Why the lib-dems are shit

[mk12]

You certainly don't want to be inside an elephant.

 

[Idaho]

I dealt with this idiocy earlier in the day. 3 times now in a handful of days that i've had to point out to you that you your mad idea that i support a revolution or nothing position is nonsense - i'm sure you'll do it again. Bordering on dishonesty though.

Ok - easy tiger. Having been on message boards for many, many years, I prefer to discuss rather than rant, and I don't recall me mentioning anything about revolution or nothing in the last three days.

Butchersapron - all I can ever go on about your opinions is what you don't object to. You very rarely say what you think should happen. This leads any reader with the impression that you are somewhat nihilistic.

 

[Idaho]

Can we change the metaphor now? I like elephants; I don't want to be against elephants.

It's too late now danny, the lines have been drawn. If you want to step over that line and be on the elephant's side then there's no going back

 

[danny la rouge]

OK, what was the elephant again?

 

[William of Walworth]

The assumption seems to be that Clegg's strong preference will be to get into coalition with the Tories. There's plenty of circumstantial evidence for that (especially over the w/e just gone), sure, but the Tories being more or less dead set against any kind of PR would surely be a dealbreaker.

Whereas if Labour come third, or second, but with a (disportortionately) large number of seats, they'd be much more amenable to conceding a PR referendum than would the Tories.

It'll all be about how the opinion polls go over the coming days .... very hard to call.

 

[Rod Sleeves]

I don't think the elephant should be elevated to a moral issue, whether we should be outside the elephant pissing in, or inside pissing out is purely tactical.

 

[Dan U]

You certainly don't want to be inside an elephant.

or have an elephant inside you

although shippy may have that manga

 

[articul8]

Red Pepper Lib Dem Watch

post your experience of LDs in power at local level

Lib Dem watch:
http://election.redpepper.org.uk/lib-dem-watch/

 

[butchersapron]

Red Pepper Lib Dem Watch

post your experience of LDs in power at local level

Lib Dem watch:
http://election.redpepper.org.uk/lib-dem-watch/

You needed that a few weeks back! Still, it's there now.

This today:

9.42am:

Clegg also said something potentially quite significant about cutting the deficit. Nicky Campbell suggested that Clegg could only cooperate with Labour in this area, because the Tories want to start cutting spending now while Labour and the Lib Dems believe that immediate cuts could damage the economy.

But Clegg did not accept that. He said:

As it happens, I don't think the timing of starting to deal with the deficit, which is what we are referring to, is the most important economic issue. Everyone is obsessing about whether you start cutting the defict next Tuesday or the week after. I'm exaggerating slightly. But actually the crucial thing ... is do you have a plan, irrespective of when it starts, to start filling the black hole in the public finances.

That sounds as if Clegg is preparing for a deal with the Tories.

 

[butchersapron]

The Daily Mail team of crack investigative journos have finally mastered Google news archive search and dug up a story from 2005 i'd been posting about ages ago:

Nick Clegg's demand for NHS to be broken up and replaced with European-style insurance system

 

[articul8]

He's on the horns of a dilemma - in terms of preparedness to bring in "savage cuts" and his whole background of working for Leon Brittain etc. Clegg would go with the Tories. But they obstinately rule out electoral reform, without which it will be difficult to the point of impossible to gets his troops to buy it.

I wonder whether it's too fanciful to imagine some kind of pro-EU national government, maybe with Cameron or Clegg fronting it but with Mandelson, Miliband and Ken Clark? Normally, I'd have said no chance, but these are funny times.

 

[butchersapron]

I'll say it then. No chance.

 

[articul8]

Odds maybe still against, but I wouldn't be 100% sure - we're in a for a rocky ride

 

[kabbes]

No, he's right. There's no chance.

 

[ericjarvis]

Can we change the metaphor now? I like elephants; I don't want to be against elephants.

In most rooms, if there's an elephant in it then there's nowhere to be that isn't against the elephant.

 

[Idris2002]

FAO danny la rouge

Elephant, elephant,
Big and strong and gentle and intelligent, intelligent.
How could I feel blue? I’ve got my sister at my side,
And an elephant to ride.

Oh, elephant, elephant,
You’re sad and in a cage, but that’s irrelevant,
irrelevant.
‘Cause everyone is jealous when they see me
riding by,
On a friend of such of great size.

Other kids ride bikes, that’s true,
Or daddies pick them up from school,
But that won’t do for me you understand.
Other kids have horses, other kids have dogs,
Other kids have hamsters, other kids have frogs.
But the pet for me is something much more grand!
And benevolent, and elegant...

And I’ve got an elephant, elephant,
Riding on your back I’m in my element, element.
It’s true and it’s a fact that there is so much you can
learn,
When you’re on a pachyderm.
Oh, elephant, elephant,
Life’s not so bad, it’s swell of it to give me such a friend.
Oh, elephant, elephant, I’m with you to the end!

(Goodnight, elephant)

 

[butchersapron]

Anything on Pope Clegg today. He seems to have been told to keep his yap zipped for a period rather than thinking/saying he gets to personally decide the outcome of the election.

 

[butchersapron]

Does Clegg support entry into the euro?

 

[gosub]

Sort of, recognises now is not the time, but more importantly was telling french media last week that it has to be done after a referendum (which is unwinnable)

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

or have an elephant inside you

although shippy may have that manga

 

[butchersapron]

Sort of, recognises now is not the time, but more importantly was telling french media last week that it has to be done after a referendum (which is unwinnable)

Which he can't deliver either - despite thinking he's the king of all he surveys.

 

[William of Walworth]

He's on the horns of a dilemma - in terms of preparedness to bring in "savage cuts" and his whole background of working for Leon Brittain etc. Clegg would go with the Tories. But they obstinately rule out electoral reform, without which it will be difficult to the point of impossible to gets his troops to buy it.

Spot on summary of the hole that Clegg might be in come a hung Parliament. That quote from the Nicky Campbell prog that butchers put up offers yet more evidence of Clegg's apparant desparation to get in bed with the Tories.

I wonder whether it's too fanciful to imagine some kind of pro-EU national government, maybe with Cameron or Clegg fronting it but with Mandelson, Miliband and Ken Clark? Normally, I'd have said no chance, but these are funny times.

But on the above -- yes, way too fanciful. No chance.

 

[the button]

Clegg's apparant desparation to get in bed with the Tories.

Had his chance in Brussels, but he was way too old for Leon Brittan.

 

[fakeplasticgirl]

I like quite a few of the lib dem policies. I'm going to vote for them.
BUT - could somebody explain to me their economic policy? I am a bit dim when it comes to this kinda stuff... what is the benefit of 'breaking up the banks?'
TIA

 

[ymu]

BUT - could somebody explain to me their economic policy? I am a bit dim when it comes to this kinda stuff... what is the benefit of 'breaking up the banks?'

The banks got us to underwrite their risky casino banking activities by mixing it up with their essential retail banking business. Splitting them up would mean they had to pay for their own fuck-ups on the casino side, whilst retail banking (ordinary current and savings accounts) would remain protected. This was the norm until the 1990s, and changing that is part of the reason for this crisis.

If you google "glass-steagall" and "volcker rule" there's shed loads on it.

For the second time in less than 80 years, the nation’s commercial banks are being told to stick to their knitting. Their knitting is taking deposits, handling checking accounts, lending money and managing the nation’s payment system. Twice now, they have ventured beyond these standard activities, gotten into trouble and almost brought down the financial system.

The solution in the 1930s, and once again now, is this: get out of the sideline businesses that caused so much trouble. Those sidelines were different in the 1930s than they are now. And while people talk of re-enacting the Glass-Steagall act — the solution that helped resolve the 1930s crisis — what President Obama proposed this week is a somewhat different animal, worthy of its own name.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/glass-steagall-vs-the-volcker-rule/

 

[fakeplasticgirl]

thanks

 

[ska invita]

Anything on Pope Clegg today. He seems to have been told to keep his yap zipped for a period rather than thinking/saying he gets to personally decide the outcome of the election.

having withdrawls butchers? think you're right though!

 

[articul8]

Had his chance in Brussels, but he was way too old for Leon Brittan.

are you insinuating something?

 

[Jeff Robinson]

I don't have anything intelligent or new to add to this thread but Nick Clegg is an annoying-as-phuk blair-cameron-miliband identikit automaton devoid of any discernable personality and he heads a party of boring, reactionary wankers who's tweeny weeny principles crumble like sand castles whenever they catch even the whiff of power.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Cos the fucking cunts are on newsnight saying that they will start means testing child benefit.