Thread for Clegg fanboyism and prophecies of doom (LibDems General Discussion)

[Vepres]

Actually reading more about Clegg, the more he seems dangerous for the UK. Supporting the adoption of the Euro for example is a very unpopular move for a British politician to make. Not to mention supporting amnesty and the lessening of criminal sentences.

If any other prominent UK politician came out and proposed half of most of the Lib Dems EU, Crime and Immigration policies, they'd be shunned by the media and the electorate. But, St. Clegg of Sheffield can do and say whatever he likes apparently. I hate such shallow politics/this X-Factor election.

Now you know how many of us Americans felt about Obama in 2008.

Barack Obama has substance and honour though. He didn't win his popularity (or his former popularity depending on your point of view) by "winning" one 90-minute "debate". That's a very "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy," style comparison.

True.

[Хahar 🤔]

Occasional TV man Louis Theroux gets in on the act by declaring he was Nick Clegg's 'fag' at boarding school

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7604138/General-Election-2010-Louis-Theroux-claims-he-was-Nick-Cleggs-fag-at-public-school.html

I've literally never seen the word "fag" used in that sense outside of books set in Victorian public schools.

I don't imagine David Cameron's public school has changed much since Victoria's reign.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Actually reading more about Clegg, the more he seems dangerous for the UK. Supporting the adoption of the Euro for example is a very unpopular move for a British politician to make. Not to mention supporting amnesty and the lessening of criminal sentences.

The LDs must be defeated at all costs. I would even support Labour outright over them.

Actually reading more about Clegg, the more he seems dangerous for the UK. Supporting the adoption of the Euro for example is a very unpopular move for a British politician to make. Not to mention supporting amnesty and the lessening of criminal sentences.

If any other prominent UK politician came out and proposed half of most of the Lib Dems EU, Crime and Immigration policies, they'd be shunned by the media and the electorate. But, St. Clegg of Sheffield can do and say whatever he likes apparently. I hate such shallow politics/this X-Factor election.

^^^^

[You kip if you want to...]

The LDs must be defeated at all costs.

I agree, they're dangerous and most people don't know anything about them, except that their leader can win a debate.

[Phony Moderate]

It's strange that officepark dislikes the Lib Dems so much, considering they are the most fiscally conservative of the three main parties.

[bullmoose88]

It's strange that officepark dislikes the Lib Dems so much, considering they are the most fiscally conservative of the three main parties.

But are they the most economically conservative of the three?  And are they the best match for him...socially?

I guess its not super easy for Americans to decide on the irrelevant question which UK party they should or would support.  I have no answer for myself either.

[The Mikado]

The people who are probably most disappointed in the US are people that teach Comparative Politics classes.  Time to rewrite the syllabus.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

It's strange that officepark dislikes the Lib Dems so much, considering they are the most fiscally conservative of the three main parties.

I don't think they're conservative anywhere.

[You kip if you want to...]

4 hours left to register. I wonder how many youngs, who were previously none voters, will be left disappointed that they can't vote for St. Clegg.

[Verily]

4 hours left to register. I wonder how many youngs, who were previously none voters, will be left disappointed that they can't vote for St. Clegg.

Given that universities all register their students to vote for them... probably not nearly as many as you suspect.

[You kip if you want to...]

4 hours left to register. I wonder how many youngs, who were previously none voters, will be left disappointed that they can't vote for St. Clegg.

Given that universities all register their students to vote for them... probably not nearly as many as you suspect.

Whether or not they turn up is a different matter.

[Verily]

4 hours left to register. I wonder how many youngs, who were previously none voters, will be left disappointed that they can't vote for St. Clegg.

Given that universities all register their students to vote for them... probably not nearly as many as you suspect.

Whether or not they turn up is a different matter.

As I posted elsewhere, LD-voting student youth have far, far better turnout than Labour-voting non-student youth and are also much more concentrated in important constituencies (Oxford East, Durham, Norwich South, etc.). But okay, just be a partisan hack.

[minionofmidas]

I nod in agreement with every word, except that strange "important".

Important to the size of the third party - if the LDs want to get to that ca.90 seats territory that looks *likely* to be their realistic ceiling for now, they'll have to win all these sort of places (and I think they will.)
Utterly unrepresentative of the UK and barely relevant to the question of who wins the election. (Even if the LDs are going to break through to official opposition, they'd take these kinds of seats for granted.)

[Verily]

I nod in agreement with every word, except that strange "important".

Important to the size of the third party - if the LDs want to get to that ca.90 seats territory that looks *likely* to be their realistic ceiling for now, they'll have to win all these sort of places (and I think they will.)
Utterly unrepresentative of the UK and barely relevant to the question of who wins the election. (Even if the LDs are going to break through to official opposition, they'd take these kinds of seats for granted.)

Probably true, you're right. I suppose they're "important" in the sense of being current battlegrounds. The concentration is more significant and useful than the seats themselves.

[Sam Spade]

Clegg has real talent, IMO.

Here's the thing - when you stick an unknown in a debate, they tend to outperform expectations (which are generally low).  In the States you see this all the time - Reagan 1980, Perot 1992 (yes, Perot was in single digits before the first debate).

[Meeker]

The people who are probably most disappointed in the US are people that teach Comparative Politics classes.  Time to rewrite the syllabus.

Mine was positively giddy today.

[Vepres]

It's strange that officepark dislikes the Lib Dems so much, considering they are the most fiscally conservative of the three main parties.

But are they the most economically conservative of the three?  And are they the best match for him...socially?

I guess its not super easy for Americans to decide on the irrelevant question which UK party they should or would support.  I have no answer for myself either.

Agreed. I thought I supported liberal dems, then I read their manifestos and realized I don't like any of them (though conservatives are the lesser of the evils).

[KuntaKinte]

Here's the thing - when you stick an unknown in a debate, they tend to outperform expectations (which are generally low).

Very true.

[You kip if you want to...]

It's strange that officepark dislikes the Lib Dems so much, considering they are the most fiscally conservative of the three main parties.

But are they the most economically conservative of the three?  And are they the best match for him...socially?

I guess its not super easy for Americans to decide on the irrelevant question which UK party they should or would support.  I have no answer for myself either.

Agreed. I thought I supported liberal dems, then I read their manifestos and realized I don't like any of them (though conservatives are the lesser of the evils).

That's the reaction of most people who actually take time to read the LibDem manifesto.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The people who are probably most disappointed in the US are people that teach Comparative Politics classes.  Time to rewrite the syllabus.

Eh, they can just dust off all the stuff from the 80s. It ought not be as big of a culture shock as the end of anything like a genuine two-party system in 1974.

[bullmoose88]

The people who are probably most disappointed in the US are people that teach Comparative Politics classes.  Time to rewrite the syllabus.

Eh, they can just dust off all the stuff from the 80s. It ought not be as big of a culture shock as the end of anything like a genuine two-party system in 1974.

Hmm...perhaps I should just base my support on determining who my favorite member of Monty Python is, and who they support.

So that leaves me with essentially a tie between Jones and Cleese.  Labour (Green?) or Lib(eral)Dem.  Not that I was expecting the tories to have a chance in hell here.

[afleitch]

A Lib Dem cooler than Nick?...



He better wear this next year!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The people who are probably most disappointed in the US are people that teach Comparative Politics classes.  Time to rewrite the syllabus.

Eh, they can just dust off all the stuff from the 80s. It ought not be as big of a culture shock as the end of anything like a genuine two-party system in 1974.

Boris once told me he had a professor say something along the lines of "Protestants in Northern Ireland tend to vote Tory while Catholics tend to vote Labour."

And then he imagined you going into apoplectic fits.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Clegg cult became as annoying as Mark Warner love fest, Ron Paul and Gary Johnson worshiping or loser Sununu loving by a poster formerly known as New Deal Democrat.

[k-onmmunist]

As much as I like the Lib Dems, the whole 'British Obama' thing is severely putting me off them.