Things are indeed achanging in the Guardian Media Group. Sunday say The Observer unequivocally urge its readers to vote Liberal Democrat for the first time. And now Polly Toynbee is urging a vote for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections and in many local elections too:
Throw out bad councils, and vote for Lib Dems in Europe…
The most consistently wise party on Europe, [the Lib Dems] never flirted with Tory press populism, but that principled stand came at a high price. On the economy or crime co-operation, “stronger together, poorer apart” is a good Lib Dem pro-EU slogan. They best deserve the vote of every pro-European on Thursday…It is bad for local government when councils are voted in or out regardless of quality, and bad too when virtually all councils are of one colour. It should take no nose pegs to vote in good councils and throw out bad ones. But local voters insist on using local votes to throw stones at national parties. So we look set for Conservative hegemony locally and in Westminster and European parliaments. To avoid that, vote whichever decent party locally can best hold the floodgates against a blue wipeout.
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16 Comments
I think Pollys message must have been too much for the pro Labour editorial team at the Guardian – they’ve just shut down the comments section for the night. LOL
Polly Toynbee is definitely not the sort of person you want endorsing the party.
Remember she was Brown’s biggest cheerleader, she’s the epitome of the anti-liberal, upper class ‘socialist’ who thinks that mother knows best (so long as that mother’s her of course)
I wouldn’t crow too much about this if I were you. Polly hasn’t been able to decide what she thinks of Brown. First she loved him, then hated him, then loved him again and now hates him again. This same pattern will be repeated with Pollyanna and the LibDems.
More seriously
“It is bad for local government when councils are voted in or out regardless of quality, and bad too when virtually all councils are of one colour.”
Recent council elections have shown a much more mixed pattern of localised results than was the case in say 1995-6
It has come at a time when Labour popularity has dropped to the level of the Lib Dems, and since the point of the article is about consistent party line on Europe (not support for Lib Dem in any general sense), and tactical voting against the blue wipeout, I’d stop well short of the delusion that Polly has switched to the Liberals. She just doesn’t want to keep that nose peg on at the Euro polls.
If Polly Toynbee is supporting us we must be doing something wrong.
If Polly Toynbee is supporting us Labour must be doing something dreadfully wrong!
Polly endorses us – thats the kiss of death then..
Note the unusually high level of support the polls are registering for the fringe parties, none of whom has a blanket coverage of candidates in the county elections.
The wide fluctuations in Lib Dem support in local polls probably has much to do with where the fieldwork was done. If it was done in a county, then the Lib Dems will score highly. If it was done somewhere where there are no local elections this year, then the Lib Dems will under-perform.
I will be interested to see what happens to the Labour vote in Bristol, and in Exeter. Something approaching wipe-out is possible in both cities. I would also not be at all surprised to see Labour emerging with no seats in Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, East and West Sussex and WIltshire.
Nick Clegg needs to stick to his eyes-to-the-camera straight talking stuff. Neither the smarm of Blair nor the flamboyant showmanship of Cameron. Clegg is looking better by the day.
Groucho Marx’ line about not wanting to join a club which wanted to have him as a member is worth remembering in this context.
Should membership be about what I can do for the party, what the party can do for me, what we can do for each other, or what we can do together?
Today’s Guardian editorial is probably the closest they have ever come to an endorsement of the Lib Dems: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/02/editorial-local-european-elections
“The case for supporting the Liberal Democrats is now very strong. Anyone who believes Britain should be an engaged member of the European Union – who does not believe scare stories about the Lisbon treaty and who wants to back a party that campaigns on this – should vote Lib Dem. So should anyone who cares about constitutional renewal…”
Polly’s commitment to the poor and social justice means that quite a few of that part of the progressive coalition might be considering joining us. That is an undoubtedly good thing as it falls right into political territory that should be our natural home. As long as we avoid the class-based bashing, in favour of a real concentration on the causes of social immobility, we should undermine a core part of Labour’s support. If we want to overtake Labour, this is not just nice but necessary.
I think this endorsement is a good thing on balance. I do wonder about Polly’s motives though, specifically I wonder whether she wants Labour to tank in the Euros to provide the impetus required for them to ditch Brown for Alan Johnson.
Still ulterior motives notwithstanding, Polly does have influence with some people so I’d say her endorsement should be cautiously welcomed.
I can see that if New Labour has the fright of its life on June 4th. then many of the taking what Polly Toynbee says seriously conscionable Labour members will look closely at the straight talking Nick Clegg and then look in the mirror.
It is possible that the post June 4th fall out will revisit 1980, when Roy Jenkins and Shirley Williams were asking direct `Mould Breaking’ questions about how Britain should be governed.
These questions need to be re put today, to include our residents’ opinions and views.
Government should no longer depend on the views alone of a narrow wedge of time serving `Band of Political Brothers’, whom have become splenetic moribund slaves, to parliamentary convention and many of them, lifeless to real constitutional reform.
I am amazed at this story. I remember when she refused to join the Liberal Democrats because she preferred David Owen.
At the time we felt like saying “good riddence” as she was far too right wing for us.
I imagined she would always have a grudge against us, and for a long time she did.
Since New Labour were elected however she has wanted to support them, but found it impossible to do so. Her critique of New Labour is a Liberal one and I think we should welcome her into the fold, albeit as a voter rather than a member.
After last nights tv show with Nicky about Christians whereby Polly was asked for her opinion
I was shocked of what she said!
I voted for her as a liberal democrat myself I do not think anyone should vote for her she is liability and I will do everything in my power to stop her being re-elected
Yours Disappointed
G Morley