tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post1909337460846508445..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: And the Loser Is...Iain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-15871396414003686832007-12-20T15:56:00.000+00:002007-12-20T15:56:00.000+00:00I utterly disagree that Huhne should have won on t...I utterly disagree that Huhne should have won on the strength of his campaign. The fact that he almost did suggests that the Lib Dems cleaved to who they viewed as the winner, not the policies...and you approve of that?<BR/><BR/>Fact is, Huhne came across as a loose cannon at times - Prescottian, even.<BR/><BR/>"That boy will hang..."Roger Thornhillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01153744692290896812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-6743723765756796752007-12-19T12:58:00.000+00:002007-12-19T12:58:00.000+00:00As you say Iain - if both parties want power they ...As you say Iain - if both parties want power they are going to have to negotiate in advance & that will have to be done quietly without others, on both sides, jogging their elbows.<BR/><BR/>Mind you it would also be nice if any deal actually faced our real problems, such as that we have a growth rate half the world average & 1/3rd of what Ireland manages, so that people could actually like a potential government rather than just thinking them less bad than the other side.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-34193488645108131242007-12-19T09:29:00.000+00:002007-12-19T09:29:00.000+00:00"modern liberal Conservative Party"Rather an oxymo..."modern liberal Conservative Party"<BR/><BR/>Rather an oxymoron. A bit like Cameron, an Oxy-moron. Ho ho ho.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-60723807490536280572007-12-18T23:28:00.000+00:002007-12-18T23:28:00.000+00:00The whole thing is very depressing. The 3 leaders ...The whole thing is very depressing. The 3 leaders are all just professional politicians who have done nothing else and have no idea of the real world. When are we going to have people that have DONE something.Johnny Norfolkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16900659617233793880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-37591284747447965402007-12-18T21:20:00.000+00:002007-12-18T21:20:00.000+00:00Boo hoo, sniff! Am obviously totally gutted lovel...Boo hoo, sniff! Am obviously totally gutted lovely Huhney didn't win (I still wouldn't say no!), perhaps there will be an X-Factor style backlash with Lib Dem members blaming Royal Mail for not being able to deliver their votes to Party HQ in time....<BR/><BR/>Cameron himself could've delivered that acceptance speech by Clegg (*hawk - spit*); big govt, loss of personal freedoms etc, etc. Does that really go against him? I'm not all that sure, Iain!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-23757208193106378782007-12-18T20:58:00.000+00:002007-12-18T20:58:00.000+00:00anon 3:19I think you answer your own question with...anon 3:19<BR/><BR/>I think you answer your own question with that statement.<BR/><BR/>The Liberal party are many things, but one thing they never are is liberal.<BR/><BR/>The question is<BR/><BR/>Will anyone electable in the western world be allowed to be liberal in any true sense of the word, ever.<BR/><BR/>My contention is; not if they want to live or govern in a solvent country for more then a few days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-84111913144409620832007-12-18T20:47:00.000+00:002007-12-18T20:47:00.000+00:00"Get into bed with a modern liberal Conservative P...<B>"Get into bed with a modern liberal Conservative Party"!</B><BR/><BR/>I think the LDs will be thinking very hard indeed about jumping into bed with either Labour or Conservatives.<BR/><BR/>Since they jumped "into bed" with the Labour party in Scotland, I sense that many regret it now the SNP have been trying to play that card (by being so blooming arrogant).<BR/><BR/>A minority government might create some new flair for British Politics (should things be hung)... but liberals will stick to their values, know and prove they are different to the conservatives.<BR/><BR/>A minority government with some agreement between the conservatives and lib dems is a possibility, but "jump into bed"? <BR/><BR/>...mmmJoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13436610374515422703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-63476439780621799702007-12-18T20:41:00.000+00:002007-12-18T20:41:00.000+00:00Sounds about the right kind of result for the sand...Sounds about the right kind of result for the sandal brigade committee.<BR/><BR/>Besides, who gives a monkey at the end of the day. It won't change anything. The Lib Dems will keep bleating on the sidelines and real life will go on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-21810357282523553912007-12-18T20:33:00.000+00:002007-12-18T20:33:00.000+00:00rightsideforumIf you REALLY want to know why such ...rightsideforum<BR/><BR/>If you REALLY want to know why such a thing will not and can not happen, read on.<BR/><BR/>All our leading politicians are selected by the CFR and other such bodies. These chaps now own the British economy more so now then ever before. One stroke of their pens and this economy and your mortgage, job and pension go down the proverbial toilet.<BR/><BR/>Cameron has the as much power to return us to democratic representative government as a dead toad. Which is only a slightly better chance then Brown or Clegg does.<BR/><BR/>We are finished as a democratic nation. Get used to it. Turn to the god within you and pray for salvation.<BR/><BR/>I would gladly be a candidate to become the next prime minister of the UK. I have never told an important lie in my entire life, and have no intention of starting now.<BR/><BR/>Which is why I have more chance becoming PM, then Ron Paul does of becoming the next president of the US and staying alive for more then a month.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-4961844721195258122007-12-18T20:07:00.000+00:002007-12-18T20:07:00.000+00:00I found it almost impossible to distinguish betwee...I found it almost impossible to distinguish between either of the two. And perhaps the close vote indicates that others felt the same way.<BR/><BR/>In any event, Clegg is going to have his work cut out. He'll be being compared with Cable, or, worse, Campbell.Unsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307116169498533047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-84931373474544617872007-12-18T19:55:00.000+00:002007-12-18T19:55:00.000+00:00If we're to believe the latest opinion polls, they...If we're to believe the latest opinion polls, they may have picked the leader most likely to be around after the next general election. A swing of just over 0.5% to the Conservatives would unseat Huhne in Eastleigh. Clegg's on safer ground. Which party was it that talked of a "decapitation strategy" in 2005?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-65077435432918557192007-12-18T19:44:00.000+00:002007-12-18T19:44:00.000+00:00I think you would have written this Iain no matter...I think you would have written this Iain no matter what the result was.Nich Starlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04237390959601973501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-20441284012679002522007-12-18T19:24:00.000+00:002007-12-18T19:24:00.000+00:00M.HRISTOV makes some very interesting points.RE: S...M.HRISTOV makes some very interesting points.<BR/><BR/>RE: Scotland, occurs to me that Tories may be in similar position viz-a-viz Scotland as are CANADIAN Tories with respect to QUEBEC.<BR/><BR/>Steven Harper is PM in Ottawa because the Bloc Quebecois savaged the Liberals in la belle province. Tories themselves did well in recent Quebec federal byelections BUT the real Tory key to power is their unholy alliance with the separatists.<BR/><BR/>NOW this is a long-standing tradition in Canadian politics; for example, Tories long played footsie with the seperatist Union Nationale (similar in some ways to the Union Corse; more respectable but less squeemish).<BR/><BR/>Of course in UK there is no tradition of Unionist + Disunionist cooperation in Scotland, at least none of long standing. But politics do make strange bedfellows. Just ask Ian Paisley & Gerry Adams.Sea Shanty Irishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02962821593752274830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-46219754117386711792007-12-18T19:05:00.000+00:002007-12-18T19:05:00.000+00:00Some people are getting very excited that Clegg on...Some people are getting very excited that Clegg only just got over 50% of the vote. When did the Conservatives under Thatcher ever get over 50% of the vote?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-48880416741980734972007-12-18T18:58:00.001+00:002007-12-18T18:58:00.001+00:00I HAVE been out for a liquid lunch, but when I saw...I HAVE been out for a liquid lunch, but when I saw Clegg on the telly I thought he looked a bit like Alistair Campbell. Surely not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-19008093996092581912007-12-18T18:58:00.000+00:002007-12-18T18:58:00.000+00:00Something of the Leon about Clegg.Something of the Leon about Clegg.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-43638834068646036272007-12-18T18:57:00.000+00:002007-12-18T18:57:00.000+00:00Did I mis-hear or did Clegg really say in his acce...Did I mis-hear or did Clegg really say in his acceptance speech that he had just shown what an energetic campaigner he is? Must own up to nodding off a bit so perhaps he didn't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-18598773895045301932007-12-18T18:52:00.000+00:002007-12-18T18:52:00.000+00:00Clegg is on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/wat...Clegg is on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzO5G4zb6zo.rob's unclehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03001074396029714388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-22895652426438005172007-12-18T18:46:00.000+00:002007-12-18T18:46:00.000+00:00There's no future for a pro-Labour Lib Dem party. ...There's no future for a pro-Labour Lib Dem party. See, I look at the prospect of tactical anti-Labour voting being very successful and I see Tories and Lib Dems alike saying, "no! never!" So, really, better Labour in power than needing to work together to beat them?<BR/><BR/>It's really in the long term interests of both parties to concentrate the fire on Labour just now, surely?<BR/><BR/>Pick your battles....Charlotte Gorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08285484165186268299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-77123748363798702002007-12-18T18:38:00.000+00:002007-12-18T18:38:00.000+00:00Anonymous said... ...its the start of a new Britai...<B>Anonymous said... </B><BR/><I><BR/>...its the start of a new Britain.<BR/></I><BR/>More like Little Britain!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-44421929241035029222007-12-18T18:37:00.001+00:002007-12-18T18:37:00.001+00:00So which one won?So which one won?Old BEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06974090439936326476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-5430676681912187552007-12-18T18:37:00.000+00:002007-12-18T18:37:00.000+00:00And this matters why exactly?And this matters why exactly?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-21171391077920893632007-12-18T18:22:00.000+00:002007-12-18T18:22:00.000+00:00All these lovely banner ads talk of 'excitement' a...All these lovely banner ads talk of 'excitement' and a new direction etc.<BR/><BR/>How on earth is this guy going to inspire people to vote when his own party membership voted in far smaller numbers in this election, and gave him a far smaller mandate than any of the main leaders?<BR/><BR/>He's a slick camera pleaser and that is it.<BR/><BR/>We have Cameron, a fraud, now Clegg which leaves Brown - who has been a disaster.<BR/><BR/>We are crying out for a decent conviction politician. Could someone please step forward?<BR/><BR/>It makes me guilty - I've spent many months bad mouthing Ron Paul, and no, I still if I were an American would never vote for him -but I don't think anyone would deny he is genuine. <BR/><BR/>We need somebody of a similar nature, only with better political positions. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-22420468195552479522007-12-18T17:55:00.000+00:002007-12-18T17:55:00.000+00:00The reason Nick Clegg's acceptance speech did not ...The reason Nick Clegg's acceptance speech did not contain anything that David Cameron could not have said is, of course, that David Cameron is capable of saying absolutely anything. Being free of policy commitments is a big help in that regard, of course, and not being able to see anything beyond the desirability of regaining the Conservatives' "right to govern" determines the rest. Mr Cameron appears to riding unwarrantably high in the polls at present. Will it last till the election? Could well be that it won't.robin younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16559899502425627615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-18805126589431177182007-12-18T17:44:00.000+00:002007-12-18T17:44:00.000+00:00Interesting result !! Not so much because of the f...Interesting result !!<BR/> <BR/>Not so much because of the fact that Nick Clegg is going to “set the world on fire” (because he isn’t) but because of the possible result of the next election, a hung parliament.<BR/><BR/>I think that the key to this scenario lies not only in Cowley Street but also at Bute House, Edinburgh. <BR/><BR/>If the Scottish Nationalists get enough Westminster seats to hold the balance of power then I suspect that Alex Salmond will try and do a deal with the Conservatives. He is a master machiavellian and I think that he will want to entice the Conservatives into a faustian pact, whereby Scotland is given an independence referendum in exchange for support for a Conservative Government in Westminster. The inducement, for the Conservative Party, being the destruction of the Labour Party through Scottish independence. I hope that any such approach will be rejected. We do not want England to end up like Austria. The rump state of a large empire.<BR/><BR/>The alternative is that the Liberal Democrats get enough Westminster seats to hold the balance of power. They will then, presumably, try to get the Conservative Party to agree to proportional representation. I trust that the Conservative Party will not agree to PR. I suspect that the election of Nick Clegg will make it more likely that the Liberal Democrats would accept a coalition without PR.<BR/><BR/>It would be very interesting to see what will happen if the mathematics make it possible for both the SNP and Liberal Democrats to hold the balance of power. This would, potentially, put the Conservatives in a very strong position. <BR/><BR/>I cannot see the SNP allying with Gordon Brown. A Clegg Liberal Democrat party is not likely to, either. I think New Labour is heading for the scrap heap, whatever happens. If the Conservatives win outright, if there is a hung parliament or even if Labour win with a tiny majority. Gordon Brown with a small majority. That is probably a greater recipe for destruction of New Labour than a Conservative win or hung parliament.M. Hristovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13916257985347991350noreply@blogger.com