Why the lib-dems are shit

[Pickman's model]

He seems to have lost a lot of weight.

and he no longer fiddles kiddies.

 

[DaveCinzano]

holed beneath the waterline

First Spanky Smith and now Ken Stott Vince Cable - just what is it with Liberals and plimsolls?

 

[Pickman's model]

First Spanky Smith and now Ken Stott Vince Cable - just what is it with Liberals and plimsolls?

cheap tools to hit people with and can be worn inconspicuously

 

[brogdale]

Yes. and I would imagine that Rennard sensed that such a point of weakness/crisis was a moment/the only moment(?) in which he had a chance of Clegg confirming his rehabilitation.

Also a carefully constructed timeline designed to portray the sex-pest in the best possible, loyalist light. So calculating.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...lections-carlile-liberal-democrats-nick-clegg

So Clegg knew weeks ago.

 

[butchersapron]

Also a carefully constructed timeline designed to portray the sex-pest in the best possible, loyalist light. So calculating.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...lections-carlile-liberal-democrats-nick-clegg

So Clegg knew weeks ago.

Oooh, they've even fucked this up. Now it's all yours clegg. Own this issue.

 

[butchersapron]

A quick read of the 16th/17th jan press shows that even this fuck up is wrong.

 

[butchersapron]

It's fantastic that lib-dem policy and media presentation is basically three lords and Clegg.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

First Spanky Smith

What??

 

[brogdale]

Look who's calling for the LDs to restore the whip to Lord sex-pest.....

Lord Steel told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he thought Lord Rennard had brought "closure" to the "very unfortunate episode" with his apology.

He said: "I'm glad it is now over and we can get back to normal. I think he should come back, he has made an apology. He thinks his conduct was less than it should have been."

Yep, it's "spanky Smith's" old mucker.

 

[DotCommunist]

how much longer must this bunch of inept coupists, sex pests, theives and triple faced bastards be allowed to continue.

 

[Quartz]

 

[elbows]

Shirley Williams plays it down again:

Lady Williams told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the issue had been "hugely blown up".

"He was a very decent and loyal member of the party as the chief executive, he did huge amounts for the party," she said.

"And I think his private life... he has already apologised for, and that's fine.

"If I may say so, there are some comparisons which suggest there are real, serious sexual harassments and so forth, and I don't think he's one of the most serious cases."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27647721

It's not serious,move along now, stop getting in the way of our politics and our party, which matters more than any of these other trivialities. Well, fuck off Shirley.

 

[brogdale]

Shirley Williams plays it down again:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27647721

It's not serious,move along now, stop getting in the way of our politics and our party, which matters more than any of these other trivialities. Well, fuck off Shirley.

Yes, quite.

Meanwhile Rennard's victims are calling from his removal from the Lords, not only the party.

 

[Sue]

And what's all this calling his statement an apology? Surely you have to first acknowledge you've done something wrong not all this 'may' and 'inadvertent' bollocks.

'The statement said Rennard recognised that he may have encroached upon "personal space" and would "therefore like to apologise sincerely for any such intrusion and assure them that this would have been inadvertent".'

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...sibly-encroaching-on-activists-personal-space

 

[Pickman's model]

And what's all this calling his statement an apology? Surely you have to first acknowledge you've done something wrong not all this 'may' and 'inadvertent' bollocks.

'The statement said Rennard recognised that he may have encroached upon "personal space" and would "therefore like to apologise sincerely for any such intrusion and assure them that this would have been inadvertent".'

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...sibly-encroaching-on-activists-personal-space

believe you me you don't want to see lord rennard intrude upon your personal space advertantly

 

[butchersapron]

To go back to the question of Hughes hanging on:

Simon Hughes set to lose his seat in 2015

This is the total from the locals in his seat:

 

[William of Walworth]

There's not been any serious chance of SH losing that seat since ... erm ... the early 1980s?

Until now

 

[redsquirrel]

Shirley Williams plays it down again:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27647721

It's not serious,move along now, stop getting in the way of our politics and our party, which matters more than any of these other trivialities. Well, fuck off Shirley.

Williams is particularly vile even for a LD scumbag, happy to give a free pass to a sex-pest but not to give equal rights to homosexuals.

 

[co-op]

To go back to the question of Hughes hanging on:

Simon Hughes set to lose his seat in 2015

This is the total from the locals in his seat:

The swing to Labour/away from the Lib Dems in London was so huge that I think he's a goner. They were losing council seats they've held for decades. Sadly there are only three seats in London where the Lib Dems beat Labour (Bermondsey, Brent - Sarah teather - and Hornsey - Lynne Featherstone) but I can't see how any of them aren't going to Labour in 2015.

The interesting ones will be the suburban seats where the Lib-Dems beat the tories. They all have tiny Labour votes but of course quite a lot of that will be because Labour voters are voting tactically there to beat the tory so these could all fall to the tories if that tactical vote is large enough and we assume it no longer votes lib-dem. Cable is probably safe but I'd rate Ed Davey as only a "maybe just" while neither Sutton or Carshalton look like survivors. So from 7 down to ?1 in London I guess.

 

[steeplejack]

If that poisonous dangleberry Cable loses his seat then that will probably be the "Portillo moment" of 2015. I just can't see Clegg losing.

Lib Dems often rely heavily on incumbency for holding onto seats but the universal silent loathing they face from the electorate may well render incumbency irrelevant.

 

[killer b]

why can you not see clegg losing?

 

[steeplejack]

because the numbers involved are simply too great, and Labour will not overcome them.

 

[William of Walworth]

I can see it being highly borderline for Clegg in Sheffield myself -- Labour will put in a HUGE effort to unseat him there you'd have thought, and Northern hostility to the LDs is huge.

 

[brogdale]

The swing to Labour/away from the Lib Dems in London was so huge that I think he's a goner. They were losing council seats they've held for decades. Sadly there are only three seats in London where the Lib Dems beat Labour (Bermondsey, Brent - Sarah teather - and Hornsey - Lynne Featherstone) but I can't see how any of them aren't going to Labour in 2015.

The interesting ones will be the suburban seats where the Lib-Dems beat the tories. They all have tiny Labour votes but of course quite a lot of that will be because Labour voters are voting tactically there to beat the tory so these could all fall to the tories if that tactical vote is large enough and we assume it no longer votes lib-dem. Cable is probably safe but I'd rate Ed Davey as only a "maybe just" while neither Sutton or Carshalton look like survivors. So from 7 down to ?1 in London I guess.

I wouldn't be so quick to right off Car&Wall and Sutton, (Brake & Burstow). I know it doesn't serve to translate local into national sentiment too literally, but it would be foolish to ignore the fact that LB Sutton, as an authority, actually saw LD gains in the recent locals making it a virtual one-party fiefdom for the LDs and their longest continuous controlled authority. Set against that it's also important to acknowledge that not only are Brake & Burstow seen by many as popular and effective MPs, but the alternative is the vermin. The tories fortunes are going to have to undergo a pretty substantial up-swing if they have a chance of nicking the Sutton seats, particularly given that, (broken down by authority), Sutton's Euro vote was the only LB to see the 'kippers win! I wouldn't put money on either of them losing, particularly not Brake.

 

[butchersapron]

Clegg today has achieved the worst ever approval rating for a party leader in YG's latest for the ST - minus 65%. (In 2010 he was on +72% - the highest post-war rating ever). And the party also have equaled their lowest ever for YG 7%.

 

[goldenecitrone]

I can see it being highly borderline for Clegg in Sheffield myself -- Labour will put in a HUGE effort to unseat him there you'd have thought, and Northern hostility to the LDs is huge.

He got 19,000 more votes than Labour in the last election. It would indeed be monumental if Labour could win the seat.

 

[William of Walworth]

The swing to Labour/away from the Lib Dems in London was so huge that I think he's a goner. They were losing council seats they've held for decades. Sadly there are only three seats in London where the Lib Dems beat Labour (Bermondsey, Brent - Sarah teather - and Hornsey - Lynne Featherstone) but I can't see how any of them aren't going to Labour in 2015.

The interesting ones will be the suburban seats where the Lib-Dems beat the tories. They all have tiny Labour votes but of course quite a lot of that will be because Labour voters are voting tactically there to beat the tory so these could all fall to the tories if that tactical vote is large enough and we assume it no longer votes lib-dem. Cable is probably safe but I'd rate Ed Davey as only a "maybe just" while neither Sutton or Carshalton look like survivors. So from 7 down to ?1 in London I guess.

Good analysis. In Southwark, Labour gained 12 seats from the Lib Dems (and 1 from the Tories). There's all sorts of reasons why Labour, the governing party, should be unpopular in that borough, but the Lib Dems are clearly even more disliked

 

[William of Walworth]

He got 19,000 more votes than Labour in the last election. It would indeed be monumental if Labour could win the seat.

Very tough sure, but still worth a pop!

Even a fat swing against Clegg with him narrowly surviving, would be welcome. I'd be dancing around the TV if he lost ...

 

[brogdale]

Clegg today has achieved the worst ever approval rating for a party leader in YG's latest for the ST - minus 65%. (In 2010 he was on +72% - the highest post-war rating ever). And the party also have equaled their lowest ever for YG 7%.

Anthony Wells has this up now...

The figures amongst "lib Dem supporters" (now just 7%) are very interesting...

However, amongst Lib Dem supporters (a small sample, given their decline!), 62% want Clegg to stay. YouGov asked about alternative leaders, but the most important finding there is quite how unknown they all are – the majority of people say they don’t know enough about Ed Davey, Tim Farron or Danny Alexander to answer, while opinions are evenly divided over whether Vince Cable would be better or worse. Bear that in mind when you see any polls asking about alternive Lib Dem leaders – the people answering don’t know who these people are.

Just 62% of the "7%" want him as leader! And...

Amongst Liberal Democrat supporters themselves 51% want them to stay in government, 40% would like them to leave (24% to leave and support a minority Tory government, 16% to leave and bring the government down). While most Lib Dem voters still back their coalition with the Tories, their hearts are elsewhere – if they had to choose 57% would rather work with Labour than the Conservatives.

...and that's those self-describing as supporters.

 

[co-op]

I wouldn't be so quick to right off Car&Wall and Sutton, (Brake & Burstow). I know it doesn't serve to translate local into national sentiment too literally, but it would be foolish to ignore the fact that LB Sutton, as an authority, actually saw LD gains in the recent locals making it a virtual one-party fiefdom for the LDs and their longest continuous controlled authority. Set against that it's also important to acknowledge that not only are Brake & Burstow seen by many as popular and effective MPs, but the alternative is the vermin. The tories fortunes are going to have to undergo a pretty substantial up-swing if they have a chance of nicking the Sutton seats, particularly given that, (broken down by authority), Sutton's Euro vote was the only LB to see the 'kippers win! I wouldn't put money on either of them losing, particularly not Brake.

This is all true and I have to guard against wish-fulfilment in my predictions, but in Sutton the LDs have a majority of just 1600. And the "only alternative are the vermin" argument is gone now since the LDs ARE the vermin. You're right the tory vote will go down but so will the LD one the point of decision is whose vote will collapse most and my bet would be on the LD one since we know for sure that several thousand of those voters are Labour anti-tories - the only question being how many thousand. The X factor is the UKIP vote and how many of those will be from the tories. But I'd bet against the LDs holding Sutton - Carshalton maybe they will hold.