The Liberal Democrats - all discussion here please

[Mr Clowning 10]

Isn't it time the Party got rid of the weight around their political necks and sacked Clegg ?

 

Do they really think its going to get better while ever he is leader, he has caused electorate apathy of the party.

[tzijlstra 11]

Clegg's biggest fault is that he is torn between two lines: appeasing the rebel voters that brought LibDem into the coalition and the hard-liners that have been LibDem voters for a long time. He needs to go back to those hard-liners and take the fight to UKIP in a straight frontal attack, not through trying to discredit Farage but by slapping facts on the table and he is failing in that.

 

Farage comes out with a dumb statement: "562000 immigrants last year!" - Clegg needs to come out and explain that this includes students, back-packers, remigrants and doesn't include the number of people that left the UK over that year.

 

Farage saysL we need to leave the EU to control immigration, Clegg needs to come out and say that the best route to control immigration is by changing the inner workings in the EU.

 

He doesn't, he fails to dominate that agenda because he gets swept up in what he thinks the rebels want to hear and it is costing him.

[Litotes 63]

Clegg's biggest problem is he is a liar - promises one thing and then goes back on his word...

 

He also doesn't represent his constituents.

 

I, as one of his constituents, asked him to represent my views on a non-manifesto policy by voting in a particular way.

 

He didn't.

 

At which point I asked him why not - if the majority of the people he represents wanted the alternative vote - then fine - that is what democracy is about.

 

Instead I got a reply (which I still have) which said - "go away, I haven't time to take notice of what my electorate want - I know best"

 

(Yes, I am paraphrasing, but yes, I do have the email) - I am just biding my time to send it to the press...

[tzijlstra 11]

Clegg's biggest problem is he is a liar - promises one thing and then goes back on his word...

 

He also doesn't represent his constituents.

 

I, as one of his constituents, asked him to represent my views on a non-manifesto policy by voting in a particular way.

 

He didn't.

 

At which point I asked him why not - if the majority of the people he represents wanted the alternative vote - then fine - that is what democracy is about.

 

Instead I got a reply (which I still have) which said - "go away, I haven't time to take notice of what my electorate want - I know best"

 

(Yes, I am paraphrasing, but yes, I do have the email) - I am just biding my time to send it to the press...

 

I assume you will happily forward the mail to me. Put im. behind the t of my username and add at gmail.com to the end and you have my e-mail address.

[rossyrooney 12]

Clegg's biggest fault is that he is torn between two lines: appeasing the rebel voters that brought LibDem into the coalition and the hard-liners that have been LibDem voters for a long time. He needs to go back to those hard-liners and take the fight to UKIP in a straight frontal attack, not through trying to discredit Farage but by slapping facts on the table and he is failing in that.

 

Farage comes out with a dumb statement: "562000 immigrants last year!" - Clegg needs to come out and explain that this includes students, back-packers, remigrants and doesn't include the number of people that left the UK over that year.

 

Farage saysL we need to leave the EU to control immigration, Clegg needs to comeimsel out and say that the best route to control immigration is by changing the inner workings in the EU.

 

He doesn't, he fails to dominate that agenda because he gets swept up in what he thinks the rebels want to hear and it is costing him.

 

I think you may be confusing Mr. Clegg as someone who gives a jot for anything but himself. His leadership has been, to say the least, dismal.

His party are at the lowest ebb than it has been for years and he looks indifferent to the fact, either that or inside he knows that he's incapable of arresting the downward spiral of the party.

[Mr Clowning 10]

I wish I could make it play the 'last post' when anyone opens up the Lib Dem topic

 

---------- Post added 24-05-2014 at 02:59 ----------

 

I think you may be confusing Mr. Clegg as someone who gives a jot for anything but himself. His leadership has been, to say the least, dismal.

His party are at the lowest ebb than it has been for years and he looks indifferent to the fact, either that or inside he knows that he's incapable of arresting the downward spiral of the party.

 

He won't care, he will have set himself up with a lovely job after they dissolve the Lib Dem party, that's what these career politicians do.

[tzijlstra 11]

I think you may be confusing Mr. Clegg as someone who gives a jot for anything but himself. His leadership has been, to say the least, dismal.

His party are at the lowest ebb than it has been for years and he looks indifferent to the fact, either that or inside he knows that he's incapable of arresting the downward spiral of the party.

 

I think you misunderstood my post as one that supports Clegg, it was merely an insight into why I think he is failing.

 

I have given up hope on Clegg quite a long time ago, but he can't leave his position now as it would mean a void in the cabinet and they still have a country to govern.

 

Next cabinet is also going to be a hung cabinet though, so then it is time for another party to plug the gap and for LibDem to reset its modus operandus.

[Uptowngirl 10]

But when it boils down to it the Liberal Democrats are probably more likely to be in government after 2015 than either Labour or the Conservatives.

[Minimo 59]

But when it boils down to it the Liberal Democrats are probably more likely to be in government after 2015 than either Labour or the Conservatives.

 

 

How on earth do you come to that conclusion?

[altus 533]

How on earth do you come to that conclusion?

 

Labour would have done much better in the local elections if they were likely to win a outright majority. The Conservatives had similarly poor results which showed it's not clear that they will get an outright majority either. The result is lots of political pundits have been predicting another hung parliament and another coalition.

[Mr Clowning 10]

Clegg's biggest problem is he is a liar - promises one thing and then goes back on his word...

 

He also doesn't represent his constituents.

 

That's the truth of the matter, anyone suggesting that he is loosing popularity because he didn't have 2 barrels to give to Farage is living with the cuckoo's.

 

If Clegg did another debate with Farage and did as well as the last two, it would be the final nail in his coffin, I hope he goes for it

[Andy 10]

But when it boils down to it the Liberal Democrats are probably more likely to be in government after 2015 than either Labour or the Conservatives.

 

How on earth do you come to that conclusion?

 

Because I think we will see a result which gives no party an overall majority again. So the Lib Dems will hold the balance of power and be able to choose who they support and therefore who gets to form a government. I honestly cannot see either Labour or the Conservative doing a deal with UKIP, even if UKIP win enough seats. So it is likely that whatever happens the Lid Dems will be in a position to form part of the government.

 

---------- Post added 25-05-2014 at 06:27 ----------

 

If Clegg did another debate with Farage and did as well as the last two, it would be the final nail in his coffin, I hope he goes for it

 

It looks like the knives are out already:

 

Two Lib Dem parliamentary candidates in key swing seats have called on party leader Nick Clegg to step down.

 

Jackie Porter, would-be MP for Winchester, said that after another poor local election showing, it was time to act in the party's best interests.

 

West Dorset candidate Ros Kayes said the public had lost trust in Mr Clegg.

 

But a party spokesman said its message should not be "distorted by needless infighting".

 

Both Winchester and West Dorset are currently held by the Conservatives but are seen as winnable.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27561917