How have the Lib Dems benefited from the coalition?

[Pubey]

Have any of their manifesto declarations become law/policy? Have they gained more support? Are they likely to do better in local or general elections?

Serious answers please. To a lay outsider the coalition seems to have done them a lot of harm and little to no good. But they must benefit in some way? surely?

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

I think they will lose a lot of tactical voters - because of where I live I vote Lib as an anti Tory vote, up until the last election, but no more.

 

[Benfleet A1]

Like all parties they have a core vote that will always back them whatever but they have lost an awful lot of flouting voters especially the student vote over tuition fees and a few other things that I can't think of at the moment. But you can say that about all of them really.

 

[Blueronron]

Not liking either Liberal or Tories, but I do feel they have stopped the Tories from cutting further costs and inflicting more misery on people during the hard times.
Very hard call as both parties want different things but are tied to gether, thought Clegg was more the person to trust in last nights debate, but then many thought that at the last election, the student fees will haunt him for ever and perhaps undo any good the party has achieved within this term of power

 

[MK Shrimper]

I think at the next election Clegg and co will face a battering.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

The Libs have lost their way and moral high ground by having to be part of the government and also part responsible for some of the policies.
They will have lost some tactical voters because of this.
I also believe they have stopped or at least amended some of the Tories aims which is likely to have made any, as yet largely invisible, road to recovery longer but not so imp actively hard.
Personally they may get my vote, again, as I won't ever vote for Amiss.

 

[Benfleet A1]

The Libs have lost their way and moral high ground by having to be part of the government and also part responsible for some of the policies.
They will have lost some tactical voters because of this.
I also believe they have stopped or at least amended some of the Tories aims which is likely to have made any, as yet largely invisible, road to recovery longer but not so imp actively hard.
Personally they may get my vote, again, as I won't ever vote for Amiss.

I know hardcore Tories who wont ever vote for that snake.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

I've always voted Lib Dem since I could vote in the '97 election, and they'll have to do a lot to impress me enough to vote for them again.

 

[Uncle Leo]

The increase in the income tax threshold (to £10k) is definitely a Lib Dem policy. You may argue whether it's a good thing or not, but Cameron was dismissive of the idea in the election campaign and Clegg et al have won the Tories round.

And they'll take a big hit vote-wise in 2015. Clegg has gone from electoral gold to electoral poison in pretty short time.

 

[maninasuitcase]

Personally I think they will lose alot of support at the next election mainly because they went back on their pledge on tuition fees.

I seems to me that they will lose long term support in exchange for a few liberals in the cabinet for a few years but I am sure Clegg thinks that is a sacrifice worth paying.

The only thing they can really claim as their own is the raising of the tax threshold as far as I can see.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think the Lib Dems would argue that they've put the country before party politics.

 

[Thorpe Groyney]

I voted Lib Dem at the last election, less on political convictions, more on the basis that I was fed up with Labour and Conservative govenments achieving a little, undoing any good work they had done with barmy decisions, then blame anyone except themselves.

The question I have to ask myself is if the Lib Dems will stand for what they believe in, or will they stand for an auxiliary to either of the two main parties? That, however, in itself a benefit of them. People are talking about them being in office in some form.

As for their manifesto, they had their referendum on proportional representation, which would have become law. The electorate, however, saw through what they proposed. As described earlier, what they proposed was barmy.

I guess I should look at what has become law and what was in their manifesto for a better answer though.

 

[leeblue]

I think the country has benefitted from a coalition rather than the lib dems themselves, reigning in some of those crazy eton schoolboys has been helpful im sure.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I think the country has benefitted from a coalition rather than the lib dems themselves, reigning in some of those crazy eton schoolboys has been helpful im sure.

I believe all the major parties are crammed full of Eton toffs and those dye in the wall labour MPs all seem to be sending their off spring to public school if they didn't go there themselves.
The H of P at present must surely be the weakest in actually representing the majority than it has been for almost a hundred years...................no real surprise that voter apathy and abstaining from voting is higher than actual box crossing electors.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

I could not personally give a stuff where people went to school as long as people have talent. The rich send their kids to Eton because amazingly obvious though it is, it is a good school. Cameron won all the prizes at Uni. He's not thick. I have a good laugh when Labour go on about a meritocracy and mention Alan Johnson and wait for it Hazel Blears.
Truth is Osbourne is right on the money with the structural changes he implementing in trying to make to make Britain able to compete in a global market. Labour with have us back in the dark ages. It's hard, but completely necessary.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

The amount of MP's for the LibDems went down at the last election and they found themselves in government - funny old world. People will always mention student fees and rightly so but what has happened which happens to all parties in government is the realization of governing. Easy to make promises sitting on the other side to the decision makers and this is no different to Clegg and Co.
Don't rule out a coalition with the LibDems and Labour next time round either. Remember they are all in it for themselves despite what the may say!