Over at The Guardian’s Comment is Free website, former Liberal party leader Lord (David) Steel offers his reasons for supporting the coalition government of Lib Dems and Conservatives:
We have successfully injected parts of the Lib Dem manifesto into the government programme and outlawed parts of the Tory manifesto, most notably bringing tax reductions to the poor rather than the rich and allowing the electorate itself to improve the voting system in future elections. … Nick Clegg had only one other option as leader – to sit in opposition, watch a minority Tory government struggling with declining sterling and share indices, head for a second election in the autumn armed with buckets of Ashcroft-type cash and annihilate our party as useless hand-wringing debaters. We have not only to hope this coalition works – we have got to make damn sure it does.
You can read his account in full here.
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12 Comments
“most notably bringing tax reductions to the poor rather than the rich”
Wrong. In fact the opposite is true. £17billion to be able to come out with spin like that. Nevermind the extra cuts in public services that will hit the poor hard, never mind the increase in inequality it will cause anyway.
I totally agree that this was the best route for Nick Clegg and the fact that the LibDems are actually involved in the running of the country will help their status as a party. However, AV was a major concession and is not what we needed as the new system as STP is the fairest system. I also can’t help feeling that the Electoral Reform referendum needs to be pushed through asap as I simply don’t trust the Tories. I fully expect them to try and push through contentious pieces of legislation whilst the referendum campaign is running so they can say ‘coalition doesn’t work’ as once they can say that Electoral Reform is doomed. Do I really think the Tories will be that childish? Frankly, Yes!.
Labour having trashed the economy, and built up a massive 700 billion national debt, were on a spending spree even days before polling day in rushing to sign off contracts, according to todays Sunday Times, they even signed off a contract for 13 billion on a new tanker-aircraft, which has left everyone “baffled and astonished” says todays paper, along with billions on yet more IT programmes. So, now we have to find ways of paying for the excesses of Mike (Labour) and his mates…
@Philip Young: Lib Dems want to reduce poverty and so on- yet they blame Labour for spending too much on improving public services. Labour didn’t spend enough on equipment for our troops… oh but they also spent too much at the same time!
I think you should read this if you buy into the myth that Labour went on some kind of unprecedented spending binge: http://www.ifs.org.uk/bns/05ebn2.pdf
And remember, it’s more expensive to society to clean up for faults caused by lack of funding than to pay to prevent those faults. Look at the mess Labour inherited, the underclass nurtured by Thatcher, the squalid state of the NHS, etc.
Oh, and funnily enough I asked yesterday about whether the Libs and Cons would stand candidates against each other’s ministers. And today Cameron has said they’ll only stand one joint candidate at by elections- so my question wasn’t so stupid as people seemed to think was it?
Next you’ll be blaming Labour for the world-wide credit crisis.
Family history – as a child, David Steel was escorted in and from Kenya by my grandfather. I last saw him at my grandfather’s memorial service.
“And today Cameron has said they’ll only stand one joint candidate at by elections- so my question wasn’t so stupid as people seemed to think was it?”
Not according to the summary of his interview at ConservativeHome:
“The new Prime Minister said that the two parties will sit in distinct blocs in the House of Commons. We will fight each other hard in by-elections although hopefully in a more civilised way.”
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2010/05/highlights-of-david-camerons-first-broadcast-interview-since-becoming-prime-minister.html
Oh, ok- I was going from PoliticsHome and twitter.
Why not discuss Charles Kennedy’s reasons for abstaining? John Thurso has made similar arguments in the local rag, but I can’t tell if he abstained.
We know who he’s alluding to here.
This maudlin self-pity must be scotched each and every time it raises its protruded lower-lip. Neither of the other Parties were obliged to love the LibDems, and to assume they were is to assume the Party has the right to Govern.
Don’t Party faithful accuse Labour of this arrogant assumption?
I totally agree with Dave and Nick lol. I’ve read a lot of critical stuff. I can understand why feelings are running high but we had no choice at all apart from to do what we did and we have a bucketful of goodies for the population because we did. We need now to regroup ready for the referendum whenever that happens. I’m actively blitzing any MP who comments on electoral reform with the truth. If people want to keep posting why not do something like this and write useful words directed at targets who may be influenced rather than helping the right wing press kick our heads in.
I haven’t noticed any improvements in public services. Labour mostly just spent money on bureaucracy, pork, and giant projects that made things worse rather than better (NHS Choose & Book, anybody?)
Never been in a hospital since 1997, Andrew?
No, no nurse! I have only four shillings, so I’ll do the stitching!