How many times are we reminded and told the Liberal Democrats can’t and won’t win, or that a Liberal Democrat vote is a wasted vote? Too many times, I suggest.
It’s a message that was suggested glibly by none other than John Humphreys on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme earlier this week, in a blatantly unfair remark. Too often the BBC, which is supposed to be impartial, allows commentators to deride and discount the Lib Dems as somehow irrelevant compared to the other two major parties.
It really is time to challenge such comments, and, in the aftermath of Nick Clegg’s performance and Vince Cable’s consistently strong standing with regard to the economy, to rebut and demand these references are no longer allowed.
As long as those commentators who have significant influence continue to endorse such sentiments, how on earth can the Liberal Democrats make that big breakthrough among so many who have been told that a Lib Dem vote is a wasted vote?
The policies and arguments put forward by the Lib Dems are transparent and bold. Now is the time to go on the offensive and attack this old, tired and flippant assertion that the Liberal Democrats can’t and won’t win.
Go for Gold and believe you can! Reject out of hand the wasted vote messaging and take to task those who continue to proffer such old ideological sentiments. If we don’t do just that, then we are in effect admitting we will always be the third party.
* Stephen Chidgey is a Lib Dem member in Cornwall.
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9 Comments
Er – yes – I think so!
(Sorry – been watching Bob The Builder more than Obama!)
The is often the line from interviewers “but you have no chance of winning” – Ed Davey got that from John Sopel on News 24 (BBC) last night, and took too much woffle to nail it. Vince has had it from Paxman.
Surely the line is…”dont you know, we are lst or 2nd in 250 seats…that makes us main players in this election.”
If the Liberal Democrats are polling more than Labour, how can anybody in his right mind say, that Liberal Democrats don’t have chance, and their supporters should vote Labour to stop Tories? Shouldn’t it be the Labour supporters, who should voter for Liberal Democrats in order to stop Tories? (Or Tory supporters vote for Liberal Democrats to get rid of Labour?)
Don’t be arrogant – it’s the voters who will decide whether I/he am/is in with a chance of becoming prime minister, not you.
But too soon to “go for gold”. Just calm down and get out campaigning.
Tony Greaves
Don’t say it too loudly, but the aim to replace Labour as the party of the left could just happen. There are two reasons for this.
1. The Lib-Dems have a manifesto that will appeal to the left. Their policies are more re-distributive than Labour’s (Increase in personal allowance paid for by Mansion tax, CGT rate increases, etc.)
2. As Nick Clegg stated, we have a £70bn structural deficit. That is a deficit that was in place before the downturn, created by Gordon Brown. With the increase in national debt prior to to 2007, the legacy of of Brown’s legacy will be at least £600bn added to the National Debt and £30bn annual interest payments. This is where the hardship brought by expenditure cuts will originate. Most of the cyclical impact will be erased by a long and sustained recovery.
the truth – however painful, is that although the lib dems may get more than 100 seats on a 30% poll rating, they won’t get a majority or anything near it, unles polling over 40% of the vote – and that ain’t going to happen.
This could be a fantastic breakthough, but its part of a journey, not a final destination.
I’m with Lord Greves on this one.
Get a big post up rallying donations. The Lib Dems need to match Labour and the Tories’ money to make these numbers a reality!
If the Lib Dems get more votes than Labour but Labour get the most seats, surely Labour should support Nick Clegg as Prime Minister?????
“If the Liberal Democrats are polling more than Labour, how can anybody in his right mind say, that Liberal Democrats don’t have chance, and their supporters should vote Labour to stop Tories?”
Unfortunately I’m in exactly that position. I live in Broxtowe, where the 2005 result was Lab 42%, Con 37%, LD 16%. It would take a 20% swing for David to take the seat – and even our best polls are “only” showing half that. There’s no real prospect – as yet – of us taking the seat but there is a real prospect of splitting the vote and letting our particularly incompentent Tory candidate in.