Why the Lib Dems are great

[editor]

i've seen the figures from Cowely street

Could you post them up please, along with the URL? Thanks.

 

[free spirit]

You would have had the cuts if Labour were in power too, because we need them to get the economy back on track. It's just the Coalition got the shitty stick to wield after 13 years of incompetence.

I'd love to hear you explain how these cuts are going to get the economy back on track. As evidence against this I'd point you in the direction of the last 2 months unemployment figures, which have gone up, which I'd personally say would be a direct result of government policies, and their talking down of the uk economy. This is before the actual direct impact of the cuts starts to hit the unemployment statistics properly, and before the VAT rise impacts on the high street.

I campaigned for and voted for a lib dem party who had completely the opposite policy pre-election btw (on both cuts and VAT), and expected them to reach some sort of half way house compromise agreement with the tories on the cuts if we ended up in coalition with them. Instead nick clegg announced post election that he'd actually changed his mind about cuts before the election, but just didn't think it right to mention it to anyone until he was safely in coalition when he'd ensure the lib dems then reneged on their pre-election promises, and enabled a slash and burn cuts policy to take place, the like of which even the tories wouldn't have dared push through if they'd only had a slim tory majority.

 

[butchersapron]

This is the second feeble attempt at this thread.

You're fucked.

 

[butchersapron]

I'd love to hear you explain how these cuts are going to get the economy back on track. As evidence against this I'd point you in the direction of the last 2 months unemployment figures, which have gone up, which I'd personally say would be a direct result of government policies, and their talking down of the uk economy. This is before the actual direct impact of the cuts starts to hit the unemployment statistics properly, and before the VAT rise impacts on the high street.

I campaigned for and voted for a lib dem party who had completely the opposite policy pre-election btw (on both cuts and VAT), and expected them to reach some sort of half way house compromise agreement with the tories on the cuts if we ended up in coalition with them. Instead nick clegg announced post election that he'd actually changed his mind about cuts before the election, but just didn't think it right to mention it to anyone until he was safely in coalition when he'd ensure the lib dems then reneged on their pre-election promises, and enabled a slash and burn cuts policy to take place, the like of which even the tories wouldn't have dared push through if they'd only had a slim tory majority.

Welcome back.

 

[moon23]

Could you post them up please, along with the URL? Thanks.

No, I don't have them on-line. Last time they were published on Lib Dem voice.

 

[frogwoman]

What date? you can't make claims like that and expect you to not be chased up on them

 

[editor]

No, I don't have them on-line. Last time they were published on Lib Dem voice.

You inferred that membership was currently "growing". I'm having trouble believing that, so will you please - FINALLY - substantiate this claim with some meaningful figures please?

 

[butchersapron]

No dates and and published by the lib-dems. You're a star.

 

[moon23]

I'd love to hear you explain how these cuts are going to get the economy back on track. As evidence against this I'd point you in the direction of the last 2 months unemployment figures, which have gone up, which I'd personally say would be a direct result of government policies, and their talking down of the uk economy. This is before the actual direct impact of the cuts starts to hit the unemployment statistics properly, and before the VAT rise impacts on the high street.

I campaigned for and voted for a lib dem party who had completely the opposite policy pre-election btw (on both cuts and VAT), and expected them to reach some sort of half way house compromise agreement with the tories on the cuts if we ended up in coalition with them. Instead nick clegg announced post election that he'd actually changed his mind about cuts before the election, but just didn't think it right to mention it to anyone until he was safely in coalition when he'd ensure the lib dems then reneged on their pre-election promises, and enabled a slash and burn cuts policy to take place, the like of which even the tories wouldn't have dared push through if they'd only had a slim tory majority.

Two months unemployment figures are not a sufficient economic marker to make a judgement on. The fact our debt rating hasn’t been downgraded and we still have low interest rates show we have avoided the potential for economic ruin we were heading for.

All three of the main parties said there would be a need for cuts before the election. We haven’t got a Lib Dem government, we have a coalition in which the party has won things including stopping the Tories cutting inheritance tax and increasing capital gains tax. I agree the rise in VAT is a mistake, I don't think many Lib Dems want that but they only have 57 MPs and the Tories have 307MP so they are going to get mostly their way in a compromise.

The cuts will bring us back to a 2006 share of our GDP expenditure, and will not be the utter apocalyptic event they are being portrayed as.

 

[moon23]

You inferred that membership was currently "growing". I'm having trouble believing that, so will you please - FINALLY - s

I'm telling you they are, I can't publish the figures myself on a web forum can I!

 

[free spirit]

I hate to point out that most people voted Tory, the party will lose some of its support from the Left that it only gained because Brown/Blair were a bunch of warmongering authoritarians. Party membership is meanwhile continuing to grow. When the economy is back on track things will be very different, even if a few councils do cycle back in the meantime.

actually, it gained that support because it had 3 leaders in succession who were relatively left of centre in much of their outlook prior to this latest prick taking over and managing to deliver less MP's to parliament than under the the previous leader despite labour being a shambles, and the tories being nothing special.

essentially clegg and his clique have hijacked a mostly centre left party and turned it into a centre right party, but without having the decency to even spell out that this was their intention in advance of the election*, instead waiting until after the election to ensure that only the right wingers get into power, and that now they're in coalition the manifesto and party policies mean nothing and they're now free to whip the party to supporting right wing economic policies that the majority of the country (and all lib dem voters) didn't vote for.

 

[butchersapron]

Two months unemployment figures are not a sufficient economic marker to make a judgement on. The fact our debt rating hasn’t been downgraded and we still have low interest rates show we have avoided the potential for economic ruin we were heading for.

All three of the main parties said there would be a need for cuts before the election. We haven’t got a Lib Dem government, we have a coalition in which the party has won things including stopping the Tories cutting inheritance tax and increasing capital gains tax. I agree the rise in VAT is a mistake, I don't think many Lib Dems want that but they only have 57 MPs and the Tories have 307MP so they are going to get mostly their way in a compromise.

The cuts will bring us back to a 2006 share of our GDP expenditure, and will not be the utter apocalyptic event they are being portrayed as.

lie. from the mouth of a proven liar.

 

[moon23]

You inferred that membership was currently "growing". I'm having trouble believing that, so will you please - FINALLY - s

I'm telling you they are, I can't publish the figures myself on a web forum can I! Either believe me or don’t.

 

[ViolentPanda]

A week is a long time in politics...

Do you ever use any language other than cliché?

...people will be angry over the spending review despite it being the result of Labour's economic incompentance.

Lie. It's overwhelmingly a result of incompetence by the financial sector.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Childish as ever

Not really. Your MPs have logged up an impressive list of policy u-turns for people who've only been in government for 5 months. What does that say about the degree of opportunism present in the parliamentary Lib-Dem party? Lots.

 

[butchersapron]

actually, it gained that support because it had 3 leaders in succession who were relatively left of centre in much of their outlook prior to this latest prick taking over and managing to deliver less MP's to parliament than under the the previous leader despite labour being a shambles, and the tories being nothing special.

essentially clegg and his clique have hijacked a mostly centre left party and turned it into a centre right party, but without having the decency to even spell out that this was their intention in advance of the election*, instead waiting until after the election to ensure that only the right wingers get into power, and that now they're in coalition the manifesto and party policies mean nothing and they're now free to whip the party to supporting right wing economic policies that the majority of the country (and all lib dem voters) didn't vote for.

A big chunk of lib dem support want exactly this. It's what the lib-dems are about.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Well in my constituency we have a bigger team of activists then ever gearing up the May elections

So, four instead of the usual two, then?

 

[moon23]

Do you ever use any language other than cliché?

Lie. It's overwhelmingly a result of incompetence by the financial sector.

It's not a lie, Labour were in power for years and encouraged the boom and bust mentality within the financial sector. Most people recognise Labour are to blame for the deficit, only the delusional think Brown/Blair are somehow separate from the bankers and the fiscal collapse.

 

[moon23]

So, four instead of the usual two, then?

Nope, plenty more than that.

 

[butchersapron]

It's not a lie, Labour were in power for years and encouraged the boom and bust mentality within the financial sector. Most people recognise Labour are to blame for the deficit, only the delusional think Brown/Blair are somehow separate from the bankers and the fiscal collapse.

How come you're the ones getting wiped out then?

 

[moon23]

Not really. Your MPs have logged up an impressive list of policy u-turns for people who've only been in government for 5 months. What does that say about the degree of opportunism present in the parliamentary Lib-Dem party? Lots.

Tells me more that the downside of power being the need to have realistic policies.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Tories got 10,703,954 votes, which is the most votes.

Which matters not one jot, because our elections aren't decided by total number of votes cast, but by total number of seats won.

Target the Lib Dems all you want but the reason we have the Coalition and the cuts is becuase Labour lost the election and the political debate and people voted Tory.

No, we have the Con-Dem coalition because your party sold itself to Toryism rather than to new Labour. The Conservatives are in power because your leader followed his natural inclination to side with those of his ilk rather than following the wishes of his grass-roots members.

 

[butchersapron]

Tells me more that the downside of power being the need to have realistic policies.

Getting wiped out for fuck all is coalition. We're all laughing.

 

[moon23]

How come you're the ones getting wiped out then?

We are not wipped out, there hasn't been an election and you can't always predict the outcome from polls, particular polls many months in advance.

 

[butchersapron]

We are not wipped out, there hasn't been an election and you can't always predict the outcome from polls, particular polls many months in advance.

You're going to be wiped out. You're sally james. You're gone.

 

[moon23]

Getting wiped out for fuck all is coalition. We're all laughing.

The Lib Dems are in power your party or way of thinking isn't and never will be.

 

[ViolentPanda]

We'd have had the cuts anyway. Why are you obsessed with the Labour Party?

Because they're a handy excuse for the Lib-Dems to attribute blame to. "We can't help acting like cunts, because Labour left everything a mess. If they hadn't we'd be lovely people, honest!".

 

[frogwoman]

Again this - "we're in power ner ner ne ner ner"

 

[butchersapron]

The Lib Dems are in power your party or way of thinking isn't and never will be.

There we have it. It's all the lib-dems fault.

 

[moon23]

Because they're a handy excuse for the Lib-Dems to attribute blame to. "We can't help acting like cunts, because Labour left everything a mess. If they hadn't we'd be lovely people, honest!".

Of course the state of the economy you inherit affects what you can do, even people within the Labour party were saying it wasn't a good time to be in power with the cuts. They killed any hope of a so-called Rainbow alliance - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/11/gordon-brown-labour-leadership-lib-dems