Why the lib-dems are shit

[King Biscuit Time]

you seen the latest local lib-dem leaflet?

You've got to be shitting me?

Mind you - they've got form for this kind of shit.

Cleggers is doing a town hall meeting type thing in Nether Green next week I think - might take this along.

 

[brogdale]

you seen the latest local lib-dem leaflet?

Looks like they've just picked up an old job lot of Brown's Labour 2010 electoral literature.

 

[elbows]

Can the LDs do the right thing?

Of course not:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25747951

The Lib Dems have said there is insufficient evidence to justify further action against peer Lord Rennard over sexual harassment claims.

Following an internal inquiry into allegations made by activists, the Lib Dems concluded the evidence against the peer was "broadly credible".

But the party concluded that there was less than a 50% chance that harassment charges could be proved.

But Lord Rennard, who has denied the claims, has been asked to apologise.

 

[butchersapron]

i.e we have no intention of allowing Rennard in his defence, to ask Clegg why, if he was guilty of harassment he did sweet FA when it was first reported to him and instead covered it up.

Remarkably similar to the Duggann defence as well - no intention/honest belief.

 

[brogdale]

Some reaction...

I feel quite sick and very glad I'm no longer a member. #LibDems #Rennard—
Jo Shaw (@_JoShaw) January 15, 2014
Utterly ashamed of my party.—
Charlotte Henry (@charlotteahenry) January 15, 2014

In 2014 a major political party finds that it has no suitable procedures for dealing with allegations of serious sexual harassment. #Rennard—
Alison Smith (@AliFionaSmith) January 15, 2014

Right. Back into twitter exile for me, I think, because otherwise I might say something actionable.—
Jennie Rigg (@miss_s_b) January 15, 2014

Rennard's statement, however, is a massive pile of wank – even if people (unhappily) accept QC's verdict, he's just shitting all over them.— Stace (@stackee) January 15, 2014

​

 

[redsquirrel]

Of course not:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25747951

Urgh, what kind of spineless low life do you have to be to think that doesn't stink.

 

[brogdale]

Urgh, what kind of spineless low life do you have to be to think that doesn't stink.

The (long) piece on C4 News was top value telly. Firstly the two victims of Rennard were eloquent, brave and feisty stating quite clearly that the party should expell him. Next up was the oleaginous, disingenuous and patronising liar Farron; what a complete arsehole. He came out with the mealy-mouthed shit about not be able to do anything cos of rules...FFS. But to cap it all they then went to the stangers lobby to interview Rennard's mate and legal advisor Carlile; brilliantly bonkers interview. Cathy Newman did quite well with the whole thing, but failed to land the knock-out question about this all being put in place to protect Clegg, Swinson and those who knew.

Worth a look if you missed it.

e2a : mostly here

 

[elbows]

Look at the scum,
And how they cover for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow.

I drew a line,
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all yellow.

 

[elbows]

The wriggling and fallout in more detail:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/16/lib-dems-accused-secret-justice-lord-rennard

 

[brogdale]

The wriggling and fallout in more detail:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/16/lib-dems-accused-secret-justice-lord-rennard

Clegg flabbergasted by the situation; bollux. This has been engineered to protect him, Swinson and the others that facilitated thte long-standing cover-up.

Alison Smith said: "The Liberal Democrats have much soul-searching to do. They orchestrated a cover-up for many years to avoid dealing with the serious and numerous allegations against Lord Rennard."

 

[butchersapron]

Sounds like they know they have Clegg and co over a barrel here - note the confidence here:

Carlile claimed Rennard would not be apologising since he had done nothing wrong, adding he would be resuming his position on the Liberal Democrat federal executive.

 

[butchersapron]

Lib-dem incompetence truly knows no bounds - they've manged to piss off every single interested party here whilst weakening the leadership and strengthening its internal critics, effectively handing them a massive bargaining chip in future party stuff. Whilst simultaneously opening the party up to external attack for not taking sexual harassment seriously either in the attempt to hide the original complaints or the ongoing cover-up. What a shambles these people are.

 

[brogdale]

Sounds like they know they have Clegg and co over a barrel here - note the confidence here:

Quite, because Clegg etc. have clearly opted for an impression of corporate impotence/incompetence rather than publically risk (even more if that is possible) damage to his personal integrity and that of other senior LDs/ministers. Rennard feels completely safe.

 

[butchersapron]

If, as they went to great lengths to point out, Rennard is not a lib-dem employee, then surely they could have handed the investigation to someone outside of the party rather than one of the parties big-wigs. That stinks.

 

[brogdale]

Yep, but Smithson seems to have regained his senses a little today with this post, outlining the unrealistic nature of LD hopes of joining Lab in coalition. Smithson assumes that, if Lab found themselves in a position of needing the LD rump, they'd have come second in terms of the popular vote...and the LDs would have some problem "in principle" with joining the party coming second in the popular vote.

Today's Ipsos MORI (Evening Standard) monthly political monitor poll...

"had some interesting questions on coalitions. 60% of people now think it was a bad thing that we had a hung Parliament in 2010, 32% a good thing. This compares to 40% good, 52% bad when it was asked in May 2010. Looking forward, only 26% think it would be a good thing if we had another hung Parliament at the next election, 65% see if as a bad thing (thought 51% of people think it is very or fairly likely). MORI also asked if people would support the party they support going into a coalition in the event of a hung Parliament.

• 70% of Tory voters would support another coalition with the Lib Dems, only 40% would support a coalition with UKIP.
• 62% of Labour supporters would support a coalition with the Lib Dems, 63% would support a coalition with the Greens
• 65% of Lib Dems would support another coalition with the Tories, 53% would support a coalition with Labour"

"Only" 40% tories would support a coalition with UKIP....that sounds a little bit more than "only" to me, and Lab voters liking the idea of coalition with "the greens"; LOL. Mind you, I suppose a coalition with a party with no MPs in 2015 should make for a pretty united one! And 65% of the LDs still wanting more of the tories....fuckers.

 

[butchersapron]

Got a chart for this somewhere, hang on...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

62 % of labour supporters would support a coalition with the yellow tories?

 

[butchersapron]

That's not favoured outcome, it's if push came to shove.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

That's not favoured outcome, it's if push came to shove.

I realise that, but even so. I'd still have thought that a greater proportion of labour supporters would be inclined towards "fuck off you bunch of spineless, principle-less cunts"

maybe that wasn't a poll option...

 

[DotCommunist]

I imagine the thing in peoples minds would be 'if it were that, or 5 more years of Lord Bastard and his merry Eton Men'

 

[butchersapron]

I realise that, but even so. I'd still have thought that a greater proportion of labour supporters would be inclined towards "fuck off you bunch of spineless, principle-less cunts"

maybe that wasn't a poll option...

Yeah, it's doesn't fit my current picture at all. Maybe the fact of the election being in the bag bred sympathy for these devils. Or there was no option along the lines of your latter suggestion for all other parties. This is a good question though as it feeds into tactical voting in lib-dem/tory marginals.

 

[SpineyNorman]

Got a chart for this somewhere, hang on...

I reckon the lib dem section is quite telling. If the pre-2010 lib dems I knew were anything to go on, the stats for favouring/opposing coalition with labour/tory would have been the other way round, probably with a majority opposed to coalition with the tories. I think those stats say a lot about who's left in the party/among voters - looks like the orange bookers are now in control of the grassroots as well as the leadership.

I guess there's a chance that the lib dems I knew tended to be more to the left than the rest, skewing the impression I got, but I reckon there's something to it.

 

[butchersapron]

Nope, that was my first though on seeing that - was going to post a thing about what the lib-dem party is now, then couldn't be bothered, but you've just done it.

 

[SpineyNorman]

UKIP one's interesting as well - not sure what it tells us but it's not what I'd expect (esp the fact that more support coalition with labour than oppose - I know they're not just euroskeptic Tories but I'd have expected more opposition than that even if it's only on the basis of labour's association with 'mass immigration').

 

[brogdale]

All set for intra-party, bicameral, inter-generational warfare. Popcorn time!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25788034

Clegg tells C4 News that unless Rennard apologises the whip will be withdrawn. C4 news must have screened this picture about 40 times during the show!

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...nard-lib-dem-activists-demand-withdrawal-whip
This total up-fuck couldn't happen to a nicer party.

 

[butchersapron]

Newman is on the warpath after that stuff the other night.

 

[Wilf]

The barrister says it would be 'good manners' for the groper to apologise. Crazy, full on guys these Libdems.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics...rd-apology-behaviour-common-manners-barrister

 

[SpineyNorman]

What's likely to come out of this then? Also, surely an apology is an implicit admission of guilt, and if he's guilty (obvs he is - he's a lib dem) how can they let him remain in the party?

There are, surprisingly enough, still relatively active lib dem student groups. If they don't happen anyway I'm tempted to help organise 'interventions' at, well, everything they try to do.

 

[Kaka Tim]

They've fucked themselves quite hilariously over this haven't they?

Their response to gropegate has been to try and mollify the victims without actually tackling lord sexpest and hoping all sides just move on and forget about it. Now all sides are even more pissed off then they were before and clegg is being publicly humiliated.

 

[Wilf]

They've fucked themselves quite hilariously over this haven't they?

Their response to gropegate has been to try and mollify the victims without actually tackling lord sexpest and hoping all sides just move on and forget about it. Now all sides are even more pissed off then they were before and clegg is being publicly humiliated.

John Major must look on in awe at the levels of incompetence Clegg exhibits. He's trapped by history, stuck with the Tories, without even the chance of his own MPs putting him out of his misery. A truly filthy, slithering thing.