What we (sane people) have been waiting for -

yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/

Seems like a cheap, populist move to me. A bit like a poll in the Sun.

I would rather Clegg fight his corner for his principles rather than let himself be swallowed up by a reactionary right-wing Tory government.

david wrote:
I would rather Clegg fight his corner for his principles rather than let himself be swallowed up by a reactionary right-wing Tory government.

I prefer to see it as Clegg using his influence to "temper" normal Tory policies.
I can see quite alot of Lib-Dem thinking in current Gov strategy.

In The Know wrote:

I can see quite alot of Lib-Dem thinking in current Gov strategy.

Please tell me where, ITK.

Apart from the raising of the tax threshold which is good. Electoral reform is there (tho very, very watered down so much that it is meaningless).

Apart from that, where is the Lib Dem influence?or the reason you give above

Don't get me wrong, I was a Lib Dem party member and very much in favour of the coalition for the reason you give above - tempering Tory policies. But that is not what is happening. We have a right-wing Tory budget which Thatcher would have regarded as moderate

I have torn up my Lib Dem card and sent it back.

apologies for typos above.

David which policies have the co-alition introduced that are "Old Right Wing Tory"

Police - cut the numbers and reduce paper work : Lib Dem

Freedom Bill - Lib Dem and Con bill ( get rid of ID Cards

Withdraw Troops ( 2014) - lib dem

Electoral Reform - lib dem

Prison Policy - jail fewer - lib dem ( Tory policy was to build new super jails !!!)

Benefits - kept all benefits for those who are vulnerable.

Tax - taken loads out of tax


I cant see any problem at all. In fact I can see alot of people warming to the Lib Dems who are showing that they are not following Pie in the Sky policies - but practical ones that the People like.

The Lib Dems will take over from New Labour at the next election as the second biggest party - the people in the NORTH need to wake up and realise LABOUR is over as a political force. They have failed every time since the 70s when in power. The game is up.

david wrote:

Don't get me wrong, I was a Lib Dem party member and very much in favour of the coalition for the reason you give above - tempering Tory policies. But that is not what is happening. We have a right-wing Tory budget which Thatcher would have regarded as moderate

I have torn up my Lib Dem card and sent it back.

I haven't got time to go through the whole budget ! I thought (given current circumstances) that the budget was fair and balanced.

Why don't you tell us what YOU would have done to remove the £143 Billion deficit (for this year alone) ?

I'm told that if cuts hadn't come immediately then interest repayments alone would be £70 Billion by 2014 - without a penny coming off the actual debt.

Labour got us into this mess, with their profligate policies - and its now known that they were planning £40 Billion in cuts themselves - but they would not "come clean" about this before the election).

I shall have to defer to JK (who is our resident Charles Dickens expert) but wasn't it Mr McCawber (on release from debtors prison !) who said (something like) -

Annual income £1.00d, annual spending 19s 6d equals bliss
Annual income £1.00d, annual spending £1.0s 6d equals doom !

What do you think Mr McCawber would have made of £143,000,000,000.00d excess spending !

Thats about £9,000 debt for every man woman and child in the Country.