The talk on the high traffic blogs seems to be all about the latest ICM poll for the Daily Telegraph that has Labour in third behind the Lib Dems for both the Euro elections and the next General Election, which of course leads to the inevitable speculation that Brown will face a challenge to his leadership in the next few weeks.
Personally speaking, whilst coming third will make Brown an even bigger lame duck, I'm not so sure that the leadership will change hands. From what I recall reading on Labour blogs, the rules of the Labour Party are not quite so conducive to leadership challenges as the Tory Party is, and much of the speculation seems to be based on working assumptions about the many leadership challenges we've seen the Tories go through.
More interestingly though, is the report that there will be a snap "fightback" reshuffle which will see Ed Balls moved into the Treasury, and bizarrely an attempt by Brown to bring the Lib Dems on side by giving Vince Cable some sort of Government position on financial matters. Seriously though, and I've not yet looked at Lib Dem blogs, but with the Lib Dems polling so high, would they really want to tarnish themselves by getting into bed with Brown?
Something tells me that the Lib Dems are going to see the results of the Euro elections as their moment and chance to become the second party rather than third. Personally I think that would be a superb thing to happen if it did. We would then have a country that was predominantly on the centre or centre-right and the insane social authoritarianism of the past decade could be put behind us as an aberration.
25 comments:
Perhaps Cable will re-cross the floor!
But what an aberration!
The scenario you paint would be good for party politics, but the public sector would still be littered with Labour-thinking people for years.
Can't see a Lib-Lab coalition myself - not after Clegg having such a go at Gordon at PMQs.
Not after his appalling effort on the gutless Marr's show.
Why don't they just get in bed together and have a threesome?
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/335653/MPs-expenses-scandal-Conservative-chief-David-Cameron-is-embroiled-in-expenses-row-after-clamping-down-on-his-own-MPs.html
Where have you been? The Lib Dems will get into bed with anyone. Whoever offers them the most seats at the table and accompanying perks. Policies don't come in to it.
Labour the third party with a Labour leader relegated to a literal back bench position and getting just two questions a week...how delicious.
All those lefty arseholes to take the piss out of...LMAO!!
I think you're right Dizzy. The Lib Dems will want to surplant Labour. Also, Cleggy is much closer to Cameron than Broon anyway he's very much on the Liberal rather than Democrat wing.
"We would then have a country that was predominantly on the centre or centre-right"
Balls. The current leader may be the acceptable face of his party, but the party itself is still full of failed SDPers, many of whom are to the left of Brown.
Brown responds to poll crisis.
Only if Vince Cable can be Prime Minister.
I think a lot of Lib Dems would leave the party if it did happen.
Vince was asked about this on TV this morning and robustly rejected the idea.
In other words we will have three parties chasing Thatchers dreams. god help us all.
2 parties desperate for power, and neither with any principles. Sounds eminently likely to me.
There is very little chance of the LibDems coming to an agreement with Brown...The talk (love-bombing?) of changing voting systems is clearly supposed to attract wavering voters but Brown has done too much damage.
UKIPwebmaster; I notice you've been wandering all the rightwing blogs linking this non-story.
Not getting much traction are you?
Could it be your pals at the Mail are trying to win you another couple of votes next week? If so, must try harder.
The LibDems joining up in anyway with Labour would be liking deciding to get into bed with someone with a highly infectious terminal disease. Plain stupid and ridiculous. Some of them are stupid but not THAT stupid.
Can't agree with you that Lib Dems are a party of the centre.
They've certainly conned people for more than 40 years that they are somewhere between Labour and the Conservatives, but just as NuLab concealed socialists and others so the Libs conceal a range of trots, lefty libertarians, centralisers, hippies and Susan Kramer, keen on power but prepared to adopt mutually exclusive convictions to do so anti-tory in one seat anti-labour in the next.
LibDem activists on the ground often hate the Tories more than Labour do. There is a rump in the parliamentary party that sees them as a 'progressive' (i.e. left-wing) party. Meanwhile Brown is pulling the trick that has worked many times before - dangling PR before them as an inducement to support the continuation of Labour's policies.
I think the Lib Dems would be pissing in their own bath water if they tried to cosy up to authoritarian Labour. They may lean to the left, but they support a rolled back state, too. I have to say the notion of a Tory government shadowed by the Lib Dems is an appealing concept, but I won't be holding my breath.
Where have you been? The Lib Dems will get into bed with anyone. Whoever offers them the most seats at the table and accompanying perks. Policies don't come in to it.Just as well that labour has none then isn't it? Other than bankrupting the UK and gorging themselves at the tax payers tit. How the likes of you come here or anywhere to have a go at the LibDums is beyond humour.
With luck it will be Labour that will be sucking up to whoever offers a place at the table.
The LibDems may be willing to do almost anything to gain power in Westminster (they were, of course, part of the Scottish Executive for a while and managed to get themselves mired in their own little troughing scandal - “Lavish” Tavish Scott & Co. - to the extent that the Nats preferred to attempt a minority administration than be accused of keeping them in the manner to which they'd become accustomed), but they'd be insane to tie themselves to the sinking ship that is Labour.
It won't stop Broon from making an arse of himself trying to woo them, though. That should be a laugh.
Joining up with ZaNu Labour is akin to boarding the Titanic after it had hit the iceberg.
I'm with you all the way on this one Dizzy exept the EU. A complete clean sweep by Libertas would have a truly wonderful effect on all the UK parties and perhaps just for once make them think about the people and not themselves.
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