Nick Clegg Mp for Sheffield Hallam. Leader of the Liberal Democrats. sex Symbol.

Could the Conservative party gain Hallam from the Lib Dems or not at the next election?

Maybe, but I'd guess not.

Maybe, but I'd guess not.

Thank you Peter Snow for that indepth analysis of the political situation.

He might lose it, don't you mean?

He might lose it, don't you mean?

The use of 'loose' instead of 'lose' appears to be one of the most common grammatical errors.

He might lose it, don't you mean?

if his trousers are too tight he might loosen his seat.

i hope he does

well he could do just like rest of the muppets

If he loses his seat his stool might loosen a bit.

:hihi::hihi:

Nick Clegg for Prime Minister

Nick Clegg for Prime Minister

it might happen:hihi:

actually there is a cruel rumour in Hallam
that Cameron doesn't want Clegg to lose his seat in case of a well hung parliament after the election so the Conservatives won't put up much of a fight in Hallam. To be fair it is a very safe Lib Dem seat and would take a massive swing to unseat Clegg anyway.

it might happen:hihi:

actually there is a cruel rumour in Hallam
that Cameron doesn't want Clegg to lose his seat in case of a well hung parliament after the election so the Conservatives won't put up much of a fight in Hallam. To be fair it is a very safe Lib Dem seat and would take a massive swing to unseat Clegg anyway.

:hihi::hihi:

Freudian slip? :hihi: :hihi:

:hihi::hihi:

Freudian slip? :hihi: :hihi:

no deliberate. just wondered if anyone would spot it. Of course there won't be a 'well hung' parliament after the next erection but there could likely be a 'hung parliament' - ie no one party with an overall majority.

no deliberate. just wondered if anyone would spot it. Of course there won't be a 'well hung' parliament after the next erection but there could likely be a 'hung parliament' - ie no one party with an overall majority.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. sure it was. :hihi: :hihi:

Could the Conservative party gain Hallam from the Lib Dems
at the next election?

Hopefully not. :nono:

The Nasty Party is still a nasty party. :(

Opportunistic, sly and full of phonies.
.
.
.

no deliberate. just wondered if anyone would spot it. Of course there won't be a 'well hung' parliament after the next erection but there could likely be a 'hung parliament' - ie no one party with an overall majority.

Hung Parliaments are very very rare and unworkable - there will just be an immediate re-election like there was last time in 1974.

The Tories are on course for a big majority anyway. And even if it is tight the Tories will join with the Ulster Unionists like they did for a while in the mid-1990s, not the Lib Dems.

To be fair it is a very safe Lib Dem seat and would take a massive swing to unseat Clegg anyway.

It appears to be a safe LD seat only because the voters of Hallam deserted Irvine Patnick and were impressed with Richard Allen. At the last election people were still wary, or ashamed, to vote Tory so Clegg retained the seat. This time round Camercon may have fooled enough people for them to swing back to their natural allegiance, Tories.

Plus, Stannington is now in Hallam constituency and they always vote heavily in favour of Labour in General Elections so those Labour supporters who voted LD to keep the Tories out may think it's a 3 way seat and vote accordingly.

It'll be interesting to see the result, what ever happens.

The Tories are on course for a big majority anyway.


Are you related to Lord Ashcroft ? :hihi:

To be fair it is a very safe Lib Dem seat and would take a massive swing to unseat Clegg anyway.

Sheffield Hallam is actually a safe Conservative seat, just one that happens to have been held by a Lib-Dem since the Tories were turned out in 1997. Hence Nick Clegg being on the right of the party spectrum and David Cameron being able to say there's "barely a cigarette paper between them."

(though the thought of Nick Clegg and David Cameron nipping out of the House of Commons for a quick roll-up is kind of comical).

In my view, there's the Green candidate, Steve Barnard, if you want to vote for someone with integrity at least.

In my view, there's the Green candidate, Steve Barnard, if you want to vote for someone with integrity at least.

Or Jack Scott who has even more integrity and has stood by the Labour Party, unlike Steve. :D

I don't see how Steve Barnard is the sort of candidate who will have much impact in Hallam. The population is simply too mature to fall for the useless party / candidate.

Nick Clegg will probably lose quite a few votes to the Conservatives this time around but it's not plausible that he'll lose. The Conservatives have almost gone off the radar and the farce with the original candidate (Gage?) really shows that they need a shake up locally. Maybe they can pull their finger out for the following election - competition is good for our politicians.

But in spite of being party leader with the obvious pull on his time Clegg seems to have been as effective an MP as can be expected. Expect a decent majority albeit with rocket up his rear to avoid future complacency.

Hung Parliaments are very very rare and unworkable - there will just be an immediate re-election like there was last time in 1974.

The Tories are on course for a big majority anyway. And even if it is tight the Tories will join with the Ulster Unionists like they did for a while in the mid-1990s, not the Lib Dems.

...because there was a hung parliament?

...because there was a hung parliament?

Actually the Tories didn't lose their majority IIRC - they just had a lot of backbench rebels so had to rely on the UUs to pass bills. The last hung parliament was definietly the Feb to Oct 1974 one.

Were the Conservatives ever on the radar in Sheffield? They might gain votes elsewhere as the Labour party representatives seemed to do everything they can to make Labour unelectable but can't see Tories gaining any ground in Sheffield as even when only 50% vote they don't get much votes. Love to see a green MP but realistically that isn't going to happen.

Nick Clegg Mp for Sheffield Hallam. Leader of the Liberal Democrats. sex Symbol.

Could the Conservative party gain Hallam from the Lib Dems or not at the next election?

If Cleggy looses he'll be able to spend time doing his garden, rather than claiming on his expenses for someone else to do it for him.

Were the Conservatives ever on the radar in Sheffield? They might gain votes elsewhere as the Labour party representatives seemed to do everything they can to make Labour unelectable but can't see Tories gaining any ground in Sheffield as even when only 50% vote they don't get much votes. Love to see a green MP but realistically that isn't going to happen.

Sheffield is split into a number of independent constituencies though - it's not like local elections where a certain party wins the city.

West Sheffield is fairly wealthy, so has quite a lot of natural Conservative voters.

Hung Parliaments are very very rare and unworkable - there will just be an immediate re-election like there was last time in 1974.

The Tories are on course for a big majority anyway. And even if it is tight the Tories will join with the Ulster Unionists like they did for a while in the mid-1990s, not the Lib Dems.

I wouldn't mind a hung parliament. They can use some of the lamp posts on my street if they like.

Sheffield Hallam is actually a safe Conservative seat, just one that happens to have been held by a Lib-Dem since the Tories were turned out in 1997. Hence Nick Clegg being on the right of the party spectrum and David Cameron being able to say there's "barely a cigarette paper between them."

(though the thought of Nick Clegg and David Cameron nipping out of the House of Commons for a quick roll-up is kind of comical).

In my view, there's the Green candidate, Steve Barnard, if you want to vote for someone with integrity at least.

You can come out with all the theories you like about it being a safe Tory seat but at the end of the day the Liberal Democrats have a majority of 8682 votes, which means that in reality it's fairly safe for the Lib Dems.

it might happen:hihi:

actually there is a cruel rumour in Hallam
that Cameron doesn't want Clegg to lose his seat in case of a well hung parliament after the election so the Conservatives won't put up much of a fight in Hallam. To be fair it is a very safe Lib Dem seat and would take a massive swing to unseat Clegg anyway.

Well it's worth remembering that the original Tory PPC had had to go after it was found out that he had failed to attend a single council meeting as town councillor in Dronfield (we had the by-election to replace him on there a couple of weeks ago).

There's no chance of Clegg losing his seat - he'll probably increase his majority. The Tories aren't much more popular in Sheffield than they ever were, and since last general election, they've lost their remaining seats on the council. Meanwhile, Clegg's become party leader (so now people have a better idea of who he is) and the Lib Dems have taken control of the council. The Conservatives aren't targetting Sheffield Hallam, and with good reason.

Keep your eyes on Sheffield Central, where the Lib Dems could take the seat from Labour, and Penistone and Stocksbridge which could be close between Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories (although the Lib Dems seem to have given up on it).

The other Sheffield seats will be easy Labour wins, with the other parties just scrapping for second place.

You can come out with all the theories you like about it being a safe Tory seat but at the end of the day the Liberal Democrats have a majority of 8682 votes, which means that in reality it's fairly safe for the Lib Dems.

Why should any seat be a safe seat? According to the Electoral Reform Society, only three MPs got more than 40% support from their constituents in the last General Election 2005. This means that the other 650 or so got less than 40% support from their electorate. One MP, George Galloway, got only 18% support. How can these people pretend to represent their constituents?

Nick Clegg got 51% of the vote on a 68% turnout.

We need a more proportional voting system

Why should any seat be a safe seat? According to the Electoral Reform Society, only three MPs got more than 40% support from their constituents in the last General Election 2005. This means that the other 650 or so got less than 40% support from their electorate. One MP, George Galloway, got only 18% support. How can these people pretend to represent their constituents?

We need a more proportional voting system

Are you including those who didn't vote at all in those stats by any chance? There's plenty of seats where candidates got 50% and over of the people who actually bothered to turn up.

Who ever wins they all P*SS in the same pot

Are you including those who didn't vote at all in those stats by any chance? There's plenty of seats where candidates got 50% and over of the people who actually bothered to turn up.

Yes, I'm including those who didn't vote. There are lots of reasons why people don't turn up to vote. Some can't be ar*ed, sure, but many others don't feel there's any point voting because in the current system their choice doesn't stand a chance of winning.

In 2005, 34% of MPs got over 50% of the votes cast. Plenty, yes, but only one-third of MPs can claim to have over half of the votes cast.

It appears to be a safe LD seat only because the voters of Hallam deserted Irvine Patnick and were impressed with Richard Allen. At the last election people were still wary, or ashamed, to vote Tory so Clegg retained the seat. This time round Camercon may have fooled enough people for them to swing back to their natural allegiance, Tories.

Plus, Stannington is now in Hallam constituency and they always vote heavily in favour of Labour in General Elections so those Labour supporters who voted LD to keep the Tories out may think it's a 3 way seat and vote accordingly.

It'll be interesting to see the result, what ever happens.

A very good post, I know many public sector emloyees/retired ex employees whose natural affiliation is to Labour. The vote Lib Dem only to keep the Conservatives out, perhaps the Stannington factor will return them to Labour.

What's your opinion on Sheffield Central by the way? There are many Labour supporters on it's outskirts, but how will the many inner city apartment dwellers vote?

Sheffield Hallam is actually a safe Conservative seat, just one that happens to have been held by a Lib-Dem since the Tories were turned out in 1997. Hence Nick Clegg being on the right of the party spectrum and David Cameron being able to say there's "barely a cigarette paper between them."

(though the thought of Nick Clegg and David Cameron nipping out of the House of Commons for a quick roll-up is kind of comical).

In my view, there's the Green candidate, Steve Barnard, if you want to vote for someone with integrity at least.

And we all know what Dave 'the rave' like to smoke in his roll ups don't we.:suspect: Although he doesn't like to talk about that. hey man.

Opportunistic, sly and full of phonies.

That could describe either of the two main parties.

There's Tony Blair, the well-known war criminal and proven liar, now in the pay of financial services firm JP Morgan to the tune of $5 million a year (link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7186975.stm)). A sinecure if ever there was one.

Then there's his predecessor as PM, John Major, who launched the "back to basics" campaign, a moral crusade that omitted to mention his 4 year adulterous affair with Edwin Currie. Major now works for the secretive Carlyle group (link (http://www.carlyle.com/media%20room/news%20archive/2001/item6536.html)), a private equity firm with links to the oil rich Bush family and the oil rich Bin Laden family (link (http://www.prisonplanet.com/bush_senior_in_business_with_bin_laden.html)).

Concentrating on heavily regulated industries like defense, telecommunications, energy, and health care, Carlyle is betting that it can predict future trends in government spending and policy, or influence them outright. And by hiring former secretaries of defense, ex-presidents, the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the former chairman of the Federal Communication Commission, they are in a position to do either.

Link (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Bush_Gang/Iron_Triangle.html)

So really, what is the difference between Blair and Major? One is a war criminal in the pay of the investment banks and the other is a hypocrite in the pay of a company that profits from the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Your choice in the next election is between the corporate puppet on the left or the corporate puppet on the right. Decisions, decisions.

I think that its a safe seat for Nick Clegg, because i believe that there is a secret deal between the parties that the leader doesn't get targeted with a credible candidate.

If the forecasts are true, then the Tories should win the next election and this was a safe Tory seat for over 80 years until the Labour landslide of 1997 but since Clegg was elected to the Lib Dem Leadership, the Tories have left it alone. and all the Hallam Tories can come up with was a Dronfield councillor (and even he has now been dropped).

Clegg should be worried as the Lim Dems have ridden roughshod over local politics in Sheffield for the last few years and that should make people think about voting, however I do believe compulsory voting should be introduced and then people couldn't complain about the choose of government.

A very good post, I know many public sector emloyees/retired ex employees whose natural affiliation is to Labour. The vote Lib Dem only to keep the Conservatives out, perhaps the Stannington factor will return them to Labour.

What's your opinion on Sheffield Central by the way? There are many Labour supporters on it's outskirts, but how will the many inner city apartment dwellers vote?

Where does Sheffield Central now cover exactly that means there are significant numbers of Labour voters on the boundary? I'm on the boundary in Lower Walkley/Hillsborough it almost exclusively LibDem here judging from all the campaign posters around.

IMO there are a significant numbers of young professional people now in this area who would probably vote LibDem the type who may have switched to Labour in '97. Certainly a bit of local effort would increase the conservative vote but if there was a credible conservative push in the city my guess is that it would split the now strong LibDem vote and so challenging Labour in seats like this would be more difficult.