[alanwarwic]

Its the political machine nature of party faithful.

They maketh dinosaurs of us all you know.

[RandomJointer]

In many areas of the South East the Liberals campaign was heavily focussed on "Labour Can't Win Here - Only The Liberals Can Keep The Tories Out"

I would imagine many Labour sympathisers in such areas that switched to voting Liberals to "keep the Tories out" have a burning hatred of the Liberals.

In my own part of the South East, this has resulted in unbelievable gains for Labour in Local Government elections since as tactical voters abandon the Liberals.

[Dave Hawk]

Originally Posted by RandomJointer

In many areas of the South East the Liberals campaign was heavily focussed on "Labour Can't Win Here - Only The Liberals Can Keep The Tories Out"

I would imagine many Labour sympathisers in such areas that switched to voting Liberals to "keep the Tories out" have a burning hatred of the Liberals.

In my own part of the South East, this has resulted in unbelievable gains for Labour in Local Government elections since as tactical voters abandon the Liberals.

In Durham, the Lib Dems have campaigned on as scat as Gordon Brown standing outside 10 Downing Street with Baroness Thatcher

[RandomJointer]

Originally Posted by Dave Hawk

In Durham, the Lib Dems have campaigned on as scat as Gordon Brown standing outside 10 Downing Street with Baroness Thatcher

Of course, the Liberal's aligned themselves differently depending on which part of the country they were campaigning in.

In Tory seats they try to pick up votes from Labour sympathisrs and in Labour seats they try to pick up votes from Tory sympathisers.

In my own seat the Liberals ran a vicious anti Tory campaign heavily focussed on not wasting a vote on Labour. Only the Liberals had any chance of beating the Tories.

That tactic is unlikely to work again in Tory areas. As vote Liberal to keep the Tories out has been exposed as vote Liberal to keep the Tories in.

In local elections since this has resulted in unbelievable gains for Labour, a total collapse in the Liberal vote and the Tories strengthening.

[Smiggs]

The bottom line:

What The Hell Have The Lib Dems Done?
Ensured the expensive and impractical ID cards programme has been scrapped

Totally worth it for me!

[mithy73]

Originally Posted by atg

Just after the election he told the liberals to go and take as much time talking to the tories as they wanted ffs. Doesn't sound like somebody who wanted to have a coalition with them, does it?

I think you're somewhat twisting Brown's words there, and a more accurate interpretation is that it didn't sound like someone who thought they stood a chance of forming one.

And your weird and twisted version of events makes absolutely no sense, notwithstanding being completely contrary to the reported facts.

What nonsense. My version of events is entirely in line with the reported facts - they're just not in line with your fantastical notion that "Labour told them to get stuffed". That did not happen. Carry on believing it if it makes you happy, though.

Giving you the chance to insult anybody who disagrees with you. Only one of us is making up crap, and it isn't me. "Crock" ffs.

I ridicule propositions that deserve ridicule. I don't doubt the point that there was no realistic prospect of a Lib-Lab coalition. That's fine, as far as it goes. Your position that the Lib Dems went begging to Labour and Labour told them to get stuffed, however, is a fantasy that is not in line with the facts, and suffers from the simple flaw that the Lib Dems could do the maths as well as Labour could, and the only logical reasons for going to Labour were (a) to spook the Tories and try to get more concessions from them, and (b) so they could tell their supporters that at least they'd tried.

Originally Posted by atg

See above. Brown told them to go and talk to the tories.

Again, I think you're twisting Brown's words. Can you provide an exact quote to back up your claim?

And what has heaven got do do with anything?

Oh dear. Are you not from this country or something? "In Heaven's name" is a common idiom in the English-speaking world.

Or Chewbacca for that matter.

Sigh. Look up the phrase "Chewbacca defence".

You seem to be mired in fantasy.

You seem to be rather seriously confused or ill-informed.

[Glenn A]

The two main parties dislike the Lib Dems and their predecessors since the mid seventies when the former Liberal Party re emerged and started winning seats and votes from the two main parties. Also some Labour people hate the Lib Dems as some of their members defected to the SDP in the early eighties and weakened Labour at the time. Labour and the Conservatives can't come to terms with the fact the easy two party elections have become a thing of the past and the Lib Dems, the SNP, BNP, UKIP and Plaid Cymu have become major challengers in many areas.

[clitheroe1]

Originally Posted by marbles316

I suggest you go here:

http://www.whatthehellhavethelibdemsdone.com/

One the the so called achievements that the LibDems regularly claim is is their manifesto pledge to raise the basic income tax threshold to £10,000 to help lower paid workers. The reality is that their manifesto said this tax cut would be funded by introducing a mansion tax, which would have been redistributive, when in fact they funded it by cutting benefits and services for the most vulnerable in society. So when I hear LibDems boasting about the difference they make in government, I'm not interested because I know they have walked over the low paid, the sick, students, the elderly and other vulnerable groups, to achieve the few crumbs of success they extracted from the Tories. That's why I dislike the party, and I say that as a former voter and campaigner for them.

[Net Nut]

Where does the burning hate for the Lib Dems come from?

They let voters think they were a left of centre moderate alternative to Labour.