so is there anyone with the guts to admit they were wrong when they voted tory at the last election??

I'm voting Green next time.

NOTHING!!

what, exactly, are the libdems doing, then?

Good post, Harpsichord.

Harp..CHOICE by the coalititon?? No these are tory choices not held back by the lib dems! Clegg must be proud, he has single-handidly made the lib dems a non party for the next 20 years!! I wanted an end to see-saw politics. The lib dems handed us Thatcher+ without a mandate! Many thanks Clegg!!

No-one disagrees that cuts are necessary.
BUT it is possible to make savings in a way that is fair and equitable.
It is possible to make cuts in a way that do not cause fundamental damage to the welfare state.
It is possible to protect the most vulnerable.
What is not necessary is to aim that those cuts affect the poor and vulnerable far more seriously that the better off.
Look at what the Institute for Fiscal Studies says about how the last budget affected the rich and poor relatively.
Look the research published in the last week about which areas of the country will be most seriously affected by the cuts.
Look at the research into which parts of the population will be most severely affected by the cuts. Those with money in the bank? with lots of capital? with high incomes? those who can afford it most, or those who can afford it least?
These decisions are a conscious choice, an idealogical choice, by the coalition.

Tories LOVE cuts no matter what inheritance they have. And the last government truly screwed up. The current government are in their cutting element.

The Tories will always despise the common people. And you can bet that social problems, social disparity and social desperation will rise and rise and rise under this government.. ... .. .

I voted Lib Dem and wish i had voted tactically instead...

If Lib dems had publically backed th elabour party regardless of the public voote then it would have been the beginning of the end of the Lib Dems as a political party. If they are ALWAYS going to side with labour then why bother voting Lib dem - just vote labour.

I voted Tory, I will again.

Cuts have to fall because Labour buggered up the country. There is no other choice.

I think the only correct thing to do would have been to call for a re-election.

Lib Dems and tories are were so diametrically opposed that it should never have been considered as an option. I understand that the LDs weren't in a position to go into cahoots with Labour (which would make more sense) or go it alone. Labour could do nothing. So failing a re-election, perhaps they should have allowed the callmedave crew try alone until they screwed everyone over enough to not be voted in for another 20 years.
Sadly, now we only have two main parties. On a positive note, perhaps the left-winged vote will no longer be split?

NEVER!

I deeply regret voting for the Lib Dems and I can safely say I will never vote for them again.

How could they?

loopyloops, what do you think they should have done? (after the election).

No, but I regret voting (and campaigning ) for the Lib Dems.

vesela I don't know the current percentages being talked about.

I know there were rumours of 20-25% for the employees - but I don't know if the government is going to keep a minority stake or not, or whether they will keep a controlling interest or not.

you know what though, I don't feel proud of myself for who I voted for because it wasn't something that took any effort and it wasn't in any sense a particularly courageous decision.

However some of my friends who had always voted Labour and agreed there is a problem with Labour right now took the opposite approach and joined the Labour party so they could actively work to improve it, and I think that is a thing that they should be proud of doing, even though I also think they voted the wrong way.

yes, glad I voted Lib Dem, glad we went into full coalition. do I like everything the government is doing? no. do I think the Lib Dems need to be more vocal sometimes? yes, but they'll work out how to do it. That said, there is a lot of agreement, given that the Tory right have been sidelined (although am not happy about the sop to them re. immigration).

The Guardian's feature on the first 100 days of the coalition was interesting reading on its day-to-day functioning.

or are you all proud of yourselves now???

yes

the country is going to hell, except for the well off, thanks to this government

the country went to hell courtesy of the previous government

so is anyone going to admit they were wrong?

nope, because I do not believe I was

Oooh sethstarkaddersmum, you get a round of applause too.

I voted Tory and stand by my decision. Since they have been in they have done some things I have hated and some things I think are great.
It was the first time I had ever voted Tory and I would happily go back to voting Labour if they would sort themselves out. But the last government, by the end, were completely untrustworthy and devoid of integrity as well as f*cking up the economy.

lfn, Royal Mail part-privatisation was in the Lib Dem manifesto, but I think the plan now is to sell a controlling stake, isn't it?

I think it's too early to say if i was wrong - plus don't think labour left it all looking like roses, with loads of money in the coffers.

A bit like starting a cake and not doing it properly and then someone having to take over - can't tell straight away if it's going to be ok - cos it was such a mess to start with.

The UK has no money to start with when tories/lib dems took over - so no wonder they are cutting left right and centre. Surely we don't want to be ostriches about it?

Can I give longfingernails a round of applause please.

I voted for them and stand by my decision. No guts involved.