “consultation”. 🙂 🙂 🙂

    PS. How come all the security words for this blog are West Ham related? Biaise? :-)) :-))

    • Skuds

      The agreement sounds very good indeed in many respects. Have to see how it all pans out.

      No mention of fox hunting in what I have read, and very concerned about plans to fiddle with boundaries rather than fix the system and the idea of ‘enhanced majority’.

      Be interesting to see what actualyl happens.

      Security words – luck of the draw. You managed to avoid the rude ones somehow.

  • hiro

    Gordon,
    Why did the liberals not object to the deeply homophobic Terresa May as “Equalities Minister”?? Can you ask Nick…..Camerons best political joke….why?

  • Gordon Seekings

    Hiro – I do not know if there was an objection or not but it would have “rebounded” I think as there would then have been something similar from the Conservatives over a Lib Dem nominee.

    As it is my favourite quote (at the moment) is from a Tory grandee when he said “5 Bloody Liberals in the cabinet and 6 if you count Kenneth Clarke”.

  • Hiro

    So principles are thrown to one side…..a sad day…and sums up this “power” at any cost attitude.

    • Danivon

      B..b..but Nick Clegg said he was all about ‘real change’?

      I can’t believe that the Lib Dems would nationally do what they’ve done in Birmingham, Camden and loads of other places and meekly prop up dodgy Tory regimes for a few plum jobs.

      Actually, I can.

  • Gordon Seekings

    Danivon (and Hiro) suggest you both look at what has been agreed and compare and then say how much of the Lib Dem stuff where we disagreed with the Tories would have been actioned in the next 5 years if we had done no deal?

    Danvion – well we were not going to prop up a dodgy Labour regime especially as the maths did not add up and what they only wanted from us was support for existing policies (save the sop of electoral reform and if they had really wanted to do that then they could have made the offer anytime in the last 13 years…….. ). The Labour “negotiators” were also split on what they could or could not offer and had more than an eye on how they could help the person they favoured most as the new Labour leader rather than getting a government for the UK.

  • Danivon

    Lib Lab was never a serious option, but I guess NC needed the threat of it to firm up the Tory offers.

    Twas funny to watch their headbangers over that day though

  • Gordon Seekings

    Glad you agree on the reality of a deal with Labour.

    As an aside from what I can gather Brown decided to resign and Cameron got three minutes notice of it and that he had to go to the Palace no matter what. Story going round Lib Dem HQ is that a “source close to the Queen” rang Nick Clegg at about that time and said that Herself did not like having to wait to appoint a PM and could he please hurry up and say yes or no!!

  • Danivon

    Well, Brown had no choice, once Lib-Lab talks broke up with no deal. Just like Heath in 74 had to.

    Of course, if we go to a more European style electoral system, are we going to see coalition talks that run for weeks & months? Brenda would be in conniptions, perhaps