UK Politics VI

[MinDonner]

Vince Cable is, however, Business Secretary. Not quite Chancellor but still a result.

[HT Reddy]

I'm not particularly happy to see that we've got a Lib Dem in charge of Energy and Climate Change given that their opposition to nuclear power was one of their policies I found more objectionable.

I agree with that point, but still think a libdem in charge of trying to mitigate climate change is probably better than having your average Tory in the job.

[Slick Mongoose]

I'm not particularly happy to see that we've got a Lib Dem in charge of Energy and Climate Change given that their opposition to nuclear power was one of their policies that I found more objectionable.

Opposition to government subsidy thereof, surely?

Anyway, the way I understand it the Lib Dems have agreed to abstain from votes on this and the Marriage tax break, rather than vote against them. So if the Tories want nuclear power there will be nuclear power.

[Black Wizard]

It looks like, as I expected, one of the Lib Dems will take the post of Scottish Secretary (namely David Alexander) due to a major shortage of Scottish Tories. At least this coalition will make Alex Salmond shut up about the Tories having no right to rule over Scotland.

[mormont]

It does seem a bit of a paltry deal for the LDs. But I do think it's harsh to say Clegg had a bad election - much of the liberals' popularity in 2005 as I recal was due to opposition to the Iraq war. To have improved on that in numbers of votes polled despite Iraq having receded as an issue, is really quite impressive.

The alternative view is that not to have improved significantly on the 2005 result when facing a Prime Minister who was phenomenally unpopular in the country, who committed by far the biggest gaffe of the campaign, when the country was in severe financial straits (something that usually affects the ballot box far more than foreign misadventures), when they had a literally unprecedented level of publicity and positive media coverage to the point of the Guardian endorsing them, when the voters seemed clearly uneasy about taking the Tory party to their heart, and when the polls actually had them in second place on occasion (and never below their eventual result) is indeed not a bad result: it's an awful result.

The advantages the Lib Dems had in this campaign were huge: they dwarf the advantages of 2005 and they will not get more favourable conditions for a generation.

It looks like, as I expected, one of the Lib Dems will take the post of Scottish Secretary (namely David Alexander) due to a major shortage of Scottish Tories. At least this coalition will make Alex Salmond shut up about the Tories having no right to rule over Scotland.

:lol:

Sorry, but you're going to be disappointed. Why would Salmond not make hay out of this? The Tories still rule Scotland, despite only the one MP - they just do it with the help of a party that came third in share of the vote in Scotland. So you will hear Salmond saying, at every opportunity, that the Tories have no right to rule over Scotland, but with the addendum that the Lib Dems are to blame for the fact that they do. Two birds with one stone: it's all gravy to Alex. ;)

[ljkeane]

Opposition to government subsidy thereof, surely?

That's rather meaningless since absent government intervention I suspect what we'd get would be more coal power stations.

I hope this doesn't represent a roadblock for introducing more nuclear power but we'll see.

[Black Wizard]

Sorry, but you're going to be disappointed. Why would Salmond not make hay out of this? The Tories still rule Scotland, despite only the one MP - they just do it with the help of a party that came third in share of the vote in Scotland. So you will hear Salmond saying, at every opportunity, that the Tories have no right to rule over Scotland, but with the addendum that the Lib Dems are to blame for the fact that they do. Two birds with one stone: it's all gravy to Alex. ;)

He, according to Newsnight Scotland, withdrew his statement that the Tories have "No mandate to rule in Scotland" last night. You're probably right that he'll continue banging on about it though.

[mormont]

I was wrong: Gove is Schools Secretary. Laws is Chief Secretary to the Treasury. IDS as Work and Pensions Secretary and Ken Clarke as Justice Secretary. Did anyone ever imagine that Clarke, Hague, and IDS would all one day be in government together, and in a coalition with the Lib Dems at that? Surely someone can find a job for Michael Howard!

[Hereward]

I'm surely you'll be unsurprised to learn that I am delighted by this coalition. As an instinctive Tory, who has in recent years voted LibDem because of concern at the policies and influence of the Tory right-wing, it doesn't get much better than this.

I am slightly puzzled by the opposition of so many LibDem voters and activists. What's the point of being in favour of a voting system that would almost certainly always deliver a result like this, but be opposed to letting people into government whose ideas they don't support? Either the LibDems have to keep their options open, or they commit themselves to only ever having one possible partner, which means they have no room for negotiation, and, indeed, if they really are so close in view, why have separate parties at all?

[MinDonner]

It's just cos we hate the Tories. Don't take it personally. :P

[Usotsuki]

I am slightly puzzled by the opposition of so many LibDem voters and activists. What's the point of being in favour of a voting system that would almost certainly always deliver a result like this, but be opposed to letting people into government whose ideas they don't support?

Discontent with the bargain due to an inflated sense of one's own value, ancient tribal hatreds, general grumpiness ... . All the normal features of the human condition, or at least all my normal features.

That said, I'm not feeling particularly outraged, an acceptable outcome given the negotiating terrain. I'm also convinced that Theresa May will be a complete disaster at the Home Office which should give me many, many happy hours of Tory-baiting in the months ahead. :P

[Chaldanya]

So now we've seen Cameron and Clegg staring adoringly at one another in their press conference, who's up for some slash-fic?

N

ps where's Lyanna when you need her?

[MinDonner]

Nick Clegg is sounding particularly bumbling and tongue-tied at this press conference, his earlier eloquence has fled him. "It looks like this is what, um, the new politics looks like"... sort it out man!

Edit: Silanah, noooo! :stunned:

[Chaldanya]

Nick Clegg is sounding particularly bumbling and tongue-tied at this press conference, his earlier eloquence has fled him. "It looks like this is what, um, the new politics looks like"... sort it out man!

Edit: Silanah, noooo!

You're the one that kept bringing up Edwina Currie and John Major. It's time for a little payback.

How about Gove and Hague??

N

[Usotsuki]

How about Gove and Hague?

Surely even Rule 34 has to have some exceptions.

*is very, very scared*

[Chaldanya]

Surely even Rule 34 has to have some exceptions.

*is very, very scared*

I'll do a google search at home to put your mind at rest. But 'ware - it's only a matter of time.

N

ps Cable and Clarke?

[Slick Mongoose]

Does anyone know what they plan to do about disability benefit yet?

[mormont]

ps Cable and Clarke?

Surely Cable and Osborne. The more experienced older man, the tempting young flesh...

[Usotsuki]

I bet this kind of thing never happens to the American politics threads - I'm not sure whether to feel dirty or proud.

[Edda van Heefmstra Ruston]

I *swear* that even the BBC were in on that action -- the first day of discussion, they had a badly-Photoshopped picture of Cameron and Clegg on the politics/results page. It was the two of them, together in bed, in pajamas, being all long-term-relationship comfortable with each other. (One was reading and the other had a remote control, I think?)

I haven't seen it since then, though. I blame Hereward.