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Hi Sam,

I noticed you did not respond to my challenge to pull out the reasons you stated prior to the election for your voting Lib Dem as opposed to Labour. You merely stated that the coalition is a compromise and that because it is a coalition the Lib Dems can't expect everything they wanted to actually be included.

So to help you out, I have done it for you. I have retrieved your comments on why you intended to vote Lib Dem, made prior to the election. I have provided a commentary in bold

First of all, from an economic point of view you preferred Gordon Brown and you supported the Lib Dem/Labour view that ?6 billion of cuts should not take place in the first year (shafted there then by the Lib Dems. Soon as they got into power the Lib Dems agreed with the Tory plan which Cleggie argued would lead to a double dip recession)

But I'm disappointed with Labour about other things. I don't want trident ( nul points again for the Lib Dems, they are likely to go ahead with it but with a review of costs)

they've not done enough to narrow the gap between the rich and poor, they let the banking system become too powerful ( oh dear, the Lib Dems have agreed that the employees will pay the national insurance increase, but not the employers and that Vince Cable has been told he is not in charge of bank reforms and with regard to taking people on below 10,000 out of tax altogether, this has become a "longer term objective")

.....and I don't like Labour's policy on immigration. I prefer the Lib Dems' policy of amnesty for those that have been here a long time, and want to contribute to our society. I actually think Labour think this is a good policy too, but are too scared of what the general public think. That's why I admired Clegg's standing....refusing to back down on his principles in spite of the public's opinion while he was being judged on national tv. ( bloody hell, Sam, you have lost out again, the amnesty has been kicked in to touch, the very thing that you admired Cleggie for doing "refusing to back down on his principles, he has actually done!!!!!.


In the end I realised that there were more policies I agreed with the Lib Dems on than Labour. I didn't agree with Lib Dem policies on europe, the war, and their blank refusal to build more nuclear power stations (no worries there then, because the Lib Dems have backed down on foreign policy altogether and they have that nice anti-nuclear power chap Chris Huhne to introduce the legislation for nuclear power stations but I knew they wouldn't take us into the Euro without a referendum (no worries there, the Lib Dems have dropped the idea of the euro whilst in the coalition, thank Christ)

You were in favour of proportional representation. All the Tories have promised is a bill on the alternative vote which is not really proportional representation in any sense and would have had minimal impact on how the Lib Dems would have done in recent elections .

Yeah, well anyway, the Lib Dems are cleaning up Parliament on the subject of expenses aren't they? oh dear, best change the subject away from David Laws and Danny Alexander, eh?

Life's a bitch eh Sam, and then it gets worse. You vote Lib Dem for the reasons you gave above. All the things you stated, the Lib Dems have given away as part of the coalition.

How does it feel to vote for a party and they turn round and piss on yer chips within a matter of days?

Cheers
D

I think he's so gutted his fingers have stopped working properly

Aka the "looking for a fight" thread.

It would be perfectly reasonable for Sam to either (i) not respond or (ii) bat this away with a one-liner; the former would kill this dead (and be the most pragmatic solution), but the deviant in me wants to see the latter....

We shall see...

There's nowt wrong with a bit of political debate on BGAFD.
Surely?

"Looking for a fight", me? I would term it more like a healthy, political debate wot you get every day in the House of Commons.

Mind to have a debate you need at least two people to have the discussion. If Sam doesn't respond, it is entirely his prerogative obviously. I have made my point.

But maybe I am biased!

Cheers
D

I saw your reply via my N1. I wasn't even going to attempt typing out a 500 word reply on my phone! It seems my lack of an immediate reply has got you a little excited....hahaha.

I don't think I've been shafted at all. Again, you're fundamentalist ways bar you from understanding, or accepting compromise. No party said what they'd be willing to compromise on given a coalition so I can't see how I've been 'shafted'.

Whether these compromises are good or bad, only time will tell, but none of it means I've been hoodwinked or lied to. There are, however, things Labour have lied about and backed away from. Two promised referendums on the Euro and Blair promising to do a full term, anyone? (though I must admit that Blair was hounded out unfairly so that backtracking I'll forgive). And didn't Labour promise a referendum on PR way back the lead up to the '97 election? And remember, unlike the Lib Dems, who are a minority within a coalition, Labour had such a majority that they could have pushed through referendums on the Euro and PR at the drop of a hat. No excuses there at all. If I've been shafted by any party the past 13 years, it's by Labour. Do you feel shafted by Labour, Johnson? I mean, you voted for the party that was more interested in their image than governing and trying to push through centre-left policies while in coalition with the Lib Dems. They were 'frightened' of being labelled the coalition of the losers, according to you. I've read The Prince; A Machiavellian move if there ever was one; sacrificing their queen because it was politically the right move.

Anyway, glad you're having a good bank holiday.

"Whether these compromises are good or bad, only time will tell, but none of it means I've been hoodwinked or lied to."

Okay so you clearly accept that all the reasons that you gave on this forum for voting Lib Dem have been put aside as part of the coalition.

That was the only point I wanted to make.

Have a good break.

D

Latest score, just in:

Logical Reasoning 0, Insatiable Need to Be Right All the Time 1

Yes, I'll freely admit that they have. Again, none of this means I was 'shafted' or lied to. None of it means voting Lib Dem was a waste. I see that a minority party cannot go into coalition with a bigger party and lay down the law. That would mean a minority government and another election.

You might see another election as a chance for Labour to retake power while I see it as another chance for the Tories to scrape a majority. The right-wing and Murdoch press would have had another 6 months spreading fear that another hung election would mean the economy and pound would suffer even more, and I think the Tories would scrape a few more votes together because of it all and win outright.

Anyway, regardless of how this coalition goes I think the Lib Dems will suffer at the next election. If the coalition does a good job I think the Tories will win the next election outright, in 5 years time. If it becomes 5 years of hell Labour will sweep back to power and the Lib Dems will lose a fair few seats. I can only hope we'll get a slightly fairer voting system in the mean time.