General Election

[Uncle Leo]

Well I suppose we ought to give them their own thread. I don't think they'll suffer the meltdown some are predicting - in fact, compared to Labour in Scotland, they will be a roaring success.

Some good news for Clegg today...

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Southend West Lib Dem prospective MP candidate Paul Collins (and his son) are both season ticket holders. Sensible, honest, long term local guy; I don't "buy in to" a lot of the party manifesto (wish list?) stuff so that won't put me off voting for this man.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Danny Alexander :clap:

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Danny Alexander :clap:

Yes Danny Alexander the soon to be x MP up in chilly jocko land.
If your referring to the child benefit revelations then I think your find that Andrew Neil ripped Simon Hughes apart on the DP this lunch time.
Pretty desperate stuff from a party that has often finished 5th in the polls since 2010 and will be further decimated this time round.

 

[shrimpled]

LD internal polling has them at between 35 to 40 seats currently. A large number of those seats are incredibly marginal, but they are also not far behind in a number of seats not included in that 35-40. They will certainly not be wiped out as some non politicos keep banging on about. Their only Essex seat of Colchester is very tight as I understand it but they are hopeful they will have just enough to win there.

 

[southendkid]

The Lib Dems being projected to win so many seats makes me wonder why the media insists on doing polls by nationwide percentages, when our voting system is First Past The Post, not Proportional Representation. UKIP have twice as much support as the Lib Dems, but that's irrelevant since the Lib Dems will win 20-40 seats whilst UKIP are projected to win about 3 seats, why does the media insist on using percentages most of the time when it gives a massively inaccurate picture of which parties are actually doing well in the polls?

 

[southendkid]

(Accidentally reposted, please delete).

 

[Ricky Otto]

Slim change of overhauling the Tories in Chelmsford but still get my vote

 

[slapheadsteve]

Mentioned on this forum a month ago odds of 2/1 Libs getting 30 seats or more was a great bet

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-32588746

Looks like Clegg over's doing his best to hang on to his current job.

 

[A Century United]

I can't point back to any proof of this, but once that idiot Clegg had agreed to go back on his promise that he wouldn't increase tuition fees, and then agreed to a referendum about electoral reform rather than insisting on actual electoral reform I knew they were ****ed.

 

[Uncle Leo]

I don't think they'll suffer the meltdown some are predicting

Good call...

:stunned:

 

[southendkid]

I can't point back to any proof of this, but once that idiot Clegg had agreed to go back on his promise that he wouldn't increase tuition fees, and then agreed to a referendum about electoral reform rather than insisting on actual electoral reform I knew they were ****ed.

Thing is Clegg isn't ****ed, his plan of being in the Tories' pocket has worked out nicely for him, whilst the Tories campaigned against the Lib Dems in most constituencies they actually urged their supporters in Sheffield Hallam to vote Clegg in again. The frontrunner for Clegg's replacement is reportedly much more left wing who would want nothing to do with the Tories, on C4 they had an ex Tory MP and she said whilst the Tories and Clegg disagreed on a lot of stuff they worked well when it came to the financials, so they made sure he kept his seat so if it came to a coalition he would still be there.

 

[Ricky Otto]

Thing is Clegg isn't ****ed, his plan of being in the Tories' pocket has worked out nicely for him, whilst the Tories campaigned against the Lib Dems in most constituencies they actually urged their supporters in Sheffield Hallam to vote Clegg in again. The frontrunner for Clegg's replacement is reportedly much more left wing who would want nothing to do with the Tories, on C4 they had an ex Tory MP and she said whilst the Tories and Clegg disagreed on a lot of stuff they worked well when it came to the financials, so they made sure he kept his seat so if it came to a coalition he would still be there.

In no small part down to Vince Cable IMO, of all the Lib Dem losses this was the one I was saddest to see

 

[southendkid]

In no small part down to Vince Cable IMO, of all the Lib Dem losses this was the one I was saddest to see

The Tory woman literally jump up cheering when she'd heard Cable had lost his seat, based on what she said Cable was the one that the Tories didn't get on with the most, which probably means he was willing to fight against what the Tories wanted. Depending on how much influence Cable had we could see the Tories changing tactic now that they are free to do what they want.

 

[Ricky Otto]

The Tory woman literally jump up cheering when she'd heard Cable had lost his seat, based on what she said Cable was the one that the Tories didn't get on with the most, which probably means he was willing to fight against what the Tories wanted. Depending on how much influence Cable had we could see the Tories changing tactic now that they are free to do what they want.

Really? Didn't know that. For me he has always been spot on, got a lot of time for him. Really wanted another coallition

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

I feel a bit sorry for the Lib Dems, they've done some good things in the coalition. Yes Nick Clegg broke his promise over tuition fees but politicians break promises all the time and don't get as much grief as he's had. And in hindsight, since trebling the fees more students are now at university and more from poorer backgrounds so was it really that bad?

Looks like Tim Farron will now be their leader as the only other high-profile Lib Dem to retain his seat.

 

[Uncle Leo]

“History will judge us kindly” says Clegg and I agree. The anger around tuition fees blinded a lot of folk to the good work they did.

 

[manor15]

The Tory woman literally jump up cheering when she'd heard Cable had lost his seat, based on what she said Cable was the one that the Tories didn't get on with the most, which probably means he was willing to fight against what the Tories wanted. Depending on how much influence Cable had we could see the Tories changing tactic now that they are free to do what they want.

This is what is baffling, so many Lib Dem voters now voting Conservative, which just doesn't make sense. If they don't agree with what the party has done since 2010 why are they changing their vote to vote for a more extreme version of the last 5 years?

Personally, I like Nick Clegg a lot and sad to see him step down, and that's coming from a student paying 3 times as much because of him!

 

[GrumpyBlue]

What the Liberal Democrats did not seem to understand was that they were the recipients of anti-tory tactical voting in the past - especially here in Cornwall - and by getting into bed with `call me Dave` have alienated all these tactical voters who have voted for their own choices and not tactically this time (and not to mention student fees)

Prats