Coalition – the first hundred days – falling out or loving in?

It seems that if anybody from within the Lib Dems is going to derail the Dave-Nick love-in, it's going to be Simon Hughes

A hundred days of cuts, cuts and more cuts. Lightweight on policy as predicted…the insult to voters that is "Big Society", typical threats to the BBC to appease Uncle Rupert, meddling with the NHS to open it up to the "market" and allow yet more private enterprise to profit from our great institution. Finally, there's the half-baked ideas about letting pushy parents 🙂 set up their own schools. But not one really good idea so far.

We're all doomed. Doomed I tell you

I think we will need more than 100 days to completely develop the irrational hatred we have of all people in a position of power.

One idea they should look at is having an open day where you can turn up and pay £5 to slap Callmedave around his chubby little face with a nice wet fish. Should make a good few 100 million for the economy.

They still look happy together

LHS – Member

One idea they should look at is having an open day where you can turn up and pay £5 to slap Callmedave around his chubby little face with a nice wet fish. Should make a good few 100 million for the economy.

I'll pay a fiver for that.

My guess is that they will be hard pushed to last a year and have no chance of lasting 5. I think this years lib dem conference will be crucial as will the referendum on changing the voting.

Its a victory of individual power seeking, at any cost over principles.

The fact that neither part has rebelled indicates that the self serving practice runs deep!

They had 1 week of sensible stuff and there I was thinking "That's a good idea. But when will the shit hit the fan?". Sure enough, as soon as they started pulling funding to help kickstart Sheffield industry and fiddling with the NHS it all went to pot. The liberals will hopefully see sense soon.

Forgemasters? Governments lending cash to businesses has a history of ending badly.

Forgemasters? Governments lending cash to businesses rarely ends well.

The banks?

Lib Dems are finished as a political party for the foreseeable future.

As said, there was some sensible noises coming out in the first week or so – that has all been abandoned for typical Tory privatisation/cutting dogma – regressive tax policies, 'an end to the war on motorists' bullshit etc etc

Nick Clegg looks increasingly marginalised and pathetic.

The banks?

Not just simple lending. The government has shares in the banks, which creates a very different situation. And there are clauses in the recapitalisation scheme that make taking the money very painful.

It's a triumph of disappointment over anticipation…..
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…..which is going some to be fair, as I anticipated a complete cluster **** and expected an assault on the lower middle, working and underclasses, yet I'm still disappointed by what a bunch of self serving and evil bastards they've all turned out to be

Anti Social Behaviour has risen dramatically in my area since the ConDems came in. 'Big Society' my arse.

It's a triumph of disappointment over anticipation

Bit like NuLabour then

see very little of the lib dems in this coalition seem so keen on showing that a coalition will work they have forgoten they had policies and principles other than PR. If the Tories alone was 10 then this coalition is about 9 on this scale as they have barely watered them down and capitualted completely on the economy. I cannot believe that Lib dem voters are happy with them and I dont see them as credible now or in the near future. Next election they MUST say who they will form a government with and how can they say Labour and then defend what they have just done for the last period with the Tories. Suspect the bon homie between the privately educated very rich leaders was/is more important than policies as they are natural mates due to upbringing etc.
Dave [when did the war start Mr President sir] seems to have some credibility eg Blody Sunday and Israel [clearly I despise the smug sod] and is doing OK.
I would not let Gideon run the taps usupervised let alone the economy.

Bit like NuLabour then

good point deadlydreary NuLabour really invigourated us didn't they after waiting all that time

🙄

We could try and stick to the point I suppose.

HTH.

The point being that a new govt comes in and does sfa, as we've seen before.

HTH

I was listening to the radio today as Dave's bitch talk about how poor social mobility was and how the last government had done nothing about it. Then an academic came on and totally slated his use of the research findings. His presumptions were based on a data set that compared people born in the 50's with those in the 70's and the current data sets available looking at current kids showed that educational underperformance by lower social classes had been reducing in the last 5 years.

Dave's bitch then said nothing about what they would do to help things anyway.

@ trailmonkey

Shall we (meaning you) leave the name calling for today? So, you've no comment on the first 100 days of the coalition? That was the point of the thread…

So, you've no comment on the first 100 days of the coalition?

yeah:

It's a triumph of disappointment over anticipation

Which is a

Bit like NuLabour then

The point being that a new govt comes in and does sfa, as we've seen before

I could always go through it a 3rd time for you if you're struggling

edit, no forget it, i've got work to do

If the Tories alone was 10 then this coalition is about 9 on this scale as they have barely watered them down and capitualted completely on the economy.

What percentage of seats do the lib dems contribute to this alliance?

Junkyard

I cannot believe that Lib dem voters are happy with them and I dont see them as credible now or in the near future.

I agree. My original point being that the evident discomfort amongst the LD grassroots was bound to percolate up through to the PP eventually, given that the route from grassroots to PP is probably shorter than in the other two parties. Some senior (by senior, I mean older) LDs must be shuddering at the prospect of seeing their party support the slashing of public services…all for the seeming carrot of an offer of a referendum on voting reform (which goes nowhere near what the LDs want anyway).

i've got work to do

Phew.

Still technically a honeymoon period. The trouble really starts when the spending cut reviews are concluded later in the year and will more than likely conclude with the voting reform bill either being sidelined before it gets to Parliament, or when it falls at the first hurdle in parliament.

That's when the split starts. This Government is going to last a lot less than five years.

Bit like NuLabour then

They learned from the masters..the Conservatives.

What percentage of seats do the lib dems contribute to this alliance?

But more importantly (or should be) what percentage of votes do they contribute?

Dave's bitch talk about how poor social mobility was and how the last government had done nothing about it.

Hmm and they seem to be doing everything they can to make it worse…

Labour at least slowed the rate at which the gap between rich and poor is increasing (which was racing away under the last Tory government)

Lib Dems hate this coalition as they have to face up to the real job of running the country rather than perpetually standing on the sidelines pontificating about what they would do in their ideal make-believe world!!

tree-magnet

What percentage of seats do the lib dems contribute to this alliance?

Is it the winning percentage ? The bit that gets the Tories over the majority line o form a stable goverenment? If you think they have negotiated well, adhered to their policies or changed the Tory policies [who really would have needed to alter their policies/water them down if they were a minority government] then please indicate how by reference to policies especially the economy, social justice, redistributive taxes etc.es the toroes got the most votes but mor epeole votd against them and more MPs were not Tories than were. If you think this is a mandate for ory change then you have the sword of justice and the Birtish sense of fair play that the Tories are renound for.
ib dems sold out for power when they really did hold some serious bargaining chips and uld have me difference rather than support/prop up a Tory government.

I would normally say here that I cannot wait for the day that the Tories are removed from being anywhere near the levers of power. But that almost certainly means that Labour will be back in, and I am mightily disillusioned with them. Does this make me an anarchist, a realist or merely old enough to be cynical? I have rather lost my idealist faith in politics over the last few years. Bah humbug.

I would normally say here that I cannot wait for the day that the Tories are removed from being anywhere near the levers of power. But that almost certainly means that Labour will be back in, and I am mightily disillusioned with them.

Depressing isn't it. 🙁

Indeed.

ononeorange. Me too. For the first time in my life I had no enthusiasm for the election of a Labour Government. Mind you seeing as the Condems are far worse than I thought they would be its just dispiriting. Thank goodness I live in Scotland. At least we have a smug toad in with muppet sidekick in charge ( sort of) here.

Depressing isn't it.

You said it 🙁

Shall we form our own party? I'm sure we can dream up a manifesto that we will have no intention of following once in power, and think of the perks…?!!

We just need to find some rich creeps to fund us, who we are then in thrall to for ever.

Cptflasheart to the forum please 😆
Joking aside what is you view?

I would normally say here that I cannot wait for the day that the Tories are removed from being anywhere near the levers of power. But that almost certainly means that Labour will be back in, and I am mightily disillusioned with them.

This is what happens when a particular class of people, the middle class become the dominant voter. You won't get a more socialist party gaining power unless something dramatic happens…which almost did with the economic crash. The then Government negated this by bailing the current form of capitalism out using public money, if the real conservatives had been in power and had let the principles of the free market take its course, who knows what flavour of Government could have now been in power.

But now we do have a particularly right wing minded Government in, you get an attack on the state. In this case and Labour as well, is there are sub-sets within the class system and if both Cons and Lab looked after the "lower middle class", election victories would be easier. The conservatives by targeting benefits for middle classes are essentially cutting their own throats, politically speaking.

Of course Clegg banging on about social mobility…simple, devalue the housing stock, build more affordable housing and create jobs in unemployment blackspots…which is pretty much where industries were closed down during the 80's.

Junkyard – Member
tree-magnet

What percentage of seats do the lib dems contribute to this alliance?

Is it the winning percentage ? The bit that gets the Tories over the majority line o form a stable goverenment? If you think they have negotiated well, adhered to their policies or changed the Tory policies [who really would have needed to alter their policies/water them down if they were a minority government] then please indicate how by reference to policies especially the economy, social justice, redistributive taxes etc.es the toroes got the most votes but mor epeole votd against them and more MPs were not Tories than were. If you think this is a mandate for ory change then you have the sword of justice and the Birtish sense of fair play that the Tories are renound for.
ib dems sold out for power when they really did hold some serious bargaining chips and uld have me difference rather than support/prop up a Tory government.

lol, I never said a word about whether I thought the conservatives were doing a good job. As it happens I'm out of the country for 9 months of the year and couldn't tell you one way or the other.

My point is that arguing that the conservatives are making 90% of the decisions is a bad thing is kind of a crock. The lib dems were the third party in the race, not even second. Yet their policies matter more? This is why I hate party politics. In reality terms hardly anyone voted Lib Dem yet they have more of a say in how this country is run than Lab, and people are complaining they don't have enough say…

They came third. Whatever negotiations took place leading up to the alliance doesn't change the fact. Whatever YOU or even me think, the conservative party got the most votes, and therefore imo have the right to lead this country. Don't agree with it? Tough titties.

In reality terms hardly anyone voted Lib Dem

I wouldn't call more than one in five "hardly anyone".

Although it has to be said, most people who voted Lib Dem had no idea that they were voting for a Conservative government ……..or that the Lib Dems would ditch key policies within a few days of the election.

mrmagnet you ignore the fact that most people did not vote for them or their policies- I gave specfic examples especially the economy where only they argued for such sweeping budget cuts as we are seeing now. Given their vote share the tories have no legitimacy to form a majority govt nor a mandate for their policies most people voted for parties who were not goin ot cut the budget this year. Given the lib dems have caved into them and inded it is tough titties for everyone due diectly to their decisions and woeful negotiation skills.
EDIT: Lb dem vote share was 23% 1.8 million less than lab and 4 m less than Tory reasonable in a three party system IMHO and mor ethan hardly anyone.BNP got over 500,000 is that hardly anyone as well?