Originally Posted by rjt:
I hope this is further sign that the Lib Dems are imploding and I could not be happier about it.

Me too. If the europhile Lib Dims implode it would be the best development in British politics for a very long time indeed.

Both Clegg and Huhne are committed europhiles (although they are trying to keep quiet about that at the moment). Both have worked in Brussels or sat in the EU 'Parliament' and both represent constituencies which were natural Conservative seats during the period of Lady Thatcher.

If the Conservatives do well at the next General Election, Huhne (majority at Eastleigh just over 500 votes) could (hopefully) be kicked out and Clegg (whose seat is the traditionally Conservative Sheffied-Hallam) would be struggling (if he does become Lib Dim Party leader) to run both a national campaign and to hold his own seat (at the next General Election) amidst a Conservative revival.

UKIP could help defeat this unpleasant pair in their constituencies at the next General Election by targeting Liberal 'Democrat' voters in those seats and warning them them that that party is dangerously pro-EU; wants to destroy our ancient Pound and wishes to see the UK dissolved into an EU Superstate.

If UKIP could help 'drain' the Lib Dims of enough votes in the constituencies of Clegg and Huhne - both would lose at the next General Election and the pro-EU Dim Libs would be back where they started - having yet another leadership election (which would be the third since Kennedy was forced out).
[Rep]

Originally Posted by Britannist:
Me too. If the europhile Lib Dims implode it would be the best development in British politics for a very long time indeed.

If UKIP could help 'drain' the Lib Dims of enough votes in the constituencies of Clegg and Huhne - both would lose at the next General Election and the pro-EU Dim Libs would be back where they started - having yet another leadership election (which would be the third since Kennedy was forced out).

Hopefully people will see through them (after their schoolboy spat on TV) leaving Clegg and Huhne with no party to lead after the next GE!
[Rep]

The horrid Irony is that they could suffer an electoral meldown yet be in a more influencial position if the next election results in a hung parlaiment. I would like a clear statment from Mr Cameron that if his party emerges as the largest one but with no majority that he would form a minority government and try to get a Queens speach passed in the HOC possibly by getting support on set measures from the DUP and UUP.
[Rep]

Originally Posted by Anthony Butcher:
Neither of them came out of it well.

I agree with the above - I have just found the time to watch it on You Tube. Huhne looked very surprised indeed when BBC interviewer Jon Sopel produced the document titled 'Calamity Clegg'.

I was not at all impressed with Clegg, who appeared overly-confident.

I got the impression that the two of them (Clegg and Huhne) do not like each other (on the basis of what I saw in the interview).

They are going to have to work with each other when the Liberal Dim Party leadership contest is over (regardless of which one of them is chosen as party leader) - and they have already had a televised altercation with each other before the first vote in their party's leadership contest has even been cast.

Good to see two leading figures in the nasty party that is the europhile Liberal Dims in a very public wrangle - I hope this amusing squabble stays on You Tube for the opponents of the Dim Libs to refer to and watch in the future:


[Rep]

Originally Posted by kernow:
Hopefully people will see through them (after their schoolboy spat on TV) leaving Clegg and Huhne with no party to lead after the next GE!

...............:-) :-) :-)
[Rep]

Originally Posted by rjt:
The horrid irony is that they (the Liberal Dims) could suffer an electoral meldown yet be in a more influential position if the next election results in a hung Parliament.

Yes, I made the same point a while back.

There's no doubt that the europhile Lib Dims are going to lose seats at the next General Election - but they could (unfortunately) still end up holding the balance of power in the Commons on less seats (than they have now) if Labour loses its majority next time.

On the other hand, there could be a hung Parliament (i.e. a Parliament where no party has a majority of the seats in the House of Commons) and other small parties could hold the balance of power (and not the Dim Libs or not just the Dim Libs).
[Rep]

Originally Posted by rjt:
I would like a clear statement from Mr. Cameron that if his party emerges as the largest one but with no majority that he would form a minority government and try to get a Queens speach passed in the HOC possibly by getting support on set measures from the DUP and UUP.

I would like to see a statement from the Conservative leadership that it will not (in the event of a hung Parliament) form a coalition or voting arrangement in the House of Commons of any kind with the europhile Liberal Dims (a party now more left wing than many in the Labour Parliamentary party) and that it will do everything possible to thwart any attempts by the Dim Libs and/or others to change the voting system for elections to the House of Commons.

The Conservatives and the Liberal Dims may agree to both vote against ID cards - but that is where any co-operation between the Conservatives and the Lib Dims should begin and end.

I believe that if the Cameron-Conservatives tried to form some sort of minority Conservative Government with the support of the Lib Dims or that a Conservative-Dim Lib Government was formed (after the next General Election in the event of a hung Parliament) it could cause the Conservative Party to partially break up with tens of thousands of members quitting the party in protest at a deal with the Lib Dims (and tens of thousands of other Conservative Party members deciding not to renew their membership). I would expect most of those in any large-scale exodus from the Conservative Party to head for UKIP.

Most Conservative Party members would prefer to work with Dr. Paisley's DUP in the House of Commons rather than with the deceitful europhile Lib Dim Party (and who can blame them) - but there are (unfortunately) europhiles in the Conservative Party (such as Kenneth Clarke and the electoral rejects Heseltine and UKIP-hating Patten) who would prefer to deal with the pro-EU and leftist Liberal Dims than with the pro-sovereignty and pro-free enterprise Northern Ireland Unionists (the DUP and UUP).
[Rep]

Originally Posted by Britannist:
I would like to see a statement from the Conservative leadership that it will not (in the event of a hung Parliament) form a coalition or voting arrangement in the House of Commons of any kind with the europhile Liberal Dims

I can't see your wishes being granted! All three main parties would get into bed with the Devil, if it was what they had to do to cling onto power!
[Rep]

I have no doubt that if the Cameron-Conservatives (in the event of Labour losing its overall majority in the House of Commons at the next General Election) formed a Government with the europhile Liberal Dims or entered into a 'pact' with them (such as of the kind the Callaghan Labour Government had with the Liberals until the Liberals, characteristically, broke their word and reneged on the deal) tens of thousands of Conservative Party members will be heading for UKIP.

It is perfectly possible to imagine the membership of UKIP doubling (if not more) as a result of the establishment of a Conservative-Lib Dim Government or minority Conservative administration backed by the the Dim Libs on the condition that the Cameron-Conservatives move left and/or become more pro-EU than they already are.
[Rep]

If anything, Cameron is more EUphile than the LDs.
They haven't refused to let any anti-EU mps sit on their front bench.
The real problem the Tory party has is that in many places you could paint a rock blue and they would vote for it. The thinking tories have probably already more or less all deserted.
[Rep]