Can I be Vice Chair?

Chair of vice? Certainly, you're ideally suited.

That's what I was hoping.

I do find it amusing how much vitriol people throw at the Lib Dems (which is not to say some of it is not justified) for not doing exactly everything that they said they would do, as if they're somehow expected to be able to veto everything that the Conservatives push for. I kind of hope that once the coalition ends, for whatever reason, some dirty laundry gets aired.

I suspect people wouldn't have quite so much vitriol if they'd give the impression they even try to get their own promises through, rather than sounding like they were actually quite cheery to throw them away in exchange for a seat at the big table. The odd minor crumb like a flawed vote for AV aside.

Frankly, I think the Dems should have been a continual, and painful, thorn in the side of the Conservatives. As it happens, at best they're a compliant partner in a shit governance and at worst they're the beaten wife.

Either way, they've done little to contribute anything useful and done little to stop the Conservatives doing pretty much what they want.

I really don't know but I do seem to lean towards the Tories as the local Councillor has done some good things in Newbury and the area surrounding it. More money pushed into public transport and street upkeep, more access to help for people with money / drug problems to name a few things. It all depends on if you are thinking locally or nationally.

General Election = nationally innit. Surely? Interesting that it took a tory to get your area that stuff, who was in beforehand?

We went from Labour to Conservative at the last GE. Can't say I've noticed any difference at all locally though.

LibDems and the Councillor was also pretty good but got bogged down NIMBY problems towards the end which I think lost him his control.

There's no way I'm voting for a party controlled by shit-encrusted arseholes who don't care in the slightest about representing the populace or making things better for anyone except themselves and those who bribe them.

So in that list, that leaves the Greens or abstination.

I was going to say that the Green party was just a single-track party, but on checking up it seems they do actually have policies beyond [misguided] environmentalism. Not yet determined whether I agree with them, but I guess I'll take a closer look when the election actually turns up and consider whether to spend the futile effort on voting for the Greens rather than abstaining.

I don't mind the manifesto pledge stuff, manifestos are a list of stuff they want to do, a way to judge a party based on its ambitions and useful as such. I think it's wrong to think of them as firm promises.

What bothers me is that many LibDem MPs signed personal pledges that they'd never vote for a tuition fee increase. They put their own name and signature on a firm personal promise. And then did the opposite.

And they turned my (well, not mine, mine didn't count due to our fucked electoral system) LibDem vote into a Tory vote. Which for me, and I think many LibDem voters, is the absolute diametrical opposite of what I wanted.

And they accepted a free vote on election reform. That was so cowardly it made me feel sick.

So yeah. I'll never vote LibDem ever again. Fuck the Lib Dems. The Tories may be cunts but at least they stick to what they believe in. At least they have beliefs.

If I vote, and I probably won't, it'll be Labour.

That's not why we throw vitriol. People understand compromise. What I don't understand is, as I said above, turning my vote into its opposite.

There were numbers to make a 'left wing' (as far as that still means anything) coalition. More people (about 60% to 40%) who voted voted for a left wing party (Labour, LibDems, Green etc.). But they allied with the Tories.

I think it's more that they didn't do anything at all.

They, unnecessarily, sided with the (from the point of view of a leftie voter) most evil party with the intention of making them slightly less evil. Rather than siding with a good party and getting some good done.

And then they singularly failed to make them less evil. Because the Tories are very fucking good at politicking. They know how to play the media and make sure that the LibDems lose even the small amount of influence they should've had.

 

I voted for Lib Dems, but I'm not totally sure of that.  I want Lib Dems without Clegg and with a promise of never getting into bed with the Tories again.

You'd believe that promise? (cheer)

There would have to be tears of regret or something.

Looks like a choice between tory vermin (this includes Labour) or other parties that have no hope of doing anything. And the lib dems (giggle)

I don't think spoiling my ballot will be enough. I might need to shit in the ballot box.

As the only real choice is between Tories or Labour (+/- coalition) I'm certainly glad Ed has started to make some noises on policy. Taken his fucking time about it and completely undermined his supporters, but then what else do you expect from politicians.

I'm in Canada, so can't vote, but I follow UK politics very closely (for work and just personal interest), and I would definitely vote Lib Dem. The other two parties are too high up on the authoritarian scale for me - I'm old skool small-"l" liberal, quite centrist, so the Lib Dems are the only real option for me. I really admire Clegg and what he's done going into coalition with the Tories - it's always so much harder on the smaller party. And I totally LOVE the idea of coalition government - Canadian political parties are too immature to even consider the idea.

Although in fairness, I have to say that I don't dislike David Cameron. Not the Tories as a whole - too many nutters - but Cameron I actually kind of like. I'd rather have him as PM any day over the Conservative turd we currently have in power here in Canada. Want to trade?

>>I'm in Canada,

>> I really admire Clegg and what he's done going into coalition with the Tories 

Your second statement totally renders the first redundant.

>>but Cameron I actually kind of like.

What is it exactly you like about Cameron? Personality or policies? Because personally I find him lacking in both.