Why are so many LibDems homophobic?

Tim Farron isn't homophobic. He like many others voted down early proposals for same sex marriage because they felt they didn't go far enough, not because they didn't agree with the concept.

I don't think it's accurate to assume that someone against SSM is homophobic anyway. There are a number of different reasons people think that, it's not even that unheard of for homosexual people to take that view.

It's another example of a very tick-box approach to politics and policy ideas.

It really annoys me that she has appropriated the phrase girlyswot, she is so ungirlyswotlike.

I saw a tweet saying the reason they disliked her was because she acted like a headgirl telling everyone what to think cos she knew better than anyone else but it was obvious to everyone else that she hadn't got the foggiest what she was on about.

It does strike me that she has no idea what she's talking about in any depth. About anything.

Given that I have a particular dislike for this in male MPs, the whole 'girly swat' thing I fine painful to watch.

It's more like she stole the notes of another kid and is trying to pass it off as her own work despite having less than 5 minutes to read it and understand it. And it shows.

Actually 1997 was seen as a breakthrough year as the party significantly increased its number of MPs through carefully selecting only winnable seats to fight with their limited resources.

In 2010 Clegg was popular in the polls but the 30-plus percent didn’t translate into seats won thanks to the UKs odd electoral arithmetic and the party did much less well than it should have.

In the first post-coalition election the party were utterly shafted and came 4th or 5th in many seats. Why vote ToryLite when you could just vote Tory?

One of the biggest Lib Dem problems is that talent is spread extremely thin. There is no natural Lib Dem vote, it has to be constantly fought for. Also many experienced activists quit during the coalition years. (Including myself).

Charles Kennedy was my MP many years ago when I lived in Scotland. He was a good constituency MP and it's such a pity his life ended the way it did.

I'd forgotten about Charles Kennedy. Sad story. He would have been 60 today. Four years since he died.

I think the party just attracts really aggressive people (maybe they can’t get on with the people in the mainstream parties or something). I used to live in an area where they were very aggressive. They were constantly putting up fake road signs and knocking at the door at unsociable times (by canvassing standards) demanding to speak to you (or rather at you).

Is that accurate?

Not completely.

The Lib Dems saw a steady rise in the number of their MPs during the Charles Kennedy era, but lost MPs under Nick Clegg in 2010 even before they went into coalition. Also, a Lib-Lab coalition was never viable in 2010 as they would have been well short of a majority.

I worked for a vicar - he was looking forward to performing a gay marriage when they were approved.

He may have his own brand of liberal Christianity but its perfectly possible to state what the bible says about gay people and not actually hate gay people yourself

If you believe what the bible says then you would NOT hate gay people. No where in the bible does it say you should hate gay people. It is always ‘hate the sin but love the sinner’ with the ‘sin’ being gay sex. Another ‘sin’ being ‘taking the Lords name in vain’; something that is so constant it even has been reduced to initials ‘OMG’. But in either case, it relies on a belief system that if someone does not have then how can you condemn them? A bit like using the wrong pronouns.

Gasp0de, yes that's my recollection too.

Jo Swinson is a liability. Julie Bindel made me laugh today on Twitter. She said If Swinson had any fewer brain cells she'd have 2 b watered twice a day.

Great description.
It really annoys me that she has appropriated the phrase girlyswot, she is so ungirlyswotlike.

It's Lady Hale's.

I understand that the LibDems did try to negotiate a coalition with Labour but didn't succeed, the main point being no voting reform discussion.

My memory of recent LibDem performance is:
1997: Labour win election, LibDems nowhere - repeated in 2001 and 2005
Blair resigns, Brown becomes PM, worldwide economic crash, Labour popularity plummets
Run up to 2010 election: sudden huge resurgence of LibDems under Nick Clegg, big increase in seats won
No overall majority for Labour, ditto for Tories - Clegg inexplicably declines to go into coalition with Labour and throws in his lot with Tories - austerity, tuition fees tripled etc etc
2015 and 2017 elections - LibDems do disastrously

Is that accurate?

Jo Swinson is a liability. Julie Bindel made me laugh today on Twitter. She said If Swinson had any fewer brain cells she'd have 2 b watered twice a day.

Tim Farron isn't homophobic.

He like many others voted down early proposals for same sex marriage because they felt they didn't go far enough, not because they didn't agree with the concept.

It's like accusing Jacob Rees Mogg of being a remainer because he's voted down some Brexit deals.

This is the problem of snapshot/soundbite politics and an over reliance on They Work For You without being able to exercise critical thinking.

He may have his own brand of liberal Christianity but its perfectly possible to state what the bible says about gay people and not actually hate gay people yourself. Surely that's the very basis of liberalism?

The Lib Dem's DO have a massive problem with understanding that liberalism applies to everyone and not just they people they feel worthy and have been regulatory captured by.

They DO have massive issues with critical thinking.

They DO have massive issues with their attitudes to women.

I don't think JS is intentionally homophobic though. Just a bit thick.

Sorry, my post is as clear as mud. Wish MN had an edit function.

To try to clarify, my constituency is an extremely safe Conservative seat. In most elections their majority is around 15000.
In 2010 their majority was reduced, by a very strong Lib Dem performance, to 5000.

I don't think it's correct to say that they lost huge swathes of support in the 2010 election?
In my constituency that year reduced an average Tory majority of ca. 15000 to just 5000. It was that coalition that did for them but IMO they were at the peak of their popularity for the 2010 vote.

Jo Swinson's offensive remarks were made on the Marr Show yesterday.

twitter.com/VictoriaPeckham/status/1198569343606566913?s=20

Here at 52 mins aprox @joswinson compares a lesbian entering a women's refuge as a risk comparable with someone who is biologically male. I'm not sure she grasps why women need the Equality Act. Janice Turner of The Times on Twitter.

That Ben Matthias story is www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2019/11/24/hackney-north-lib-dem-candidate-dropped-clearly-offensive-tweets/

I live in this constituency and was weighing up voting LD for remain reasons - would have been so hard to tick the box knowing their self ID position. But this guy and Jo Swindon's lesbian/DV refuge shite yesterday made up my mind. I just can't.

So now officially I have no one to vote for.

Melroses

Massive fucking facepalm 🤦🏻‍♀️, I got the dates mixed up of the coalition government. That’s what happens when you have eleventy billion elections and referendums in a relatively short period of time!

Worth noting the way they trans the wives of lesbians straight without their knowledge or consent via plans to scrap GRA spousal veto. Overnight women can go from being in a lesbian marriage with a woman to a straight marriage with a man. That's one way to tackle homophobia eh? makemorenoisemanc.wixsite.com/mysite/post/trans-widows-and-the-spousal-veto-a-modern-fable-of-male-entitlement

Jo Swinson said what?! Do you have a link to any quotes/articles?

The Lib Dem’s have always been a part of assorted weirdos (plus plenty of perverts). Small party, entrism etc
This is so true. My late DM was a Liberal (then LibDem) activist from 1960s onwards. She always bemoaned the fact it attracted oddballs, and they weren't discouraged by the party, because they were always keen to get more members.