Lib Dems and Greens living in denial

[Notanidiot]

Do they seiously believe that doing better in the local elections last night means that

a) most people that switched to them agree with their national policy to remain in the EU and/or,

b) they will suddenly be a major force in the next General Election.

Instead the reality is that Labour and Tories are currently not worth voting for due to many issues including the Brexit debacle.

So as the vote was only about who runs the local council (hence the low turnouts) it didn't matter who people voted for as long as was not the Conservatives or Labour.

If a General Election happens the Greens and Lib Dems will still have a minimal amount of MPs. Especially when the Lib Dems have still not been forgiven for abetting the Conservatives for a little taste of power.

Nope! Given the choice, I'd have lib dems over Tory twats and labour eejits any day. All my days, it's been Tory and all they have done is destroy this country. In all honesty, we need a new, clean party that will listen to the people and so right by the people instead of robbing the poor to feed the rich.TM and her like can do one. Brexit? We were all fed lies. Revoke and move on. Simple as!!

Our council has lost it's long-held Tory control and now has more Lib Dem concillors than Tory, with Independents holding only 2 seats less than the Tories. It's a huge shift for these lifelong Tory voters to switch allegiances. My mum voted LD after voting Tory in every election for the past 50 years, because she has had enough of Brexit shambles and wanted to show her support for a pro-people's vote party. I suspect she is far from alone.

Lots of people say they would vote lib dem but are worried about wasting their vote and letting with Conservative or Labour in (depending on which one they hate most,) I hope that this time those people have the courage of their convictions and get behind them.

We.are forsaken if the brexit party does anything.

So I have often voted for those who don't stand a chance in my area accepting that the majority view wins however small that majority was.

Why can't the same apply to the referendum result?

I don't understand your question. Can what not apply to the referendum result?

This thread seems like a bit of a bizarre rant, tbh. What are the lib dems and greens in denial about?

Well done to the Lib Dem’s on seeing an opportunity and seizing upon it. I’m very pro-remain however, could never vote for them again after their lies about tuition fees.

I voted green because they are pro-remain and I agree with a lot of their national policies. Would have considered lib dem if they had fielded a candidate.

Have voted labour previously but no longer feel able to support them as they are sitting on the fence re Brexit.

Not sure yet who I'd vote for in a general election, but it would definitely be one of the pro-remain options.

Does anybody really get excited about local elections?

I only remembered at the last minute that there was one and went down to the polling station as we'd had no cards, no information in the post or the local paper. I searched a lot online, but found nothing at all apart from the people's names, the party they represented and generic fluff about their growing up and having gone to school in the town.

I thought the main point of local elections was that you could focus on outstanding individuals rather than choose which rosette colour you like best, but I appear to be mistaken. maybe I'm a dreamer, but although I can see the basic principles behind forming alliances and parties with other like-minded politicians at all levels, it all becomes a farce when people end up voting for a party, voting against a party, voting for the party that they hate less but which still might have a chance of gaining/retaining power, protest voting, spoiling ballots through sheer frustration at Hobson's choice etc.

Politicians are supposedly our employees, appointed to do the job of representing us. It would be like an employer sifting through a big sheaf of candidates' CVs and choosing people based solely on which school they happened to go to, completely disregarding any personal information, individual abilities, achievements, beliefs, interests or life experience. Actually, that probably does go on a lot (unless Eton just happens to have an exceptionally good rail link to Downing Street) - doesn't make it fair, right or sensible, though.

I don’t get the anger over tuition fees and Lib Dem’s.

They promised no fees if they got in government. They didn’t get in. They were in a coalition. With tories. Who wanted fees to go up.

Clegg apologised (unheard of in politics) that he could not keep his pledge.

Why blame them? Why not blame the tories?

Nick Clegg: says anything
Everyone: not listening, twat, won’t forgive you on tuition fees!

Vince Cable looked like he’d had the best day ever

Almost half the population voted against Brexit, it would be higher now.Tories and Labour have shown is glorious technicolour their true colours and how utterly shite they both are. So many people are sick of the status quo.The environment is incredibly worrying and Lib Dem’s are pro remain. Really don’t think either the Greens or Libdem are in any way deluded in thinking they’ll do well. Think it would be pretty idiotic for labour and conservatives not to be more than a little bit worried.

As an aside Vince if you put right tuituition fees, continue with the call for a people’s vote and pushed Green issues I’d vote for you. Ditched labour and voted Green this time.

I'm a Labour party member and I voted Lib Dem, because they are pro-Remain. We didn't have any Green candidates. I'm not having that 'voting for Labour shows you support the result of the referendum' bullshit again.

I'll vote Lib Dem until Labour back either revoke or a People's Vote. So probably when Corbyn goes.

I don’t think the local elections show much on a national scale vs a general election. They’ve always been used to give the sitting government a kicking.

If Labour got rid of Corbyn they’d take a huge step forward in getting voters back.

@ Whatswithtodaytoday - agree - nicely put!

I wasn’t going to vote Lib Dem in the Euro elections (and probably will waver towards Greens) - but @ Gluteustothemaximus you make a very valid point.

I think partly the vote was a protest against Conservative and Labour not being able to agree a form of Brexit that meant leave on March 29th, and partly the Lib Dems did seemingly well as these were seats last contested in 2015 where they did very badly.

Going back as far as the 1970s local results have been different from national ones.

I know three people who switched from Con/Lab to LD specifically because of Brexit, and two Lab who went Green for the same reason. Of course many will have voted solely on local matters.
I will vote CUK in the Euro elections as I do want to see a complete realignment in politics and despite having been a LD member in the past I don’t think it will be through them.
Con and Lab politicians who say the local election results mean they should get on with Brexit are spinning so wildly it’s a wonder their heads don’t fly off.

*So I have often voted for those who don't stand a chance in my area accepting that the majority view wins however small that majority was.

Why can't the same apply to the referendum result?*

Because it was a very narrow margin and the leave side having won promising a spectrum of outcomes spanning a softest of Brexit soft "Norway+" through to a LTB Brexit are yet to agree what Brexit should actually look like. Let alone articulate it and create a workable solution that can be negotiated with the remaining EU countries.

If the pro leave groups said Brexit is x,y & z and the ballot accurately reflected that position and the referendum had returned a majority in favour I would have respected that result. All we have had so far is Brexit is Brexit, Red White Blue Brexit, Brexit means Brexit and it is the peoples will Brexit. None of which actually explains where it sits on the spectrum of outcomes so it is not as binary as some lobby groups would have you believe.

Less than 30% turn out? Come back when is 90%

Where's the tirade of vitriol?

I would only vote for green or Lib Dem in a general election now. I've always voted Tory up to now.

You're in denial, Jeremy
Lots of your Remain voters switched to Remain parties

Same will happen in the European Parliament elections
and that General Election you are so eager for.

Do Tory and Labour voters really think voters will be turning out in their droves to vote for either in an election.

What is the incentive? Racism, inability to govern, no leadership, no agreement on a Brexit there was no agreement on the how in the first place, historic crap performance, arrogance, the running down of education and the NHS.......

I voted libdem because I agree with them over Europe (no Brexit!). They didn't win here but labour have a stranglehold, all but one seat on the council

no one knows exactly what it was a verdict on.

however, since the last election result was seen as a massive thumbs up for brexit, i see no reason to not interpret this as a massive thumbs down.

So most voters in the local elections voted to punish the various parties or side with the views of others regarding their stance on Brexit, if this thread is anything to go by.

I'd rather have the party in place in my area that is going to make sure the place runs smoothly, the bins are emptied and so on and so forth.

I really can't see what that's got to do with Brexit.

no, we dont know what the reasons con/lab lost and remain parties made huge gains, do we?

but one thing i wouldnt say was that 'it was a clear message to push on with brexit' which is what tmay and corbyn both said.

If Brexit makes the country less prosperous - which every projection confirms - it will have a knock on effect on local Government, which is already struggling.