to think that Nick Clegg is deluding himself about his party ever being taken seriously ever again?

[macthecatsmum]

Saw him on the news at the conference. Really? Is it just me or has he totally shot himself and his party in the foot by his rolling over to the Conservatives?

It's going to take them a long, long time to regain all the support they've lost because of this. Decades even, IMHO.

Every single policy I thought was important enough to vote Lib Dems for they've ditched/u-turned on. But then, don't they all?

I'm not sure.

Lib dems have always been the third party by a long long way. To actually have an influence in government rather than opposition must be an advantageous in some ways, surely?

YANBU. I think the Lib Dems have betrayed everyone who voted for them.

But why have they betrayed everyone? (Apart from university fees-I get that).

I mistakenly believed they had more self respect than to align themselves with the Tories.

But they would have aligned themselves to Labour if it suited them. That was the only way they could actually be part of the government. Or am I missing something fundamental?

If they'd wanted to get all their own policies through, they needed to have won the election.

I think by being in a coalition with the Tories, they've managed to mitigate some of the Tory policies.

Yanbu

Dp and I were saying just who does he think will vote for him.

A lot of the previous voters he lied too won't.
Students won't.
The less well off will vote labour.
The rich will vote Tory.
He's made it clear he hates SAHMs so that's them gone.
After CB and today's news he wants to tax the £50-60k bracket more that's the £50k upwards group gone.
Shouldn't think public sector workers would.

Isn't he slightly arrogant thinking he's going to be playing a big part or any part at all in the next gov?

I think the Liberals poll rating will begin to recover and given that the majority of Lib Dem MPs are in seats where the Conservatives are in second they are very likely to hold them as the Eastleigh byelection result suggested.

As for what you think of them I think they have done the only thing they could do really given the electoral arithmetic and the situation that the country is currently in. They've got a lot of their policies through which is a good achievement considering the fiscal constraints the Government is under at the moment. The problem they have is that many seem to view them as Labour-lite when have returned to an ideological position which is more in line with classical liberalism. Although most people only take superficial interest in politics and so hadn't really noticed this prior to the election.

Also....I am impressed by Danny Alexander, Menzies Campbell and Vince Cable who have had a chance to actually have a voice, instead of the derisory very much third party, in the Government.

I don't follow it closely, there are probably others I've missed.

They are a kind of non-party really.

Why? Because they hold the balance of power and can swing either way but will always be the minority party in government. So their election 'pledges' are meaningless as, once in government they will be neutered by the dominant party. And if they cannot hope to fulfill them their policies are also meaningless.

They used to have some pretty lofty ambitions about reforming the electoral system towards something more democratic but this seems to have drifted off the radar now they have some 'power' (albeit chimeric).

What's most annoying really is that so-called liberals who are meant to take a pretty egalitarian approach to things (rather than aligning themselves with the working class and the left, or the upper classes and the right) have facilitated the arrogant stubborn and mostly misguided policies of a bunch of overgrown public schoolboys.

And unfortunately these boys think they have the right to run a country based on no experience, no academic or pragmatic understanding of economics, no conception of what 'hard working families' - their buzz-phrase - actually are.

We have the Lib-Dems to thank for that. And no, they don't have any credibility any more.

Interesting Shape - so you think, because they have had a spell in government, and been ineffectual, that this has scuppered their chances of being taken seriously ever again?

He's a joke and a twat into the bargain.

expat nice debating skill there!

He's a joke, twat and liar.

I'm with Expat

I was itching to start a thread about this the other day after reading the coverage of the Lib Dem conference. I think they are delusional.
I voted Lib Dem for nearly 15 years and like many of those that voted regarded them as a party who strongly believed in social justice.

It was bad enough they got into bed with the Tories and but they appear to have basically sat there doing god knows what whilst Cameron et al have a good go at dismantling the Welfare State and creating a poisionous atmosphere where anyone on benefts is part of the undeserving poor. It is hideous.

I don't care if Nick Clegg bleats on now about free school meals it's like fiddling whilst Rome burns.
I also don't care if they feel if they have a voice because quite frankly you can't hear it over the crowing of a Tory government who are lurching further to the right to counter the UKIP threat.
I know a few minor Lib Dem politicos and believe me their principles went out the window when they got a sniff of power.

Everyone is copping out saying he is a 'twat' 'liar' etc.

Why is he?

Don't just spout abuse about him. I would like to know why.

I can't think of a single reason why anybody would vote LD. They have already said they would be in coalition with whatever party wins the election. So what on earth is the point of voting for them.

......because some of their politicians are sound, decent politicians.

Of course I meant in the event of a hung parliament. He would go with the party with the most seats. It might be UKIP.

OK, Bowler, because he has gone back on nearly every promise he made during the election. That makes him a liar and IMO, liars are twats.

But expat what did he go back on, apart from uni fees?

I would agree with you that liars are twats.

Voting reform, too. 'apart from uni fees', yeah, reason enough. Lying, clueless, inherited rich twat. Never understood why anyone would vote for such an idiot.