UK Politics: Post-May Edition

[Pebble thats Stubby]

Tim Farron has just resigned as leader of the Lib Dems.  http://www.libdems.org.uk/liberal-democrat-leader-tim-farron-resigns

 

His reasons for doing so I find so heart breaking.

 

 

I predict Vince Cable to be the next leader.

 

 

[Hereward]

I'm pretty sure it will be Jo Swinson.

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

After tony Blair I'm happy to disregard anyone with any strong religious beliefs from politics. I didn't really like Farron and while he might have pulled lib dems back from the brink a little, their hard left position has been filled by Corbyn and all they really stood for this election was trying to undo the Brexit vote. 

[Liffguard]

13 minutes ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

 their hard left position

Uh, really? Hard left?

[williamjm]

33 minutes ago, Pebble said:

Tim Farron has just resigned as leader of the Lib Dems.  http://www.libdems.org.uk/liberal-democrat-leader-tim-farron-resigns

I did wonder if that might happen. The BBC have some maps on their website showing where parties gained and lost votes and it's noticeable that while the Lib Dems may have gained voted through many part of Southern England and some parts of Scotland they also lost votes (as well as all but one seat) in the north of England and Wales. Considering how badly they did in 2015 going backwards in so many constituencies didn't suggest they were really making enough progress. There were enough positives that he could have tried to stay on, but it's not too surprising he did resign.

[Werthead]

1 hour ago, Pebble said:

I predict Vince Cable to be the next leader.

The Vince That Was Promised?

Quote

Christ, I miss John Major. And that's a sentence I would never have thought I'd have uttered. Now, I hate myself.

I reached the conclusion some time ago that he might have been, overall, the best (or least worst) Prime Minister of my lifetime (which is about 4 months longer than Thatcher becoming PM; I had no strong feelings about Callaghan one way or the other). Then I realise that #2 would have to be either Brown or Cameron (probably Brown edging it) and realise we are not really running a great streak of leaders here.

[Dolorous Gabe]

1 hour ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

After tony Blair I'm happy to disregard anyone with any strong religious beliefs from politics.

What, like Theresa "God will guide me through Brexit" May?

Having a religious conviction in politics isn't the problem, using it to guide one's political decision-making when it's going to affect persons other than oneself is the problem. In Farron's case, he could have responded better to the questions that bothered him but hasn't he always voted in favour of LGBT rights?

[Maltaran]

He's abstained a few times, but he's never voted against.

I think Hereward may be right about the new leader - I would have thought that at 74, Vince is a bit too old for the job.

[Hereward]

Too old, and too Cabinet-Minister-in-the-Coalition-Government.

[mormont]

12 hours ago, Werthead said:

The Vince That Was Promised?

I reached the conclusion some time ago that he might have been, overall, the best (or least worst) Prime Minister of my lifetime (which is about 4 months longer than Thatcher becoming PM; I had no strong feelings about Callaghan one way or the other). Then I realise that #2 would have to be either Brown or Cameron (probably Brown edging it) and realise we are not really running a great streak of leaders here.

If you go backwards, the streak does not improve. But I think that's a function of the job. In the nature of things, a PM will sooner or later do something that people regard as an unforgivable misjudgement. And those things tend to be better remembered than the good stuff, or to be weighed much more heavily.

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

Well yes, lib dems have been a very leftist party for a while. Corbyn has shifted labour away from the centre and over to almost an extreme left position. Where does that leave the lib dems? Do they become centrist ( somebody has to) or are we going to continue to live in a state of over reaction and extremes 

[Which Tyler]

2 hours ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Well yes, lib dems have been a very leftist party for a while. Corbyn has shifted labour away from the centre and over to almost an extreme left position. Where does that leave the lib dems? Do they become centrist ( somebody has to) or are we going to continue to live in a state of over reaction and extremes 

I... think that says more about your politics than the Lib Dems'

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

What makes you say that?

[Maltaran]

3 hours ago, Hereward said:

Too old, and too Cabinet-Minister-in-the-Coalition-Government.

I guess the second part also rules out Davey then, although the BBC says both him and Lamb are planning to run.

[The Marquis de Leech]

4 hours ago, Hereward said:

Too old, and too Cabinet-Minister-in-the-Coalition-Government.

I think losing Clegg goes a long way to exorcising the latter demons though.

[Lyanna Stark]

5 hours ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Well yes, lib dems have been a very leftist party for a while. Corbyn has shifted labour away from the centre and over to almost an extreme left position. Where does that leave the lib dems? Do they become centrist ( somebody has to) or are we going to continue to live in a state of over reaction and extremes 

So... today a run of the mill socialdemocrat position is the "extreme left"?

As far as I understand, he isn't arguing for nationalising the means of production***, abolishing the monarchy, the church and the army, and taxing the top 50% until they scream; or for that matter getting crowds with pitchforks out.

 

***unless one argues that re-nationalising a non-functional railsystem is "nationalising the means of production". If nothing else, even a slight improvement in functionality here would surely benefit companies whose employees would actually, you know, be able to get into work on time.

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

Yes I would definitely call moving core industries into the public sector and advocating high taxation big state policies as an extreme left position. It's the furthest left labour has been for decades, maybe any party has been. 

[Zoë Sumra]

23 hours ago, Maltaran said:

He's abstained a few times, but he's never voted against.

I think Hereward may be right about the new leader - I would have thought that at 74, Vince is a bit too old for the job.

I recall that the time he abstained was on a measure that would have been good for the L, G and B, but would have screwed over the T. 

I also agree with @Hereward re. the leadership.

5 hours ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Yes I would definitely call moving core industries into the public sector and advocating high taxation big state policies as an extreme left position. It's the furthest left labour has been for decades, maybe any party has been. 

The tax rates proposed are quite a long way from high.

[Maltaran]

I spoke to my work colleague who is a Lib Dem member, and he pointed out that 50% of the membership has joined post-referendum, which he reckons will be bad for Lamb and Davey and good for Swindon.

[Egalitarianism Always]

6 hours ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Yes I would definitely call moving core industries into the public sector and advocating high taxation big state policies as an extreme left position. It's the furthest left labour has been for decades, maybe any party has been. 

Privatization in Tory hands benefits billionaires, no bigger State policies than to concentrate wealth into fewer and fewer hands, read about the billions annually paid in government subsidies to corporations, and the blind eye turned to non-payment of taxes by corporations, sanctioned by the big Tory State.