Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

in reality, all of this has been a total load of old bollocks

Nick Clegg = TRAITOR

AGREE
22
55%
DISAGREE
18
45%
 
Total votes: 40

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Thesiger
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Thesiger » 09 May 2010, 14:01

Beebsy wrote:There wouldn't be any point - the UU have no seats.


:D :D
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Johnny Dumfries » 09 May 2010, 14:03

Beebsy wrote:There wouldn't be any point - the UU have no seats.

The DUP don't care who they work with and Gordon Brown has already guaranteed the block transfer of the full grant to NI for the rest of the year so they'll just go with whoever.


I meant the DUP, sorry. I wouldve thought them reasonably close to the Tories in terms of ideology. To be fair, I never saw the difference between the Unionists (apart from the rhetoric)

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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Beebsy » 09 May 2010, 14:37

Yes, they are. And if anything, more to the right of course. They wouldn't take the Tory whip but they would probably support most legislature, as long as it doesn't affect them.

Just think of the UU as traditional, old Unionist, the DUP as young, working class unionism and the TUV (Traditional Unionist Voice) a place for those who think the other two are too moderate.

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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Belle Lettre » 09 May 2010, 16:15

Incidentally,quoting Bismarck is a bit rich when discussing compromise,is it not, Thesiger?
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Thesiger » 09 May 2010, 18:52

Belle Lettre wrote:Incidentally,quoting Bismarck is a bit rich when discussing compromise,is it not, Thesiger?


Wikipedia (for what it's worth) says of him "Historians praised him as a statesman of moderation and balance who was primarily responsible for the unification of the German states into a nation-state. He used balance-of-power diplomacy to keep Europe peaceful in the 1870s and 1880s. He created a new nation with a progressive social policy, a result that went beyond his initial goals as a practitioner of power politics in Prussia." Seems like a decent bloke!
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Corporate whore » 09 May 2010, 19:07

Thesiger wrote:
Belle Lettre wrote:Incidentally,quoting Bismarck is a bit rich when discussing compromise,is it not, Thesiger?


Wikipedia (for what it's worth) says of him "Historians praised him as a statesman of moderation and balance who was primarily responsible for the unification of the German states into a nation-state. He used balance-of-power diplomacy to keep Europe peaceful in the 1870s and 1880s. He created a new nation with a progressive social policy, a result that went beyond his initial goals as a practitioner of power politics in Prussia." Seems like a decent bloke!


Franco-Prussian war 1870 - 1871.....

Having said that, Bismark did rule out absorbing Austria into Germany during the Austro-Prussian war (1866 fact fans). He left that to A.Hitler esq.
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Beebsy » 09 May 2010, 19:15

Goat Boy wrote:
Beebsy wrote:Well apparently the deal is on and Gordon Brown will resign tomorrow.

And I have that on really very good political insider authority. Honestly.

If I'm wrong, I'll deny everything.


between Labour and Lib Dem? :?

Oh, I didn't make that very clear. No. Con-Lib Dem, I'm afraid.

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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Deebank » 09 May 2010, 19:27

Beebsy wrote:
Goat Boy wrote:
Beebsy wrote:Well apparently the deal is on and Gordon Brown will resign tomorrow.

And I have that on really very good political insider authority. Honestly.

If I'm wrong, I'll deny everything.


between Labour and Lib Dem? :?

Oh, I didn't make that very clear. No. Con-Lib Dem, I'm afraid.


Hmm, not sure about this. As of this evening there is a 24hr 'thinking about it' period according to the news.
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Beebsy » 09 May 2010, 19:35

Oh I know it's very speculative but it comes from someone I know who used to work with Tony Blair at Number 10.

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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby copehead » 09 May 2010, 19:46

Goat Boy wrote:If Clegg teams up with the Tories I won't vote for them again.


You voted Tory :o

Luckily for us Clegg has to get a deal with Cameron past 75% of his parliamentary group, without a commitment to an early plebiscite on PR that will not happen. If it is offered cameron will be thrown overboard by the tory party - ergo no deal.

The Lib Lab pact is non starter seat-wise, even though they have 50% more votes than the Tories together they can't muster a majority without giving Salmond the whip hand. that's no goer.

Outcome - Tory minority government.

This may have two outcomes:

Tories rule for good of the country and put forward an economic program all can agree on for the sake of the common good :lol: yeah sorry wipe those tears away.

Headbangers take over Tory party, vote for 0% tax rates for all members of the aristocracy instant death for all foxes and working class votes to count for half that of a normal person, they lose a vote in the house and lose a vote of confidence - new election in 3 months.
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby copehead » 09 May 2010, 19:52

Basically Clegg has to call Cameron's bluff.

Making the Tories run a minority government makes them open to scrutiny in a way that may destroy them.

Ruling in the national interest whilst trying to get through tax cuts for the rich will put the Tory party back into opposition for at least another 13 years.

Give them the rope, let them hang themselves, I feel there is absolutely no way the Tory party can rule for the good of the whole country, they don't even understand that question. For them it's L'etat c'est moi.
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby La Denim » 09 May 2010, 20:16

Can anyone explain to me why the Libdems suffer because we don't have PR but Labour and the Tories don't?
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Thesiger » 09 May 2010, 20:45

Betty Denim wrote:Can anyone explain to me why the Libdems suffer because we don't have PR but Labour and the Tories don't?


Basically it's because Labur and Conservative votes are concentrated in fairly homogeneous constituencies. So the Tories dominate the shires whilst Labour rules the inner cities. Lib Dems don't have that geographical concentration (except maybe in parts of the South West).
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby La Denim » 09 May 2010, 20:53

Thesiger wrote:
Betty Denim wrote:Can anyone explain to me why the Libdems suffer because we don't have PR but Labour and the Tories don't?


Basically it's because Labur and Conservative votes are concentrated in fairly homogeneous constituencies. So the Tories dominate the shires whilst Labour rules the inner cities. Lib Dems don't have that geographical concentration (except maybe in parts of the South West).


But couldn't you argue that it is then the Lib Dems' problem to either appeal to the shires and inner cities in the way that the other parties do, or accept that they will just never be as popular?

I'm probably being naive here :) but I don't really understand why it's the fault of the system and not of theirs?

Nor do I understand why Clegg pledged some kind of promise to talk to the party with the most votes, in the event of a hung parliament. Why would he not want to talk to the party with which he shares the most ideology or policies?
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Samoan » 09 May 2010, 21:16

Betty Denim wrote:

Nor do I understand why Clegg pledged some kind of promise to talk to the party with the most votes, in the event of a hung parliament. Why would he not want to talk to the party with which he shares the most ideology or policies?

I think it's constitutional procedure that he had to.
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Beebsy » 09 May 2010, 22:04

Betty Denim wrote:
Thesiger wrote:
Basically it's because Labur and Conservative votes are concentrated in fairly homogeneous constituencies. So the Tories dominate the shires whilst Labour rules the inner cities. Lib Dems don't have that geographical concentration (except maybe in parts of the South West).


But couldn't you argue that it is then the Lib Dems' problem to either appeal to the shires and inner cities in the way that the other parties do, or accept that they will just never be as popular?

I'm probably being naive here :) but I don't really understand why it's the fault of the system and not of theirs?


It because of the spread of their vote. The don't have the same huge support but they generally get some variance of support in each constituency. So their share of the vote across the country is quite a lot but it's a little bit everywhere as opposed to the concentrated vote of Lab and the Conservatives.

That's why they argue for a change to the "first past the post" system. Their point being that their supporters are effectively disenfranchised by this system.

And Samoan is right - it is a "constitutional" procedure that the part with the greatest vote gets the first opportunity to form a government. Of course we have no written constitution but this is the general consensus based on hundreds of years of documentation.

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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby La Denim » 09 May 2010, 22:16

Beebsy wrote:It because of the spread of their vote. The don't have the same huge support but they generally get some variance of support in each constituency. So their share of the vote across the country is quite a lot but it's a little bit everywhere as opposed to the concentrated vote of Lab and the Conservatives.

That's why they argue for a change to the "first past the post" system. Their point being that their supporters are effectively disenfranchised by this system.

And Samoan is right - it is a "constitutional" procedure that the part with the greatest vote gets the first opportunity to form a government. Of course we have no written constitution but this is the general consensus based on hundreds of years of documentation.


I understand why they want PR, what you've said here. But I don't understand why it's not then their responsibility to seek and work for a concentrated vote and therefore win more seats? Are we not, after all, voting for individual MPs?

I thought it was the incumbent party who gets first opportunity to form govt in event of hung parliament? That's what they were saying all night on the BBC coverage, so all this 'moral' stuff was a bit academic and disingenuous.

What I meant (sorry might not be explaining it correctly) is not who gets first opportunity but why do the LibDems are obliged to - constitutionally - talk first to the party with most seats as Samoan seems to say (I think!). I would have thought the third party - or others - could or should talk to the one they feel most aligned with, if at all?

My head hurts :) .
Last edited by La Denim on 09 May 2010, 22:19, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Deebank » 09 May 2010, 22:24

i thought constitutionally, in the event of a hung parliament the PM has 'right' to try and form a govt first and if that fails the rest can have a crack at it.

So in effect, Clegg saying 'I will talk to the tories first' is flying in the face of convention.

I'd like to pose a question.

What percentage of people who voted Lib Dem wanted:

a) a Liberal government
b) a Lib Lab partnership (or co-elition)
c) a Lib Con partnership (or co-elition)
d) a Labour government
e) a Conservative government
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Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Beebsy » 09 May 2010, 22:31

Deebank wrote:i thought constitutionally, in the event of a hung parliament the PM has 'right' to try and form a govt first and if that fails the rest can have a crack at it.

So in effect, Clegg saying 'I will talk to the tories first' is flying in the face of convention.

The PM can only do that if his party has a majority of the vote and Brown does not. Without a written constitution, it's a grey area but apparently this is what the constitutional lawyers advised the parties to do - he didn't do if off his own bat.

Deebank wrote:
I'd like to pose a question.

What percentage of people who voted Lib Dem wanted:

a) a Liberal government
b) a Lib Lab partnership (or co-elition)
c) a Lib Con partnership (or co-elition)
d) a Labour government
e) a Conservative government

How could we ever know though?

Of course, the assumption is that Lib Dem supporters would support Labour as their second party but there's no way of telling what individual voters wanted when they cast their vote.

Beebsy

Re: Nick Clegg = TRAITOR?

Postby Beebsy » 09 May 2010, 22:39

Betty Denim wrote:I understand why they want PR, what you've said here. But I don't understand why it's not then their responsibility to seek and work for a concentrated vote and therefore win more seats? Are we not, after all, voting for individual MPs?

On one level, I suppose, we are voting for individual MPs. If you have an MP who is locally very popular, they may win even if they're from a party not generally supported in that area and we have seen that this year. But in reality, we are voting for the party we want to have in government.

In a PR system, you would be able to spread your vote along your allegiances, so you might vote in general for left-leaning parties.

As to the Lib Dems themselves, they simply don't have the financial wherewithal to stand candidates across the country, which is why part of their electoral reform wishlist includes contributions and funding. They have to strategically plan their candidates according to where they are most likely to win.

Betty Denim wrote:I would have thought the third party - or others - could or should talk to the one they feel most aligned with, if at all?

Ideally yes, but in reality power is power and what the Lib Dems have to decide is whether or not they will get the power they want with the Conservatives.


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