General Discussion
On behalf of my fellow Liberal Democrats, I would like to publicly repudiate the slur published in today's Dawlish Gazette newspaper that Lynne Nicholls is one of our colleagues. She most definitely isn't and never will be.
Yours, etc.
Our Conservative bedfellows have a jolly good bunch of lawyers. Tax avoidance schemes are a specialty, allegedly!
http://www.conservativelawyers.com
Yours, etc.
Perhaps HC should be pointed in their direction? Cos he got something else wrong about LN 'n all - her marital status.
Assumptions Hurumph, assumptions!
For any Tory singletons out there, here's a jolly good website for you to help find your perfect mate:
http://www.conservativedatingsite.com
You never know, you too might find your very own Bonking Boris or Teasing Theresa!
Yours, etc.
Just been reading this, rings true with my sense of how things are going
Well, those polls are clearly biased! It's not the number of candidates we have, it's the number of winning candidates that we have. If us Liberal Democrats don't win all 14 of those seats, then my name's Gary Taylor!
Yours, etc.
Thanks for the plug, OurSoul! Looks like we're going to need all the help we can get, according to the poll Michael has found.
Will be interesting to see how people react to Nick Cleggs "heart to Tories, brains to Labour" claim - might it turn the tide?
I hope so, Michael. As might also his "... every Lib Dem you elect is a barrier between Nigel Farage and Alex Salmond and the door the 10 Downing Street."
I'm increasingly wary of the notion of Coalition Government. It sounds great in principle, all working together. The reality is that we end up with a two stage election, Politicians offer manifesto promises and we vote. Then they meet in private and form a government, agreeing what they will actually do. Oligarchy in place of democracy.
If we complain that election promises are not kept, the response will be "Well we would have liked that, but the other part of the coalition blocked it"
I think if there is a hung parliament again, it would be better if the largest party formed a Minority government and had to argue in parliament every day for what they want to achieve. Bring all this into the daylight so we can see what is done in our name.
If we must talk of Coalition, I'd rather it was on the basis of what the parties can positively bring to the table (Heart, Brains whatever) rather than the very negative approach of being a barrier to Farage or Salmond.
If we do end up with a hung parliament, and no coalitions are formed, then it is highly likely we will have a repeat of 1974 with a parliamentary shambles which resulted in a second election just months later. I can see us going through all this again before the year is out.
@Lynne. i'm still undecided - this is a much harder decision than 5 years ago - and the stakes are incredibly high. i'm going to keep thinking about this one, probably right up to election day.
Happily there are very good Independents standing for the local councils - and some good party people too, so the choice there is much more about the individuals
I don't have a problem with which candidates I'll vote for in the town council and Teignbridge district council elections. Unless anything unexpected happens between now and polling day I already know who I will vote for and why.
It's the general election vote that is the issue. Totally agree that it is a much harder decision than 5 years ago.
Michael, I understand your sentiment, but not your reasoning.
If (for instance) Labour was to win the most seats but not a majority (given there current poll standing of around a third of all votes) is it really fair that they should govern alone? Are you so wedded to the one party system that you would be prepared to see two thirds of the country disenfranchised? Would you feel the same if the Tories were to be the largest party?
In our view it is better that the country is governed by those with a more robust and popular election mandate. Because of Britain's 'first-past-the-post' electoral system, it is unlikely this would be the Lib Dems (thankfully, neither would it be UKIP) however there is a large group of people in the centre ground who do not wish to see wild swings between the ideologies of the right and the left.
'Vote for us - the party of moderation' is the subtext of our party message. Not very racy, perhaps, but it chimes with many of the people I meet on the doorstep.
I hope I still may persuade you also. (But you were out when I called)
BTW, here's the link to rest of what Nick Clegg had to say yesterday.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/clegg-we-ll-give-tories-heart-and-labour-a-brain-1-3744859
If there is a hung parliament
I am not arguing that either Labour or Tory should govern alone. I'm saying that they should have to come to parliament every day and argue their case. If they can't persuade enough of the other MPs to support each particular measure, then it won't become law. Rather more democratic than the current arrangement whereby a Quad meeting of Messers Cameron, Clegg, Osbourne and Alexander meet and decide what happens.
Much harder work to maintain, but then maybe people like SIr Malcolm Rifkind won't be complaining that as a backbench MP there isn't enough work for a full time job?
Okay - so how do we, in this constituency, vote, in order to decrease the number of seats the Tories have/increase the number of seats Labour has?
Is it just your tradition to not like the Tories or do you have some genuine reasons why you don't like them?
@Paul, are you so stupid to ask that question !!! its nothing to do with tradition its all about their policies and who they stand for, certainly not me
@burneside - so, if in this constituency there is zero chance of the labour candidate being elected who, of the other candidates, is more likely to stop the tory candidate being elected?
For those who do not want a Tory government, whether a majority or a minority one, the logical thing to do is to vote in such a way as to stop as many Tories as possible from winning seats.
The LibDems, obviously. But given their dismal standing in the polls I doubt RYR will be celebrating on May 7th.
Michael, what you propose sounds most impractical. The measures coming forward will - as I understand you - be from one party alone, with deals made 'on the hoof'. This can lead only to fudge and confusion - a loss of stability and confidence at home and abroad with disastrous consequences.
Coalition may be viewed by some as a marriage of convenience, however such an arrangement has brought remarkable economic stability over the last 5 years. Yes, sadly some key Liberal Democrat policies have been thwarted by the Conservatives; notably, however, three quarters have been delivered. This is a solid achievement by a junior partner - and it is a record which, with the support of the public in this election, we hope to repeat again in government.
Thing is, thing is it isn't what the Lib Dems have achieved from their manifesto that registers with people it is the likes of the tuition fee debacle, their support for the bedroom tax and their support for other welfare cuts. Oh and then on top of that there has been five years worth of anti Labour rhetoric.
We clearly won't agree - and that's no bad thing
I don't personally think that vast majority of issues we face as a country are so unpredictable or the cause of huge division (which might be why three quarters of Lib Dem policies got through - they were shared ground with the Conservatives and quite possibly Labour too)
There are big divisions of course, and I think they should be decided in parliament where we can see and bear witness to what is done - and why
No one seems to be answering your question so I might as well have a go.
You don't want a Tory MP so your choices are pretty stark really.
I agree that a Labour candidate won't get elected in this constituency.
The LibDems are going to face a massive backlash due to their coalition with the Tories so they aren't going to get in either.
Greens? Not a hope in hell with Natalie Bennett at the helm.
So that just leaves UKIP (yes, we all knew where this was headed if we're honest!). Well, UKIP will gain votes from disaffected LibDems but also from the Tories who will leach a massive amount primarily due to austerity, the NHS and immigration in that order. Will that be enough to carry them into Parliament? I can't see it.
Therefore, whoever you vote for, you're going to be stuck with a Tory MP.