LIB Con pact.....

[R1Geezer]

Is the unthinkable about to happen? How many of you lefties who said that the lib dems cannot work with the cons will own up? I predicted yesterday at about 10 that this would happen to much derision. You see people keep harping on about policies and principles but human nature tells us that these go straight out of the window when power is up for grabs.

[tufty7]

Yes I fear that the Libs have been in the torys bed all night being roasted ..............

I bet Cleggy was saying to Cameron "Does my bum look big in this " "no no Cleggy it looks just fine" saying anything to make him say yes ...........

Oh dear , There will be a period of calm then the fireworks will start later after squabbles about broken promises ............

[Sqad]

It's a "set up"
Clegg is only getting into the Tory's bed because he said that in a hung parliament he would support the party with the most votes....i.e the Tories ( for the good of the Country!!) He will not accept the Tories compromises, reject them and is the "off the hook" re his pre.election pledge.

He will then go to Gordon Brown, get a referendum on constitutional change of voting and they will then "scrabble around" to get another 10 members.

It is a scam.

[modeller]

A Lib/Lab pact would be better because it would show up the myth of what PR would do if it was the norm and give GB the chance to see if his policies were any good. We could then make a more positive choice in 12 months time.

[Sqad]

modeller....you mean as GB as the Prime Minister?
Clegg said that he would only join a Lib/Lab pact if GB was replaced.
To have another period with an unelected PM after a General Election...??????never.

[Count-A-Strong]

I fear you may be right Sqad. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the rest
of the world
looks on with incredulity and our standing as. Tripple A country is threatened. Come on boys, time is of the essence.

[brionon]

What about the ''Facsists who said they can't work together ?'' Or are only Lefties heard by you ?

[Gromit]

We will have to see what happens, but I still think a Lib/Con pact is unlikely. The Lb/Dems are a lefty party, much further so than the Labour Party. It show your desperation that you are yearning to go into bed with them to grasp power.

Policy wise and ideoligy wise, the Lab/Dems are closer to Labour. They have previous form of working together during the last hung parliament. Then, the Liberals rebuffed Heath. History could be about to repeat itself.

In terms of what is on the table, Labour seem to be offering the Lib/dems more. Clegg only said he would listen to the Conservatives first because they had the most votes. But if he does not like what he hears, he can walk away with a clear conscious.

Brown is a lame duck. The Labour Party can get rid of him at their conference in September, if not before. That would leave Milliband (if he is leader) and Clegg to work within a minority Government. When the Lib/Dems have had their referendum on PR and Milliband has settled in, they will be in better shape for the next General Election which will be triggered long before the full term, maybe within a year.

Finally, if you look at their CVs, Mandelson (who runs the Labour Party) and Clegg, are from the same mould. They have booth worked within the EU, and both share the same values. With Mandy's powers of persuasion, Clegg will probably opt for an alliance with Labour, as people have suspected all along.

But I could be completely wrong, we shall soon see.

[modeller]

Sqad Why do you emphsise #To have another period with an unelected PM after a General Election...??????never. # ? Since the last war we have had 13 unelected PMs so what has that got to do with it ? By all means criticise him for what you perceive as his failings but the unelected fact is largely irrelevant. Most people vote for a party not who leads them . We are not voting for a president.
I think I'm right in saying neither N Chamberlain nor Churchill when he succeeded him were elected.
Incidently when did Clegg say # that he would only join a Lib/Lab pact if GB was replaced# I can't find a reference anywhere.

[Garmard]

I still beleive a Lib/Lab pact is on the cards......Not Tories and Libs.....Not on your life?

[jno]

I said the same thing before 1am yesterday

http://www.theanswerb...s/Question892226.html

but I'm glad you came around to my way of thinking eventually.

My guess is Clegg will agree if Cameron offers a guarantee of a referendum this year on PR - and if Cameron doesn't, Brown could. It's what the LibDems want above all else, and they might well think it worthwhile sacrificing lesser principles to see this big one enacted.

Of course neither Labour nor Tories actually want to change a system that has entrenched them in power for decades, and they will be hunting for weasel words even now.

[BertiWooster]

''..You see people keep harping on about policies and principles but human nature tells us that these go straight out of the window when power is up for grabs''

That will apply exactly to Cameron - he will sell his soul , in order to get into No 10 .

Watch this space

[Sqad]

modeller....my point was that in no time in history, has an unelected Prime Minister, gone to the country, lost the election and remained Prime Minister.....correct me if I am wrong.

I cannot give you a link as so much has been said in the past 12 months, but I do believe that Nick Clegg did say that he could not support a Labour Government with Gordon Brown as Prime Minister.

[jno]

Heath was in much the same position in 1974, and negotiated with the Liberals unsuccessfully before resigning. It doesn't happen a lot, but you can expect it to do so when the country is divided. And the rules are clear enough: if nobody gets a majority, the incumbent stays until something is worked out, with or without him. Cameron is nearer to having a mandate to rule than Brown is - but the election didn't actually give him one.

[jno]

maybe, Eddie, but I suspect quite a few of them are as Geezer says, ready to make some sacrifices to share power. If they got PR of some sort it would be such a boost to their chances in future elections - including one that may be only a few months down the line - it would be worth the pain. (Of course it would also give new life to the BNP.)