18 Comments

• Maelo Manning 23rd May '14 - 1:26pm

  A 129 Lib Dem councillors have been defeated at this point in time. I am colossally sad for them and our party. The party really needs to rethink the way that we are communicating our message to ordinary people. However, not many people may agree with me but I do think that a deep analysis of our ideological positioning is needed too. Something has gone wrong and it’s not just to do with messaging.

• Timak 23rd May '14 - 2:20pm

  The problem the Lib Dems have is that they have lost their left leaning support.

  I simply do not recognise the party of David Laws, Nick Clegg and Jeremey Browne as being one I have voted for many times in the past.

  Maybe I never understood what the Lib Dems really were or maybe the party have moved away from what their voters thought they were.

• Maelo Manning 23rd May '14 - 2:41pm

  @Timak
  I think don’t think people expected Lib Dems to withdraw state services as much as much as the government has done, which is what you are talking about maybe when you refer to ‘left leaning support’,

• bob sayer 23rd May '14 - 2:46pm

  Timak: you are right to say that the party has moved away from a position which I have supported for 50years. But this is as a result of coalition politics and the requirement of some central politicians in the party to impose their views. But this has been said of every party over the last 10 years.I cannot wait for the coalition to be over and the members take the party back. Those who have left should return and fight their corner .this country needs a compassionate,radical party and the circumstances after the next election will make that a real neccessity

• Helen Tedcastle 23rd May '14 - 2:49pm

  We need a change of strategy and direction from the top. It’s no good Nick Clegg saying ‘it’s a mixed set of results’ – not good enough.

• Richard Harris 23rd May '14 - 3:10pm

  “Clegg: In areas where we can tell our side of the story, we can win.”

  Which areas are you unable to tell your story? Yet another vacuous, meaningless comment from a political leader.

• David-1 23rd May '14 - 3:26pm

  Of course it is not the Liberal Democrats’ duty to “support Labour.” But it *is* the duty of the Lib Dems to support liberal ideas and policies, and to oppose illiberal ideas and policies. When Liberal Democrats fail to do either, it is fair for Labour, the Greens, the SNP, or any other party to criticise them for it, just as Lib Dems criticise other parties when they pursue illiberal courses.

• Peter 23rd May '14 - 4:03pm

  I am part of the switch in Kingston upon Thames, Ed Davey can expect a similar result.
  The Orange book brigade will cost your party a heavy price.

  I really hope the LibDem’s rethink the party position politically, UKIP and the Conservatives have the centre right sown up. Labour and the LibDem’s have weakened democracy shifting rightwards.

  I may as well suffer the real deal, than pretend voting Lib/Lab is somehow any different.

• graham watson 23rd May '14 - 4:13pm

  Congratulations to all those who fought so hard on a difficult night. There’s nothing wrong with our ideological message when we communicate it clearly, as in The Party of IN. After five and a half weeks of a gruelling campaign in the SW I think we got that message across; and it did not detract at all from our local government messages.

• JohnTilley 23rd May '14 - 4:32pm

  Fact check

  The Clegg fantasy —– where we have MPs and local strength we do well.

  The reality ——- losses in Sheffield, Cambridge, Haringey, Brent, Portsmouth, Southwark, Twickenham, Kingston, Burnley, Bradford

  Look at cities such as Manchester — Four years ago 33 councillors, today NO Lib Dem councillors at all.

  — Clegg must go.

• Chris Manners 23rd May '14 - 4:55pm

  Disaster.

  From “we get support everywhere, it’s not fair, to who cares, look how well we do where we have MPs” in 4 years.

• Chris Manners 23rd May '14 - 5:10pm

  “He said that Labour were being tribal and bitter. “The Labour Party think it’s our job to support them, but our job is to do what’s in the national interest.” He wondered why they wren’t supporting our progressive liberal policies like more apprentices, raising tax threshold and giving more money to disadvantaged kids in school.”

  Because the tax threshold was supposed to be paid for the Mansion Tax. Not VAT and cuts,

  He’s awful, Get rid of him. Please.

• John Roffey 23rd May '14 - 5:40pm

  @JohnTilley

  ‘Clegg must go’

  It seems, from what he has said today, that he has no intention of resigning – whatever the outcome of the EU election’

  I am afraid his approach is exactly what the electorate have rebelled against. Politicians whose careers are their primary interest – with beneficial achievements to the voters of little or no concern. The Party’s present purpose seems primarily to support and/or advance Clegg’s career.

  I have used this quote before – but it continues to be appropriate:
  Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results – Albert Einstein

  I am afraid those who wish to get rid of ‘Limpet’ Cleggl have a very difficult job on their hands!

• Mike Drew 23rd May '14 - 11:01pm

  I am certainly not of the Orange book end of the party and not convinced that Clegg is the best possible leader but it was right to join the coalition. We believe in a fair voting system which is unlikely to produce a majority government. The result of the 2010 compelled us to prevent a majority Tory Government that would have been the outcome if the coalition had not been formed.
  Individual policies may not have been what I would like to support but then I suspect that it would be very unlikely that there would be complete agreement between the members as to which are the right ones.

• Eddie Sammon 24th May '14 - 1:42am

  Angela Merkel should be the new role model for Lib Dems. Won her third national election easily and eschews left and right.

• David-1 24th May '14 - 5:12am

  The CDU/CSU has been the dominant party in German politics for decades. Within the spectrum of German politics, it is very clearly on the Right.
  Merkel also is notable for chewing up and spitting out her coalition partners. One might guess that she’s David Cameron’s rôle model.

• andrew purches 24th May '14 - 8:40am

  From the moment the coalition was formed,we in this household have bluntly stated that the rejoining of the Lib Dems with the Tories,which lead to the rebirth of the Nat.Lib and Conservative Party of the thirties and the disaster that followed for the old Liberal Party up until its merger with the Social Democrats,would destroy the Liberal Democrats. So it came to be. Shame upon you Nick Clegg and the Parliamentary Party : we Social Democrats need a new home_ must it be Labour,from whence we escaped? We are not Tories,and never can be.

• david 24th May '14 - 3:07pm

  No don’t give up Andrew, don’t let the Orange Bookers remove our good left of centre MPs and take this party over to Ukipisation. Sign the petition and get Clegg out:

  http://www.libdems4change.org/