The sad Lib Dems

Nice to see you on good form, Mick.

Menzies, sends his regards. One old codger to another.....

Personalities aside I wonder if even Mick would agree that the 'centralisation' (and homgenisation) of the two main parties leaves a significant agenda for a 3rd party. The failure of the LibDems to capitalise on that (in his perception) may be a disspaointment but the LibDems deserve a vigorous leader to make the political choices in the UK somewhat richer.

Bruce

PS Mick, highlighting the sexual hypocrisy of a LibDem is a dangerous game for a Tory supporter!

Bruce

The plain sad truth is that the Liberals and then the Lib Dems have never had a decent set of robust and consistent policies since the end of the second world war.

They only opposed the Iraq invasion because it was the popular vote and their history is scattered with similar stuff throughout the ages.

Harold Wilson described them as nice and that once summed them up. Today they are not even nice.

Basically you vote for them if you are an indecisive waffler.

Regards

Mick

PS The Tories have alway had a history of indulging in naughty pursuits. It is true they may represent the difference between profit and loss of a few high class brothels but you don't hear them coming out with the sanctimonious waffle of the Lib Dems who have been led by Jeremy Thorpe and Charles Kennedy backed up by the straight Simon Huges.

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:

They only opposed the Iraq invasion because it was the popular vote and their history is scattered with similar stuff throughout the ages.

http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/liberal-democrats-propos...ncome-tax.12898.html


Notice the their policy of reforming inheritance tax. Apparently a very popular idea.

Fatcat

Yes thats my point, they always have come up with popular proposals well knowing they will never be asked to deliver.

Regards

Mick

As does Cameron.

Mr McCluckie

Cameron stands an excellent chance of becoming the next Prime Minister and is young enough to want at least two terms in office.

He does not have the luxury of being able to make false promises.

quote:

He does not have the luxury of being able to make false promises.

He is a politician though so I guess he will.

quote:

Basically you vote for them if you are an indecisive waffler.

I don't think it's that clear cut - for local politics anyway, where people are more inclined to vote for individual politicians where judged to be effective, rather than for the party they represent.

Where I agree with you is at national level where they have proven themselves time and again to be extremely ineffective in England.

Peter

quote:

The Tories have alway had a history of indulging in naughty pursuits. It is true they may represent the difference between profit and loss of a few high class brothels but you don't hear them coming out with the sanctimonious waffle

They would certainly never preach back to basic family values whilst shagging their secretaries or vote for section 28 then go home and slip on the stockings and stick an orange in their mouths, would they?

quote:

Cameron stands an excellent chance of becoming the next Prime Minister

Really? As soon as the media scrutiny is switched that could just as easily change. He was an embarrassing lightweight just a matter of weeks ago - according to members of his own party.

The media heavily influences the vote anyway, so why not wait to see who Murdoch comes out for?

quote:

Originally posted by Malky:
[QUOTE]
They would certainly never preach back to basic family values whilst shagging their secretaries or vote for section 28 then go home and slip on the stockings and stick an orange in their mouths, would they?

What is it with the orange in the mouth thing. Call me Mr. Naive but I tried it and it did nothing for me.

quote:

They only opposed the Iraq invasion because it was the popular vote

Mick,
That's called democracy.
Ken

quote:

Originally posted by KenM:

quote:

They only opposed the Iraq invasion because it was the popular vote

Mick,
That's called democracy.
Ken

In reference to opposing the Iraq invasion, it's also also called common sense!

quote:

In reference to opposing the Iraq invasion, it's also also called common sense!

You won't last long around here with kind of attitude. The last thing we need is common sense.


Howard

Ken

The Lib Dems used to be a bunch of old harmless eccentrics picking up the popular vote and making promises they knew they would never have to keep.

Today, they are self centered nasty hypocrites picking up the popular vote and making promises they know they never have to keep.

Regards

Mick

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:

The message was delivered by Simon Huges who has the principles of a rat, just remember his "I am the straight man" crusade against Peter Thatchell and then see how he squirmed when his little hobby was publicised a while ago.

It would have been more fun for the country at large if John Major's little hobby with Edwina had been publicised at the time of the Back to Basics campaign.

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Mr McCluckie

Cameron stands an excellent chance of becoming the next Prime Minister and is young enough to want at least two terms in office.

He does not have the luxury of being able to make false promises.

It will be interesting to see how he intends to plug the gap caused by the IHT giveaway then.

A hung parliament is more likely than a Conservative win if you look at the stats. The LibDems might just seem more important then.

quote:

The message was delivered by Simon Huges who has the principles of a rat, just remember his "I am the straight man" crusade against Peter Thatchell and then see how he squirmed when his little hobby was publicised a while ago.

Whilst Tory supporters have possibly a few too many skeletons in their cupboards to be able to "throw the first stone", I have to agree with Mick on his character profile of Simon Hughes, who is repellant in the extreme. I remember the Bermondsey by-election very well and the scandalously homophobic campaign that the Lib Dems fought.

IMO there is a vacuum in British politics which is evident by the ever-decreasing number of people who even bother to vote at all. More and more people are becoming increasingly disenfranchised from the political process.

From what I can gather from my 16-year old son and his friends, they are increasingly angry about lots of things in society, but unlike in the 1980's, there are not really any strong political youth movements of any kind that I can see any more.

Steve

quote:

there is a vacuum in British politics which is evident by the ever-decreasing number of people who even bother to vote at all. More and more people are becoming increasingly disenfranchised from the political process

Or may be seduced by the empty rhetoric of the BNP.

quote:

Or may be seduced by the empty rhetoric of the BNP.

actually, I was going to say that as well!

Steve

...and the Labour Party disbanded the Labour Party Young Socialists for being, err....young and socialist!

I wouldn't say it was seduced by the empty rhetoric of the bnp, just seduced by a very simple message.

Trouble is the bnp appeal to a minority and once they have been in 5 minutes they will have run out of ideas.

I suspect that the 3 main parties do more listening to minority views and pander to these fragments of society than thinking what the majority would want to see.

I used to vote lib dem, but as they have dumped Nuclear power because the simpletons couldn't escape the minority view on how "bad" Nuclear is for the environment, and the business over Charles Kennendy I've had enough of them, they are just as economical with the truth as the other parties.

Watching Cameroon play catch up with the Blair acting style of politics doesn't fill me with enthusiasm and Gordon's continual spinning isn't impressive either.

Time someone was honest enough to say wehave had enough of what you have to offer, may be that is why people have turned off politics. The parties dont really care as they have a job for life because of the democratic system we have doesnt allow anyone to say no all you can say is we dont want you this time but we have to choose sokeone else whose policies are only slightly worse.

Can you imagine an election where everyone was allowed to say yes/no to all the policies (like in California I suppose. I guess this is pure democracy) and the politicians just had to make sure they did what we wanted. Oh sorry isn't that what they are supposed to be doing?

Henners

PS has anyone actually been asked by any of the polsters like mori for their opinion - there seem to be hundreds of opinion polls, but no one I know has ever been asked what they think.

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Chaps - How can any sane person even think of voting for the Lib Dems now.

Well said, Mick, but who else can I vote for around here (Gloucestershire) - we don't have a Raving Monster Loony Candidate anymore: I guess I could vote for a Tory boy, which would be about the same thing - without the honesty.

All politicians are in it for themselves - so I don't think I'll vote next time and hope they all go away.

quote:

the Liberals and then the Lib Dems have never had a decent set of robust and consistent policies since the end of the second world war.

The only thing I can of worse than that is a party that has had a set of robust and consistent policies since the end of the second world war - frightening really.

Oh well, I'll just put another Roger Dean poster on the wall.