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Sunday, April 18, 2010
A new dawn for the Liberal Democrats?
Last Thursday the leaders of the three national UK political parties participated in Britain’s first televised debate. It is widely thought that Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg came out on top of that debate. It has changed the dynamics of the election. For the first time it looks like the Lib-Dems are on the rise. In recent polls they are breathing down the neck of the Labour Party. Though no one seems to be talking about a potential Lib-Dem government, the chances of a hung government have increased and the Lib-Dems will likely play a crucial role in the next Parliament.
That is if they can hold on to that support.
There are three more weeks in this election and two more leadership debates. Mr. Clegg is going to have to shine and keep that shine polished. At the moment his support his mostly based on him being perceived as an outsider; he is benefiting from a general discontent with the political leadership. But he has to make sure that the Liberal Democrats appear as a viable choice for government, otherwise all that support will drift back to the Conservatives and the Labour Party.
The make or break moment will be next Thursday’s debate. Expectations will be extremely high for Mr. Clegg, and the David Cameron and Gordon Brown will likely have learned from their mistakes. They will not ignore the Liberal Democrats in their preparations for the debate. Still, if Mr. Clegg can once again make a strong appeal to the voters, this election could surprise us all with a Liberal Democrat victory.
Posted by Hugh MacIntyre on April 18, 2010 | Permalink
Comments
The Liberal Democrats are a center-left party that supports both big spending social programs and political correctness. They are only a modest improvement over Labour. The Conservates, under Cameron, have become as milquetoast centrist as the PC's were under Joe Clark. What the Conservatives need is another Thatcher to revive the British right! Look at British public opinion polls! The majority of Brits poll to the right of the three main parties(Labour, Liberal Democrats, and Conservatives). Most Brits want tougher laws including the reinstatement of the death penalty. They want taxes lower so they can compete economically. They want the bureaucrats of the EU to stop dictating policy to them (Cameron's numbers took a big hit when he refused to put the issue of the EU to a public referendum). They want more choice in the type of schools their kids attend(and administrators to get the growing number of deliquents under control). They want the right to defend themselves from criminals without some zealous lawyer suing them! They want to bring down the country's teen birthrate which is among the highest in western europe. In disgust, some people(many former Labour supporters) have even aligned themselves with the BNP. A party which is rightfully tough on crime but adopts pseudo-socialist economic policies. Also, its leader has questioned the whether the Holocaust was real and talks of a white only Britain! The only party that is really speaking for the people is the UKIP(united Kingdom Independence PArty). The party is tough on crime and calls for small government. It polled second in Britain's european parliment elections but its leader was not allowed at the leadership debates. The UKIP is the only party whose platform represents the center-right where most Brits reside!
Posted by: Boch | 2010-04-18 7:26:35 PM
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