LibDems holding balance of power 'would lock Murdoch out of UK politics'

[policywonk]

If you need another reason to hope for a hung parliament

Someone posted a Times link yesterday about the Lib Dems which seemed a bit twisted-knickers for the Times, they're usually quite sensible. That's a bit odd, I thought.

Then I suddenly realised how absolutely hopping mad Rupert Murdoch must be about this. He spends years manipulating and haranguing Lab/Cons to forward his agenda. Looks all set up to have Cameron come into power, with his sights set on buggering up the BBC and removing the broadcasting bias regulations (so we can have our very own Fox News, yay ).... only to find one TV debate puts the bloody LDs ahead in the polls!

A bit worrying the next debate is on Sky News: 'we have no idea how the itching powder got on NC's podium/why there was laxative in his water bottle/how he got the rubber microphone...'

LOL 'rubber microphone'. That's interesting about the Times.

This is all so brilliantly through-the-looking-glass, I keep hugging myself

Nick Clegg looks more appealing by the minute.

I'm with you on that, Orm.

And then there's this memo by Tory lobbyist Peter Bingle saying that this is 'the most inept Tory campaign in living memory' and 'If David Cameron does not become PM on 6/7th May the electoral system will be changed. The first past the post system will be abolished and there will not be a Tory government for a very long time if ever again. Perhaps John Major will go down in history as the last Tory PM.'

(Please don't burst my bubble)

I read this over my morning muesli and snorted

Guardian - check
Muesli - check

How's the beard?

generally I shave it first thing on a monday

I'm at the point that I am going to weep if it's not a hung parliament.

Do you think PR would mean a more dispersed political base, thus leading to a situation where someone like Murdoch will find it v. difficult to infuence the political agenda?

That would be utterly, utterly fantastic.

[animula hugs self, and dreams]

snort @ muesli.

Yes, I know what you mean about weeping.

I honestly don't know. At the moment, presumably, the Murdochs are on the back foot as they weren't expecting this (no-one was expecting this). If Clegg actually ends up with some power - would the LibDems be able to resist the lure of Voldemort in a way that neither Labour nor the Tories have managed - I just don't know. I guess the LibDems would be in a position to say 'we got here without help from Murdoch, so why should we court him now'. But OTOH Murdoch is a wily old fox.

That David Yelland article is fascinating.

Heathen, was the Times' twisted-knickers article Camilla Cavendish's pathetic "this isn't terribly grown-up"?

...missed that vesela!

Was talking about the one, 'If there's a hung parliament, we're all going to DIEEEEEEE!!!'

If this is an 'inept' Tory campign, I'd hate to be up against a good one...

Our constituency is one of the tightest Lib Dem/Tory fights in the country, I'm helping out with the LD campaign. And you can clearly tell which party has the cash to flash - they've got posters, placards, glossy mailings, the lot. DH got yet another shiny leaflet today (I seem to have been dropped from their mailing list ) through the post. THE POST! Ours are crappy newsprint, and do you have any idea how far I've walked delivering them?!

Still maybe expensive =/= effective. Hopefully.

Luckily we can rely on the Telegraph to keep a stiff upper lip:

Hung Parliament - markets say "so what?"

Good link vesela, thanks

I nevy you heathen - I'd love to be in the middle of a Tory marginal fight! True blue country round here, and not an election leaflet in sight.

I nevy you? I envy you

I'm feeling more optimistic by the second. It's an odd sensation.

Makes tactical voting tricky though. I think I still need to vote Labour but I'm no longer quite so sure.

all the best to your blisters, heathen. I'd be doing the same if I were in the UK. It all comes down to pairs of legs for the LDs in the end, doesn't it?

Zeph, you need this site

I'm quite excited about voting Lib Dem for the first time.

Unfortunately it won't be the revolution i'd like it to be as we already live in a strong Lib Dem seat.

Bugger. Bugger. Bugger.

Trouble is that this isn't a presidential election. We don't vote for Clegg, Cameron or Brown we vote for a local MP and some of them leave a lot to be desired. Rock and a hard place sitution in my constituency. A sitting Tory MP that was implicated in the expenses scandal but still managed to get selected as the parliamentary candidate... Second-best a Lib Dem candidate who has been exposed as a bare-faced liar in his 'what I've done for the community' leaflets. And no-one around here is going to vote Labour come hell or high water.

Cable has National Holy Man status but pretty-boy Clegg's got to do a lot more than take easy pot-shots at the big two to win the day. When Paxman and the rest start exploring the Lib Dem strategy towards Europe it will be especially interesting.

Most of my favourite MPs are LibDems, as it goes - Norman Baker, Evan Harris spring to mind.

As a scientist who used to live in Evan's constituency, i think he's awesome... but I can see how those of the 'woo' persuasion might disagree on that!

I have a suspicion the viewing figures will be lower for the next debate, d'you think? Firstly, it's on Sky, and secondly it's about foreign policy etc, isn't it? I'm assuming the Daily Mail contingent aren't that bothered about foreign policy, and that's why it only prints about half a page of foreign news...

the viewing figures will prob. be low, but the Tories/Labour/Murdoch media/rest of the crew will be trying to use the soundbites that come out of it any which way they can the next day to portray Clegg as deranged!