Why Are The Libdems So Unpopular?

[ludwig]

Clegg has gone from hero to zero, and I'm not sure why. He was even being talked about as a potential PM after his performances in the pre-election debates - hard to believe I know, but I distinctly remember it.

Flippant answers are welcome, but it's a genuine question, so I'd appreciate some proper analysis also.

[lindapalmara]

//Linda...you forgot Leon Brittan and Christopher Soames !//

Thanks Mikey. I'm sure there are lots more. The EU is awash with failed politicians. Look at Juncker.

[Kromovaracun]

"The result of that would almost certainly have been a early 2nd election and then who knows ?"

A tory majority, in all likelihood.

[Gromit]

1. They lied
2. People who voted for them did not want a Tory Government.
3. They are part of the Coalition Government.
4. This Government has lots of unpopular policies

[ludwig]

// 1. They lied //

All politicians lie. It's a given. So we really should be able to remove this one from the equation.

//
3. They are part of the Coalition Government.
4. This Government has lots of unpopular policies
//

Both these also true of the Tories, and yet the Tories popularity has not nosedived in the same way.

which leaves ..

// 2. People who voted for them did not want a Tory Government. //

Undeniably true.

[janbee]

You have to ask?
They've lied about practically everything. I know they're politicians and they all lie but the LIMPS have made it a speciality. Clegg himself is VERY unpopular because he's a whiney little boy, because he's such a Brussels Boy, because he's out of touch. Again, he is not alone in that.

[Gromit]

Specifically, they campaigned at the General Election to oppose any increase in tuition fees.

Then they voted for the increase shorty after joining the Government.

Politicians are economical with the truth, but such blatant hypocrisy is unpresedented.

// Both these also true of the Tories, and yet the Tories popularity has not nosedived in the same way. //

The Tory vote has not collapsed because we are getting Tory policies. The people who voted LibDem (a lot of disaffected Labour supporters) have seen very little of what they voted for enacted. In short, the LibDems haven't deluvered.

[janbee]

Voters won't vote LIMP BECAUSE of Clegg.
Voters won't vote LAB BECAUSE of Millie.
Voters will vote CON, DESPITE Cammy

Most people though are ticked off with all three and that's why the UKIP is doing so well and on the rise. They say what most indigenous Brits now agree with these days. Like it or not, it's a fact.

[janbee]

They got into bed with the Tories and got covered in fleas. Nobody will now touch them. They are the kryptonite of politics.

[ChillDoubt]

In a nutshell, Clegg talked the talk. When it came to the nitty-gritty he failed dismally at walking the walk.
When you look at the rest(Cable, Alexander etc) there isn't an ounce of charisma or air of authority about any of them.

As for a flippant answer, you've only got to look at the names of Cleggs 3 boys to see who wears the trousers in that household!

[mikey4444]

Here is another reason why Clegg isn't so popular, taken from his Wiki entry.

"In April 2014, Clegg refused to hold an inquiry into what he called the "repugnant" actions of former Rochdale MP Cyril Smith. Greater Manchester Police have stated that Smith, who died in 2010, abused young boys. Clegg said: "My party, the Liberal Democrats, did not know about these actions." Clegg stated that the child abuse allegations were a matter for the police"

To be fair to Clegg, David Steel is still in denial about Smith as well :::

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2617366/STEPHEN-GLOVER-Why-slippery-David-Steel-admit-wrong-Cyril-Smith.html

[Kromovaracun]

"They got into bed with the Tories and got covered in fleas. Nobody will now touch them. They are the kryptonite of politics."

That would imply they are useful.

(It would also imply that the Liberals are a stabilizing agent, reducing the abilities of a politician back to normalcy in a situation where the environment normally gives them remarkable abilities.)

[Gavmacp]

Basically because they appeared to be so desperate for power they went into coalition with the Tories and then broke an election pledge.
I would of voted for them in the past but not now.

[ludwig]

// the LibDems haven't deluvered. //

What could they have done - implemented their whole manifesto? Would that have counted as delivering?
Considering they were the very minor partner in a coalition whose main aim was to prevent the disaster of Gordon Brown being Prime Minister again, that clearly wasn't going to happen.

I don't even know why why I'm arguing for them. I'm not a supporter. I just find it strange why they're the target of so much contempt. Surely if you hate the coalition, the people to blame are the Tories. they must be laughing their collective ass off that all the hatred for the coalition is directed at the hapless Libdems.

[whirlyhurly]

Libdems are a gang of "lily livered" turncoats.

[ludwig]

// I have no problem with the Liberal Democrat Party or their leader Nick Clegg. Neither are "unpopular". //

Thanks for that. Meanwhile, back on planet earth...

[Slapshot]

I think it's quite simple really, they sold out, they sold their souls for a sniff of power. In doing so they killed any integrity they had as an alternative to Tory and Labour and are now the laughing stock of politics.

One of my neighbours has recently retired as a local councillor in Aberdeenshire, Mike's been a councillor for years, he won't vote for them anymore and has left the party.