WWYD if you were Nick Clegg?

[FrakkinTheReturningOfficer]

Seeing as Cleggy is likely to be the chap practically deciding the outcome of this, WWYD in his position?

I would probably align with Labour on the condition we had a referendum on election reform and push to dissolve Parliament for a new election as soon as that passed....

Take a look at the 2005 results here Labour people. How can you be so smug? The system is so so skewed in favour of Labour it's not true! If the system wasn't corrupt and skewed towards Labour inner city seats the Conservative would have an easy overall majority.

I'm not sure if I'm addressing the right thread actually, but the point still stands. The contrast is palpable and an indictment of the current system.

Nope, it's just a function of the fact that people move around and it takes the Boundary Commission a while to catch up. And no-one forces the Tories to have massive majorities in their safest seats.

(And that the biggest concentrations of populations are, um, in the cities, which is hardly a blinding revelation to anyone.)

If I were Nick Clegg, I'd turn off my mobile and pager, unplug my house phone and have 12 hours unbroken shut-eye.

Then I'd start to think about what to do!

I think the seat distribution should reflect the fact that the concentrated populations in the cities are all likely to have the same issues and vote the same way - therefore some of them should be amalgamated. There should be some acknowledgement of geographical size as well. My constituency is geographically absolutely massive. Remote rural areas are lumped together with an entire city. It's ridiculous that it equates to only one parliamentary seat.

You forgot to add a wink on the end of that point about everyone in the city voting the same way, Gaelic...

Lots of places are lumped in with other places to make up enough people for one constituency. In West Yorks, Denby Dale has nothing in common with Dewsbury. In Hertfordshire, Harpenden has no links with Hitchin. You can make the same point about many other places.

I'd let hamboy lead a minority gov, watch him make a hash of it and wait for a quick repeat general election.

Either let Cameron lead a minority (failure) Government or tell Cameron if he doesn't give a referendum on PR and Cable as Chancellor I will form a coalition Government with labour and Brown as PM i.e. Cameron's worst nightmare... Doubt Clegg would have any intention of this and Cameron might call the bluff but he'd still only be left with a minority government.

If Clegg aligns with labour he backs down on his principles and risks voter support. If he aligns with the Tories he risks voter support. He is really in a no win unless he negotiates a powerful alliance with Cable as chancellor or gets the knock back from Cameron.

Have you ever looked at the demographics within inner city areas gs? Many areas have ultra posh side by side with ultra poor. Their issues are very different (generally). It is crap that some areas are so orientated one way that if you feel differently you might as well throw your vote in the bin, but that's as true for rural as urban areas (just a different party holds the seat for generations). But that's the argument for PR.

I'm actually feeling really sorry for him! Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

But then no-one can know what the priority of the LDs is, other than 'the national interest' which could mean anything you want. If their priority is electoral reform Lablur say they'll give them that so I'd push for a Lib-Lab just to get that done and nothing else major. They're unlikely bedfellows but it depends exactly what the differences are.

If they're willing to accept just a committee for electoral reform and will work on the points of similarity they do have with the Conservatives then that's what they should do, but that means they won't get electoral reform in this term, whereas they could push it through under Labour.

Consensus Govt isn't a bad thing!

Agree nooka and Frakkin.

But I think NC is REALLY risking splitting his party and/or setting Labour up nicely for the next election. It reads like this....LD support Tories who have to do the nasty austerity measures. Labour sits back and attracts the centre left LD supporters at next election with their new attractive leader and gets back in with a majority on the same old voting system because the Tories conned LD and kicked PR into the long grass.

The LDs would be out of there well before that if PR wasn't happening, though.

Yes, but NC would have consumed much political capital and it would look ugly for him and the LDs

The party itself won't be split on it. He might lose some voter support, but then the LDs always were going to lose support on the introduction of PR anyway.

and he could easily gain some support, too. A fair few people vote Tory who would rather vote LD, and if they see them playing a constructive role then I think that'll help.

I mean how can he do PR with a (centre right) party who doesnt want PR when you are a left party. It will not happen, more I think of it.

They might split. Some liberals are liberal conservatives/conservative liberals (whichever way it goes....), some are very Lefty. It could split the party if NC takes them to the Tories and there's a core of Lefty Lefties who aren't happy about that AT ALL.

Likewise if he takes them to Labour and some people feel he's selling them out. There's already a FB group for 'we don't want a Tory deal' or similar....

It'll happen.

Means Labour will win the next elections and NC will go down as the man who split the party...possible as NC's mentor was a Tory and they tried to recruit him....but I can't see that he would want to be the man who finished the LIb Dems in this fashion

He can't commit to delivering PR with either side. DC has offered a cross party commmittee to inquire into electoral reform which doesn't necessarily mean PR and even if it does there's more than one type of PR.

He can push for electoral reform but he either supports the Tories and hope that they can sort the country out so we're in a position to talk about electoral reform or he says nothing and let's the Tories try or he forms an anti-conservative alliance where electoral reform is a possibility but Labour have been takling since '97...

If I were Labour I'd be stepping away and rubbing my hands with glee.

The Conservatives have to pick up the mess, they're a weak govt and they can't do anything contraversial.

I'd dispatch GB, elect a new (more charismatic) leader, thoroughly review my policies and come out strong for the next election saying 'we gave you what you seemed to want, the Tories, we got rid of GB, we're the better option'.

Maybe we need a WWYD if you were DC or GB thread?!

All of this is just paving the way for labour to return within a year or so.A mess.No self respecting liberal wold entertain an alliance with the tories.It shows the state of the country tbh

noddyholder, but self-respecting liberals believe in PR, which usually involves entering into agreements. And there's no rule that it has to be with Labour.

True but he is better off with a centre left party that is actually committed to driving PR (if only recently) and isnt threatened by it ?