[Politics] The Liberal Democrat thread

[Machiavelli]

I think technically men are a minority, 48% of the population IIRC

You're correct, but they're not marginalised ...
... which I'm sure will prove a popular view on a site largely frequented by men

 

[big nuts]

I still can’t look past David Bellotti being a Lib-Dem councillor. That will forever tarnish the party for me.

 

[A1X]

You're correct, but they're not marginalised ...
... which I'm sure will prove a popular view on a site largely frequented by men

We’re being marginalised by women who refuse to join, I think you’ll find

 

[chickens]

I find it intriguing that the Lib Dems still get so much flak over tuition fees. Their manifesto for the 2010 election did include a pledge to abolish tuition fees but they became the junior partner in a coalition and weren't in a position to dictate terms.

Fair enough, you could argue they could have refused to join a coalition over this point but it wasn't really a U-turn, they just didn't convince the Tories. It was, after all, a difficult sell given the need to cut a massive public defecit at the time.

From memory, they’d made it one of their key pledges, and it was something that got a lot of voters voting for them, wanting others to have the same opportunities that they’d enjoyed.

Education used to be considered a key feature of a civilized nation, rather than a money-making racket for spivs, sorry, experienced executives with a wide range of experience in other industries.

For the Lib Dems to then willingly enter an electoral pact that saw them abandon their stance on tuition fees destroyed them for a generation. It was considered a cast iron betrayal by their core vote.

 

[Kit Napper]

From memory, they’d made it one of their key pledges, and it was something that got a lot of voters voting for them, wanting others to have the same opportunities that they’d enjoyed.

Education used to be considered a key feature of a civilized nation, rather than a money-making racket for spivs, sorry, experienced executives with a wide range of experience in other industries.

For the Lib Dems to then willingly enter an electoral pact that saw them abandon their stance on tuition fees destroyed them for a generation. It was considered a cast iron betrayal by their core vote.

I agree this has haunted them for the last 15 years and that they played their hand badly but in the list of politically infamous acts I'm still surprised this features so highly given all the other examples I could think of. After all, Labour introduced tuition fees in the first place and the Tories insisted on keeping them and then raising them.

 

[chickens]

I agree this has haunted them for the last 15 years and that they played their hand badly but in the list of politically infamous acts I'm still surprised this features so highly given all the other examples I could think of. After all, Labour introduced tuition fees in the first place and the Tories insisted on keeping them and then raising them.

I just think that in those days the country still believed it could have nice things, and the average LD voter was a fairly idealistic sort.

I actually really miss feelings like optimism myself.

 

[keaton]

It's a platitude. It's pretty much what every contestant in a Miss World contest would spout as one of her ambitions back in the day.

But sadly very few politicians

 

[BadFish]

We’re being marginalised by women who refuse to join, I think you’ll find

And we're nice guys guys, why won't they join?

80% of women join 20% of the forums, it's not fair.

 

[BadFish]

From memory, they’d made it one of their key pledges, and it was something that got a lot of voters voting for them, wanting others to have the same opportunities that they’d enjoyed.

Education used to be considered a key feature of a civilized nation, rather than a money-making racket for spivs, sorry, experienced executives with a wide range of experience in other industries.

For the Lib Dems to then willingly enter an electoral pact that saw them abandon their stance on tuition fees destroyed them for a generation. It was considered a cast iron betrayal by their core vote.

Tough choice for them really.

Isn't it time to move on, that was 15 years ago.

Reform supports have moved on from Brexit so they can continue their support for Frog Face.

 

[Yes Chef]

I still can’t look past David Bellotti being a Lib-Dem councillor. That will forever tarnish the party for me.

And shithead Norman Baker

 

[Cotton Socks]

Lots of new support proposed for minority groups, but not men. Are we invisible? Why should misogyny be a hate crime, but not misandry?

Why persist with the triple-lock? The wealthy pensioners aren't the ones in desperate need of help right now in our society

Why should 16-17 year olds be able to vote? They're literally children with no adult life experience.

Remove the benefits cap for the two child limit? Great, the people who we don't want to have more children have more, while the people we want to have children still have none.

...and no thanks, rejoining the EU would be an absolute disaster.

...and so on. LABOUR for the WORKING British people that keep this society running.

I got a post blocked on FB due to 'hate speech' for saying that men are useless for not being psychic!!! Just because a woman said she didn't want anything from the shop, doesn't mean that a man can come back from the shop with chocolate for just himself! I didn't get arrested and thrown in jail though (sorry).

Why shouldn't 16-17 year olds be allowed to vote? They're allowed to procreate, so they could be voting for their kids future. They also pay tax so why shouldn't they have a say on who decides where it's spent?

The rest of your post (without wanting to be offensive) is just waffle. That's saying a lot from someone with my posting history!

 

[Eeyore]

I got a post blocked on FB due to 'hate speech' for saying that men are useless for not being psychic!!! Just because a woman said she didn't want anything from the shop, doesn't mean that a man can come back from the shop with chocolate for just himself! I didn't get arrested and thrown in jail though (sorry).

Why shouldn't 16-17 year olds be allowed to vote? They're allowed to procreate, so they could be voting for their kids future. They also pay tax so why shouldn't they have a say on who decides where it's spent?

The rest of your post (without wanting to be offensive) is just waffle. That's saying a lot from someone with my posting history!

I think the assumption is that 16-17 year olds don't have the life experience. But with Reform getting all the votes they got in the council elections, we might as well extend the franchise to anyone who can put a x on a piece of paper. It'll make little difference where a person's ability to rationalise is concerned.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

I just think that in those days the country still believed it could have nice things, and the average LD voter was a fairly idealistic sort.

I actually really miss feelings like optimism myself.

Good grief man - this is no time for optimism ! What on earth are you thinking of ?

 

[TomandJerry]

Let's not forget that a lower voting age was in Labour's 2024 manifesto. So it's a change I'm expecting to happen

"Labour's manifesto pledge to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 in UK general elections"

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnd09l31rrjo.amp

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Personally don't care which party it is, but can someone please sort out the water companies and their attitude towards dumping waste.

 

[Sorrel]

The Lib Dems are unlikely to form a majority government, so their manifesto is a set of initial negotiating positions rather than something they expect to legislate on. It would be more useful to know which areas they intend to stick to and which they would discard when in official or unofficial coalition with anyone else.

 

[Brian Munich]

Let's not forget that a lower voting age was in Labour's 2024 manifesto. So it's a change I'm expecting to happen

"Labour's manifesto pledge to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 in UK general elections"

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnd09l31rrjo.amp

What’s the process for doing this? Does it need a 2/3rds majority or anything like that? Although even if it did, id

 

[TomandJerry]

What’s the process for doing this? Does it need a 2/3rds majority or anything like that? Although even if it did, id

I'm assuming it'd be the usual route a bill would have to go through the house of commons and house of lords on a majority voting basis

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I find it intriguing that the Lib Dems still get so much flak over tuition fees. Their manifesto for the 2010 election did include a pledge to abolish tuition fees but they became the junior partner in a coalition and weren't in a position to dictate terms.

Fair enough, you could argue they could have refused to join a coalition over this point but it wasn't really a U-turn, they just didn't convince the Tories. It was, after all, a difficult sell given the need to cut a massive public defecit at the time.

Well yes, and there's absolutely loads from their manifesto they did get through

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Rather than just looking at the labels of a party, look at their track record, locally, if it is local elections, and nationally in a general election.

I have voted Lib Dem locally, because the Tory led council wanted to remove a pump from Newhaven fire station in 2020. Newhaven is the only fire station between Roedean, and Eastbourne. It is also a working port with hazardous material on the quaysides (there has been a fire just this week)
Taking away a pump is false economy, and would've resulted in lives lost.
The LibDems fought back and the station still has two pumps.

Our local MP is from Newhaven, and as Newhaven has been dumped on (literally) with the incinerator, etc he is a popular chap around here. The previous MP, a Tory, was a lapdog to the government.
At the momrnt the Greens run Lewes council, unsurprisingly, as Lewes was fighting the building of Eton New Town between them and Ditchling. That has been abandoned, but Newhaven has now had an 18 storey block of flats approved on East Quay, a stupid bridge to nowhere on the east quay which wasted millions, and gridlock when anyone sneezes on the A27 and A259.

Judge them by their actions, not their labels. Each councillor is different despite the label, so not voting for someone because of what another person did 28 years ago is not valid imo.