Lib Dem Polls - How Low Can They Go?

Are you 12 years old?

Hey what was the name of that act Labour tried to pass in government to give government minister the ability to amend legislation WITHOUT the approval of parliament?

I'll bet call me Dave and calamity Clegg don't try anything nearly as bad...

They already are.

Not that I could give a shit about Labour either.

I voted Labour once, in 1997. I haven't voted for them since, nor will I vote for them again unless there are changes made to that party that I believe are now impossible. You see, unlike you I want to point out the facts rather than justify being a turkey who voted for Christmas at the last election.

They've already done it you plum. Theresa May has amended the Terrorism act (or whatever it's called) without legislative approval. They haven't tried to pass legislation that will allow them to do it, they have done it. Are you really this naive?

Do you reckon there's ever gonna be anything like, y'know, an intelligent, well-worked out reason behind your incessant, obsessive and retarded anti-Labour bile?
Just asking, like.
e2a; anybody who thinks the tories are better than Labour - or that starvation is preferable to minor infringements on civil liberties - as you do - is really too much of a moron to bother with tbh

But you are 100% a tory, so surely you'd be entirely in favour of Labour and the tories acting like, well tories...

Lib Dems in freefall in South West

Labour up 14 points in the region from the last GE

Do they have any unassailable seats? Laws is supposed to be the safest, isn't he? Clegg has the biggest majority, but I can't see him hanging on. They don't have many more on 10k+. Anyone know of any detailed polls from the Lib Dem 'safe' seats?

In the SW it's generally reckoned that Yeovil (Laws) is 'safe', very strong Liberal tradition, Paddy Ashdown's old seat etc etc. Other than that, nothing is safe in this region - Bristol West for example has a pretty thumping Lib Dem majority but it was held by Labour in 1997 and 2001 and could very easily go back as the anti-war voters become anti-coalition ones

That's what I was hoping, thanks.

Now, how close is Laws to making it a duck next election?

To expand on the more local ones I know of - Somerton & Frome has been held by the Lib Dems by the skin of their teeth against very determined Tory assaults for years. Won't take many defections for it to be lost. Wells was won from the Tories after a great many years' of trying last year - it's taken them ages to persuade a determined core of Labour voters to switch to them so they'll already be lost again now. Thornbury & Yate may be an easier one to hold onto but again there's plenty of LD tacticals in that area that they'll have lost now. Bath has been Liberal since 1992 but I think it'll be gone as well - don't expect the Labour voters of Twerton and Oldfield Park to keep voting Lib Dem at general elections now

They have a lot of three-ways with the Tories in their 'heartlands', don't they. And no more anti-Tory votes. Wonder how long it will take the stalking horse to leave the stable ...

Is Huhne going to make the first move, or is he hoping to for a 'rebel' to clear a path for him?

Twickers is just about their safest seat, as a recent, highly scientific polling exercise* conducted in the constituency has revealed that the good people of that parish all seem to think the sun shines out of Vince Cable's arse




*I've been drinking in pubs a lot in Twickenham recently

Yeah, in the rural/semi rural SW they're the anti-Tory party so it's all about beating them by persuading voters in areas that vote Labour for the council (Midsomer Norton and thereabouts, certain estates in Bath, some parts of Weston etc etc) to switch to them for general elections. Lose more than a handful of those votes and that's it, they're fucked. Labour will start picking up seats in Cornwall too with the numbers quoted in that article

Huhne is dead in the water. Probably best to look elsewhere, but where's the talent?

Who cares? Self-interested cunts are self-interested. Someone will be along to offer them a shred of electability by being seen to help bring down the coalition, surely?

It's exactly the same in the SW London heartland (sutton, kingston, twickers, carshalton etc); loadsa nice, polite m/c families who are disgusted by the tories...and are now just as disgusted by the LDs

actually, I'd say simon Hughes is just about their best bet, if he hangs on AGAIN in Bermondsey, as he's the only one with any real credibility left

who though? take your pick, there isn't a lot of them to choose from - and now huhne is out of the way, i can't see anyone else preparing for the challenge.

despite their dreadful election results lately, it looks to me like they're holding together quite well. disappointing really.

That Farron boy, possibly. There's another one making noises, but they're so indistinguishable ...

Since when did he have ANY real credibility in the first place?

he does with streathamite for some reason.

quite a lot with people in that area, but also with people who are disgusted with New Labour, recoil with horror at the very idea of voting Tory, and are desperately looking for ANY LD who isn't a total wanker.
which gives him credibility from not being a member of the govt despite his seniority, from being (however much I hate to admit this) a first-rate constituency MP, and from saying enough independendtly 'leftish' things over the past decade or so - in their eyes, the eyes of the people who once voted libdem, and who the LDs are desperate to win round again.
NB: all this does not alter the fact that the way he won the seat was truly vile, but does account for the fact of his apology and Tatchell's acceptance of that.

read my post above, and do try to get your head round the following awfully tricky point; I am not the universe and sum totality of that part of the electorate the LD desperately need to bring back round at some point.
Me = 1 vote. got that?
equally, given there is zero chance of me ever voting LD, his credibility with me is actually not the point; his potential credibility with the whole electorate actually is.
he may be sellable to them - compared to any LD minister
e2a; what I think of hughes is neither here nor there, and I didn't actually mean how credible he is to me, for that reason

He is this tbf, one of the best I've ever met.

Do we have any poster from what where their traditional scottish seats? It'd be interesting to know what's happening to the membership in those seats. The old liberal Scottish and SW seats always gave them a base but if they go they could be destroyed as a party.

I agree with what Streathamite said about Hughes. I've lived in Hughes' seat since 2005 and although I don't know the ins and outs of how he got to where he is now, I am aware that lots of people living here think that if you want things to change for better locally, you can't get it done without Hughes' endorsement. His people appear to have a pretty good grip on dealing with issues locally i.e. wanna save local post office? wanna bump poor kids for scholarships to Alleyn School in Dulwich? there is only person who can do it and that's Hughes. If there is a ward/cancer care unit opening locally, some school tree planting, some library reopening after a refurb, he'll always be there shaking hands and pockets. Sits ona privy council too if I am not wrong. Pretends to be green too, and people like it here, I've seen him cycling a couple of times on the Westminster Bridge Road in the mornings.

I still reckon he's played by Geoffrey Fairbrother from Hi-De-Hi.

Being a good constituency mp gets you a good reputation locally. It does very little for you on the national level. Hughes national credibility is far more likely to be based on his pathetic behavior over the fees vote and his persistent hard talk followed by craven retreats.