My DW wants to know why Nick Clegg is attracting female votes: She just does not get it.

[BeenBeta]

My DW has asked me to post this as she is very interested in politics and often asks what the MN vote is thinking. She is not a party worker or candidate but just interested.

It is said that Nick Clegg is bringing young people, public sector workers and women over to Lib Dem from Labour.

DW is neither young nor public sector but want to know why as a woman she should be swayed.

He's more shaggable than the others

Because he evidently treats his wife as a person in her own right rather than as an electoral asset, and he dissed SWMNBN?

He doesn't do anything for me.

Nor do the other two.

Never judge a book by its cover, as they say. I would not vote for any of them based on their looks.

Because she's convinced by his arguments and policies? Same reason anyone, male or female, should be swayed towards any party.

Without knowing anything about your wife other than that she is female, married and neither young nor a public sector worker I couldn't venture to suggest whether any Liberal Democrat policies in particular would be likely to appeal.

ISTR that historically the central "third party" has appealed more to female than to male voters, but I can't remember where I saw those figures quoted and it may be wholly innaccurate. And if true I have no particular idea why it should be so.

I honestly have no idea BB, he's not convinced me.
I assume it's the "third party" thing, can't bring yourself to vote Con and fed up to the back teeth with Lab.

Because if you view the TV debates as a game of shag marry die, you would

well, I would, given the alternatives

Cameron has a face like cling-film covering a ball of coffee blancmange.

Because women are more likely on average to be poor, and those who are fed up with Labour & poor are less likely to want a change to the Conservatives? Just a guess.

Or - another guess - because women are more risk averse (because of being on average poorer and tending to have more responsibility for dependents) and therefore are looking for a 'safe option' and see the lib dems as having a more convincing economic policy?

Cameron looks like Henry

I can't decide if Nick Clegg looks like Percy or not

And Gordon Brown is James

Louis Theroux was Nick Clegg's fag apparently.

I've always swayed between Labour and LibDem, so I've naturally been interested to hear what Nick Clegg has to say, anyhow, but last Thursday I saw a man who tries to engage with his audience and as well as appearing to be very intelligent, seems to treat his audience as if they're capable of critical thought, too.

Oh, and I definitely would

He does nothing for me. Very average, middle-managerish.

Are there any female prominent lib dems? Thinking hard, but none come to mind . . .

Sadly as I'm in a 2 way Cons/Lab marginal I'm not going to vote LD or Plaid - otherwise would be choosing between the two, though not (luckily for Plaid) on physical attractiveness.

LOL at IndigoSky's post. (I spend my days in the island of Sodor mind)

I've read that women are supposed to be more influenced by family issues in their voting choices, and so it might be that the LibDems appear to be more family friendly than the other parties.

Having said this, I'm rather dubious about 'women' as a group (or 'men' as a group) voting in any particular way.

Takver - Sarah Teather is a quite prominent female LibDem?

True - in fact have just had a look at their current 'front bench' team and there are 5 women (here though none of them are in what you could call top jobs. I'm quite unimpressed - I would have expected better (and I note that Lorely Burt is described as 'chairman' of the parliamentary party).

Well, there are women who prefer to be called 'chairman' rather than 'chairwoman' or 'chair' - may be her personal preference.

Fair enough - but as a voter it doesn't inspire me with confidence (and in other circs I might be a potential convert).

We shouldn't worry our little heads about policies - he has all his hair, lips (unlike DC) and appears to be the tallest of the party leaders. That's all you need

I think it's all subliminal.

NC talks a lot about co-operation, more discussion and less confrontation. These are very female ways of approaching decision making. Maybe women are feeling that he will offer a change of style.

I don't think for a minute that any of this rhetoric would last long if he actually got behind the Prime Ministerial dispatch box. He would be as keen as any other PM to push through as much of his own party's legislation as possible.

Coolfonz. No, swampie,David is handsome and I bet he's ten times better looking than you! he's got lots of girly fans, unlike you!

Buddah> He's not taller than Cameron, both public schoolboys, but Cameron is far nicer.

I'm a big Nick Clegg fan, but it's certainly not a sexual thing. He's palpably honest and expresses who he is, rather than what a machine politician should be.

I prefer his manner and the way he does business. In the same way, I way prefer Evan Davis and Justin Webb on the Today programme to John Humphreys.

I'm sure he would want to push through his party's programme but that it what we vote for. You can push through your programme in a positive way. You don't need continual confrontation. I think it's genuine with him. It's how he is.

And yes, I love the way that Miriam refuses to be pushed around. I like the way they clearly share parenting, which is what the rest of us do.