As a left-wing alternative to Labour that is!Don't take my word for it - have a read at what their Leader is saying to the Independent today ...
... personally, I think this will go down like the proverbial lead balloon for the vast majority of Lib-Dem voters in Scotland.
They weren't on track to do well next May anyhow, but this type of stunt - in my humble opinion - will only damage their chances further.
The present MSPs in Edinburgh West and South must be loving it??
4 comments:
The problem for the Tories is that by positioning the LibDems to the centre right, Clegg is hoping to take Tory votes as the "Not the Nasty Cons" party.
Left leaning Tory voters will flock to join (as 4500 according to the Indie already have) while 10000 LibDems have joined Labour.
The problem for the LibDems is that most of these leavers were the activists who are now taking their skills and enthusiasm into the tired old Labour party.
Really extraordinary programme repeat run just finished on BBC4 about coalitions in UK government in the 20th Century. Excellent low-key, just clever people talking to the camera stuff.
I was astounded to learn just how much of 20th century UK was ruled by coalition (WW1, WW2 much of the inter-war years).
But if you are a Liberal, there are worrying lessons from the experience when the Liberals joined Ramsey MacDonald's infamous inter-war 'National Government' and then stuck with the Conservaties right up to the WW2 coalition.
I had previously been taught that the Liberals had been nearly fatally damaged by the earlier rise of Labour. But on the reading of this programme it was their joining the inter-war National Government that was the most telling, divisive and destructive blow. A blow from which they never did recover.
Wonder what will happen this time?
Ray
Thanks for the comment - evidence here in Edinburgh would certainly back-up your theory!
Long may it last ;-)
Andrew
P.S. We're really not that tired - honest!
Edward
Thakns for the comment - didn't catch the programme I'm afraid, but I sense that the analysis could be correct ... we'll certainly get a good picture of any damage the Lib-Dems have done to themselves next May.
My instinct (especeially on the back of our recent, local by-election) is that the damage is pretty severe.
Andrew
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