Liberal Vision

24 types of authoritarians

Following in the footsteps of this.

Tags: 24 types of authoritarians, Conservatives, interventionists, nationalists, socialists

Achieving coalition with the Tories is a triumph for the so-called Orange Book tendency…

Recommended …. 

Telegraph article written by Mark Littlewood… (yes you know..once of this parish, now DG of the IEA)

In his article (which I wish I had penned btw) he basically argues that the formation of a Conservative-Liberal coalition government finally blows apart the idea that the Liberals are natural bedfellows of the Labour Party or some fictious centre-left “progressive alliance”.

Mark also identifies - as did we - the importance of David Laws in the formation of this coalition…. “From the Liberal Democrat perspective, achieving coalition with the Tories is a triumph for the party’s so-called Orange Book tendency of classical, market-orientated liberals. David Laws, who played a central role in the negotiations with the Conservatives, personifies this wing of the party“.

Hear hear.

Tags: coalition, Conservatives, IEA, Liberal Democrats, Mark Littlewood, orange book

The new progressive consensus..

… was identifed back in November 2007…

Above is an interview on GMTV from November 2007. Mark Littlewood (once of this parish) is being cross examined by Steve Richards (of slightly leftie Independent fame). Littlewood nails it on the blue-yellow coalition. He is now Director General of the IEA (Institute of Economic Affairs) , the original free market think tank. Looks like the IEA might again be ahead of the curve!

Tags: Chris Huhne, coaltion, Conservatives, election 2010, IEA, Instirute of Economic Affairs, Liberal Democrats, Mark Littlewood, Nick Clegg, progressive concensus, Progressive Vision

David Laws gets Education in cabinet

ok it’s still not confirmed - but source is quite good… Also heard that Danny Alexander to get Scotland . well which Tory would YOU put in the post?… and from another source Nick IS deputy prime minister…. A less committed source suggests Huhne might get Home Affairs - though that would be a huge leap of faith from the Tories. But who knows….

Tags: cabinet, Conservatives, David Laws, education, Liberal Democrats

Libs to get 6 seats in conservative cabinet!

Yes I know it sounds mad. But I have been told that the deal with the Conservatives has been sealed. It will be announced with in the hour. Liberals have SIX seats in the cabinet . Really? I know that sounds bonkers .. but SO BONKERS , from such a good source, it just might be true! After all I saw The PM resign and the Tories offer the Libs a referendum on electoral reform yesterday! Anything could be true.

Update: Looks, in fact, like 2 or 3 in the Cabinet, and 3 or 4 junior ministers. Plus - Brown to resign this evening.

Update: Source incommincado right now. So I am winging it now. I am guessing the dotting i’s and crossing t’2 taking longer than anticipated. Mp’s and Federal exec meeting not expected til 2030. But interestingly Buckingham Palace was expecting a visit tonight - and may still be.

Update: Brown off to see queen.

Update: Negotiating meeting broken up with an indication that agreement reached. Both teams off to talk to their respective parties.

Tags: 6 seats, brown resign, coalition, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats

The Lib Dems: dithering or duplicitous?

This is the first time in most of our life times that we are facing post-election coalition negotiations. It is therefore understandable - as this is new to everyone - that it will take a while to reach a conclusion.

BUT having watched unfolding events yesterday, and listened to various phone-ins this morning, it is clear that the country’s patience is running out. The Liberals are right on the cusp of screwing this up. If a definitive statement is not made in the next few HOURS (not days as some suggest) - then the Liberal’s standing with the electorate may be damaged for a decade - however good the final decision turns out to be.

Reports of the Lib Dems being in parallel talks with both Tories and Labour are not playing out well. Regardless of the facts of the matter, and in spite of statements to the contrary from Nick himself, this LOOKS, for all the world, as though the Liberals are putting party interests before those of the country. Trying to screw out a last few concessions from both parties by playing one party off against the other.

This is NOT the ”change” to politics that people signed up for. 

I know Nick, a little. I have no doubt that he is attempting to do “the right thing”. But perception is as important as fact. And the public perception is that self interest is being put first. 

Now comes the time for decisive leadership. He needs to get a grip and bring this thing to a close - and fast.

Having watched the tired old faces from Labour over the past 12 hours, trot out the Campbell-inspired lines on why a Lib/Lab/SNP/Plaid etc etc coalition is legitimate, I am more convinced than ever, that it is not. Even they don’t look very convinced as they mouth the words.

The Tories -the party with the strongest mandate as judged by the electorate - have moved a long way to accomodate the needs of the Liberals - and are sitting smugly on the moral high ground. The Liberals, in contrast, risk looking somewhere between dithering and duplicitous. Sorry that has to be said. 

So, Nick MUST act now. He has in my view has only one option - to go into full coalition with the Conservatives- step up to the plate - and get on with it.

The public will not forgive the Liberals for propping up a defunct Labour party, and a shambolic rag tag of nationalist and independent junior partners (each with a price tag attached to their support). An ugly looking alliance that has little chance of long term stability. Add to that the prospect of a Prime Minister that this country has no say in appointing or judging when they cast their vote for Labour last week and it just becomes an impossibility.

The only other option is to say - for all those demands for PR - that you can’t do a deal with either! One you cant agree with, the other one is too repugnant to contemplate. So you will sit at arms length from the least-worst, like a petulant child. If that is how you plan to sell PR to the public it’s a sorry one. You might as well give up on the idea of PR for good. 

So do a deal with the Conservatives  - take the full blown option - and do it now.

Tags: coaltion, Conservatives, Labour party, Nick Clegg

Is a referendum on AV enough?

At 5.32pm I asked whether the Liberal announcements this afternoon were “Calamity or canny politics” .

 Well it would seem that the moves by the Liberals did indeed enhance Cameron’s hand such that - regardless of all those Tory back bench MP’s comments through this the day about preferring a minority Tory government to a Lib/Con agreement - the Conservative parliamentary party are, following their meeting, now backing an offer of a referendum on AV to the Liberals. And fixed term parliaments - though I thought that was already on the table - perhaps not!

There are questions that remain to be answered… WHEN would the referendum be held (ie soon?) andwill they put the legislative process in place beforehand, such that IF the referendum is passed by the voters - it goes onto the statute book a week or two after…. No long grass….

But then just as I am about to hit “publish” …I get a call to say that the Labour party have now privately offered the Liberals legislation on AV anda referendum on PR. Aution-orama…

The Liberals have invited talks with the Labour party - and I suppose to turn around just 3 hours later and say “oh sorry guys we were just using you to get the Tories to the position  we needed” might not be diplomatic. So I guess an hour or two or talks is necessary to save face.

But the lib/lab alliance would NOT be stable…it cant work… and would be a disaster. It’s a small step from being canny to over-egging it . Get this sorted soon.. Tie up the loose ends…do the deal with the Tories…..4 days is enough and people are beginning to tire of it now.

Tags: AV, coaltion, Conservatives, hung Parliament, Liberal Democrats, PR

Calamity or canny politics?

What a game the Lib Dems appear to be playing.

My first thought was - its chaos and calamity. The decidedly “odd” David Laws press call, inside parliament rather than walking a few yards to address the hoards of cameras outside (and  reported bizarrely on the BBC over a mobile phone), where, for all the world it looked like Lib/Con talks were progressing nicely with, what seemed to be, a few tweaks to sort. The anouncement that the meeting with the MPs went well - with “clarification” needed on just a few issues….. Ok we may read that as Liberals want more than the Tories feel able to get past their own backbenchers….. but it all seemed …well, as though they were getting there (if slowly).

….Then the biggest car smash you can imagine – Nick Clegg is reported as saying that formal talks are now being opened with the the Labour party (though ongoing with the Tories)…. Gordon Brown confirming that Clegg had spoken to him… Brown resigning (though not just yet! - very Gordon Brown) to facilitate the option of a LibLab pact …markets crashing (OK I exagerate to make a point - I have not looked at the markets).  

WTF is going on.. How does David Laws lunchtime statement that the parliamentary party agrees that the over riding priority is to create a “strong and stable government”.. square with the notion of the Liberals going into a  hotch potch agreement of Lib/Labs/SNP/DUP/Plaid/greens etc ?

I admit it was a joy to watch this unfold on the news channels - quick quick get the fractious whinging Tory backbenchers off the screens (who cares what they think) and get some Labour big wigs in here now…

Now I have had my cup of tea and had a chance to ponder, I wonder if this is not calamity - but rather canny politics. Knowing that Cameron faces a difficult meeting with his MPs very shortly this evening- and knowing that many are gruntling on about “rather be in minority party than work with those damn yellow bellies thank you very much” …how brilliantly Clegg has strengthened Cameron’s hand in that meeting.  

Cameron can legitimately stand up and say “look guys we have waited in the wings for our chance to govern. It is within our grasp BUT you have to be willing to play nicely with the Liberals - if you wont then it’s very possible that you will miss your chance again”. Minority Tory government is not the only game in town any more. So the Liberals want a bit more give on political reform - is that such a hard price to pay? - as you watch a smug Alistair Campbell already rehearsing Nick’s justification for a Lib Lab pact…. That may make the Conservatives think twice on their discussion with Cameron tonight.

And its just possible I suppose that Cameron knew of this turn of events - maybe even condoned it..Hell maybe even thought it up? Anything is possible on this odd day…

And IF this is not a clever ruse….Are they serious that whilst we struggle to get out of this recession and sort out public spending etc - the senior coalition partner in this “progressive” Lib/Lab government will have the top five or six of its portfolio-handling ministers all scrapping over a leadership battle? Come on guys…

I am left wondering what all of those voters out there think of all of this. It looks for all the world like the politicians are still putting their small petty interests ahead of the public’s - whatever they say - and goodness knows what the markets will make of  this turn of events. I want to go and lie down in a dark room til this is over.

Tags: AV, coalition, Conservatives, Labour, Lib/Lab pact, Liberal Democrats, PR

I didn’t vote Lib Dem to get a Tory government…

Ha. That’ll have the tweeters wondering what on earth is going on over in LV land!

No I have not gone mad. I am quoting what I have heard on phone-ins/read on various blogs over last 24 hours or so. IF I am to believe some posts, thousands, indeed “hundreds of thousands” are about to walk away from the Lib Dems because “they didn’t vote Lib Dem to get a Tory government”.

I found it a bit annoying when I first heard it - but as this sentiment seems to be spreading - I am getting increasingly irritated by it. In part it’s because I hate that sort of post-event whinging ( “I didn’t get what I wanted so I will throw my toys out of the pram”) but there are more specific reasons why it’s getting under my skin…..

1.     No one voted to get a Tory government. People voted to elect their constituency  MP (or indeed to stop a constituency MP) and hoped that others across the country would vote similarly (the only way to “stop” a Tory (or indeed Labour) government). That worked in some area’s - which is why there are fewer Tory MP’s than anyone expected. Even if “voting Lib Dem” in one area did stop a Tory, clearly not enough people in enough areas did the same - hence the situation we are in. The idea that one vote for one local MP would somehow stop a whole government is laughable.

 

2.    This seems to throw the blame onto the Lib Dems when the blame (if that is the right word - which it probably isn’t) sits with the voters. If this nation really cared about stopping the Tories (or indeed Labour) more people would have voted Lib Dem. That would have given Nick a much stronger negotiating position to choose who to talk to and on what terms. Just because Mrs Miggins voted Lib Dem to stop the local Tory, does not mean that Mrs Miggins view out trumps the nations view. And whilst she and those like her might whinge now, they have to look at themselves frankly and ask whether, if they cared that much, they could have done more. Goodness knows I think Nick did his bit.

 

3.    Actually the Lib Dems HAVE STOPPED a Tory government - or at least stopped such a strong Tory government that they can ride rough-shod over everyone. Had the Tories taken the Lib Dem seats they targeted we would already have Mr Cameron at No 10. As we stand here now, it is likely/possible that the Lib Dems have the ability to be a balancing item on Tory legislation. And even if a coalition doesn’t happen the Tory party will have to listen to its own backbenchers much more than the previous regime - and indeed listen to the Lib Dems- that’s in part a result of people voting Lib Dem.

 

4.    Perhaps most importantly it’s annoying because Nick Clegg could not have been clearer, throughout the general election, that the Lib Dems would not decide who to talk to in the event of a hung parliament - he would NOT be kingmaker. It would be the people who would dictate it by virtue of which party  had the largest mandate. It is demonstrably clear that the Tories have the most seats and the largest vote share. In these circumstances, had Nick decided to ignore the Tories, I think the country would have rightly been outraged that Nick had gone back on his word. Where were these people-  who are now complaining that they did not vote Lib Dem to get a Tory government - during the last 4 weeks? Integrity matters - and like the outcome we find ourselves in or not (mainly “not”)- Nick has shown to be a man of integrity - and that counts for a lot these days.

 

Now of course the proof is in the pudding. Can the Lib Dem negotiators extract enough ground across its 4 key manifesto pledges to feel that their position is honourable (and right for the country let’s not forget!) - accepting of course it’s relative position in the situation (more people voted for Tory policies than Lib Dem policies).

 

If the Tories are not willing to concede sufficient ground to allow the Lib Dem’s to feel their position with their voters is honourable, then I suspect that they won’t go into full coalition - but sit back and allow a minority Tory party to govern as best it can.   (I remain convinced that the idea of a Lib/Lab/nationalist/green uncle tom cobbley and all coalition is for the fairies).

 

But to read/listen to people moaning at this stage because Nick is attempting to find a workable solution with the Tories is nothing short of ridiculous.

Tags: coalition, Con/Lib, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg

Excuse me but WHO are the scaremongers?

Its been widely reported today that the Tories have set up a website -

www.stopthescaremongering.com

- which they are encouraging voters to visit. They want people to demand an apology for what they call a “sick” Labour leaflet warning that the Tories would damage provision for cancer sufferers.

Sorry - but wasn’t it the Tories who were trying to terrify the country witless a couple of weeks ago that anything other than a huge Tory majority at the General Election would have the £ tumbling and the city in meltdown. Now thats proper scaremongering if you ask me.

At the Tory website there is a predrafted lettter you can send to Mr Burnham. I’ve adjusted it somewhat……

Dear Mr Burnham Cameron

I’m appalled by the way the Labour Conservative Party has tried to exploit cancer sufferers everyones fear about the state of the economy.

It is completely unacceptable to scare them with false claims about what the Conservative party democracy would do.

This kind of scaremongering has no place in British politics, and I trust you will be apologising for it without delay.

I would be grateful if you could also confirm that you will stop these postcards being distributed to anybody else, and that you will be apologising to every person who received this scaremongering postcard  heard your scaremongering statements.

I look forward to hearing from you at the earliest opportunity.

Tags: Conservatives, scaremongering, Tories