Lib Dems trying for the footie vote ....

Chicken Runner61 said:

On hearing this news I actually became a little less in favour of safe standing - I wish Clegg would just concentrate on his mainline important politics like picking the wallpaper for coalition government buildings.

Mind you I did then see that the only want it for champions league games because fans can't be trusted unless we have some cafe cultured european cousins opposite to show us how to behave.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this loathing of Clegg and the dems because the radio was inundated with people suddenly against safe standing some even quoting Hillsborough as though then only reason that tragedy happened was because there wasn't a plastic chair there.

And good old Norman Baker he going to strengthen domestic violence laws to make sure women (because domestic violence is only EVER committed by blokes isn't it Norm) can claim DV if you emotionally abuse them. Presumably that emotional abuse will be another one way street because stopping children see their fathers because they have a new wife or girlfriend won't count as emotional as only women have emotions don't they?

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strings said:

If I'm honest, I think it was the nature of the u-turn. They u-turned on their flagship policy (not raising tuition fees). Not only that, but tuition fees only got through parliament because of Lib Dem support.

I actually agree, parties should be allowed to u-turn and do so for a variety of reasons (George W. Bush promised in his first election that as President he would follow an approach of not getting involved in other countries affairs!). I also recognise that in coalition, compromise is essential. It was the fact that they were willing to sell-out on their flagship policy that did it for me.

Anyway, sorry for the side-tracking. Back to safe standing...

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bashlsdir said:

I just wish they would all foff and leave decisions to the general public. We could all do a far better job and restore some common sense and respect back to this country.

The decisions of the three main parties have left this country with no direction. Wish my dad and grandfather where still alive to see what a shitehole they are leaving this country in.
I bet they would be shocked with some of the madness that goes on these days.

All we are good at is importing other peoples religious and political problems to our own shores, and then wondering why this country isn't working in the way it should do.

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bashlsdir said:

I just wish they would all foff and leave decisions to the general public. We could all do a far better job and restore some common sense and respect back to this country.

The decisions of the three main parties have left this country with no direction. Wish my dad and grandfather where still alive to see what a shitehole they are leaving this country in.
I bet they would be shocked with some of the madness that goes on these days.

All we are good at is importing other peoples religious and political problems to our own shores, and then wondering why this country isn't working in the way it should do.

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Pavilionaire said:

Their flagship policy was actually their commitment to raising the tax-free Personal Allowance from £6,475 to £10,000 within the 5-year parliament - this was non-negotiable when in talks with both the Tories and Labour immediately after the last election.

Next year the Personal Allowance will be £10,500, so that's a 62% increase - £4,025 - in 5 years. Under New Labour - who are supposed to give a shit about the low-paid - in their final 5 years the Personal Allowance had increased by 32% - or just £1,580.

If voters are going to bash the Lib Dems over tuition fees they should also give them credit for sticking to their guns over the Personal Allowance.

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Pavilionaire said:

I think because this was the first proper coalition government since WW2 all of the parties need to be cut some slack, and that includes campaigning in 2015 whilst still in coalition.

The Lib Dems were wrong to lead voters to think that they would deliver on tuition fees AND the Personal Allowance but who is to say their information about the extent of the economic black hole was correct? If things were actually worse than either the Tories or Lib Dems were expecting then obviously some stuff had to be cut.

Let's not forget that that George Osborne pledged at their 2007 Autumn Party Conference to raise the Inheritance Tax threshold from £325,000 to £1 million, and it was in their manifesto at the 2010 election. This would have been a huge tax break for exclusively the middle / upper classes yet they had to break that pledge because of Lib Dem pressure. Not only that but Cameron has now pledged to keep the threshold at £325,000 until 2019.

Nothing has been made of this climbdown at all yet I'd argue it is just as significant as tuition fees.

I wouldn't be surprised to see another coalition government in 2015 and I fancy safe standing in the Championship / Prem will have been introduced by the end of that parliament.

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Hatterlovesbrighton said:

Which period in the UK's history would you like to go back to?

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Westdene Seagull said:

I'm all for safe standing but not sure I could ever bring myself to put my cross next to a Lib Dem.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28886330

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somerset said:

Well, as with any partnership, especially democratic ones, there will be an element of give and take, compromises,.... so in this case, as they are the minority partner, they had to give ground on tuition fees, simple really.

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Westdene Seagull said:

The situation is slightly different though - I'm not aware UKIP have done the Albion any harm ? Lib Dems on the other hand - LDC, Norman Baker and of course Bellotti.

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seagullsovergrimsby said:

There is nothing to stop another party seeing this policy as being popular and adopting it after they get into Government.

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keaton said:

If we got rid of all our foreigners we'd be ffed

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Notters said:

True but it's an inherently liberal policy.

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Hatterlovesbrighton said:

I'd disagree on the comparison with Inheritance Tax. The Lib Dems must have known in opposition that free Tuition Fees was not a sustainable policy for Government, but they included it anyway as they were more or less certain that they would be in opposition and so have no chance to be held to it. Clegg also signed a specific pledge to get rid of fees. Little did they know.....

The Inheritance Tax thing while significant (some people say that it's that announcement that stopped GB calling an election in Sep 2007) isn't nearly as big a reversal in government policy.

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