Will a LibLab coalition provide stable govt?

Former Member

Well, it looks increasingly as though talks with the Conservative Party have stalled, and the Labour Party are already working on how to sell a LibLab pact to British voters ... However, since the LibDems now appear to be holding something of a Dutch auction, apparently meeting with Labour Party officials while the negotiations with the Conservatives were still on-going, can the electorate still trust them?

The BBC's live election blog quotes Paddy Ashdown as saying "that having a party "that is rabidly anti-European" in power - i.e. the Tories - is not in [the country's] best interests. He says a "rainbow coalition" with all the nationalist parties involved wouldn't work, but claims a minority Lib-Lab coalition would be stable" - on the basis that the nationalist parties would not support the Tories under any circumstances.

On the same BBC blog, Sir Malcolm Rifkind has compared the Labour Party trying to cobble together an "illegitimate" minority coalition government to stay in power to "the politics of Robert Mugabe"!

The election results for England were :
Conservative, 297 seats; Labour, 191; LibDem, 43; Green, 1

In England then, the Conservatives have a majority of 62, but will have no power. Is a LibLab coalition going to be in the country's best interests, and can it provide stable government?

Former Member

I dunno, in principle the party with the most votes should be running the country. However, I have limited sympathy for a party that has been massively against reforming our unfair electoral system then complaining when it is used against them. It's no fair that Cameron gets the most votes and no power, but it's not fair that the Lib Dems get 23% of the votes and 9% of the seats either. That's what you get in an unfair system. If it's the "politics of Mugabe" then what is the Tories opposing electoral reform because it will potentially reduce their power?

Former Member

My question was not about political reform, rather do you think a minority LibLab coalition will form a stable government?

Former Member

Yes, because the nationalists wont vote down the queen's speech, so the conservatives won't be able to block them.

Maybe it will be difficult with getting laws through - but a lot of what government does is day to day directing the civil service to do x y and z, attending international conferences, that kind of thing.

Former Member

overthehill wrote: »

My question was not about political reform, rather do you think a minority LibLab coalition will form a stable government?

No minority government will be stable, and no majority coalition government will be either, because it will have to be Lib-Cons, and there is far too much disagreement between them on every issue. What a Lib-Lab coalition could do is quickly initiate electoral reform, and then hold another election, where they would have a far bigger majority between them. Can't see it happening though, and it would take a long time, and presumably require a referendum.

Former Member

Easy to say with hindsight of current news but it was never going to happen. The Labour party would guarantee a loss at the next election if they went into arrangement at this late stage.

As it is, Nick Clegg is going to suffer with his voters at the next election...

Former Member

It wouldn't have worked. The SNP and Labour hate each other and there's enough Lib Dem MPs who don't like Labour that they'd always be at risk of them dropping (probably true with the Tories as well, but they have enough seats between them to act as a buffer)

Former Member

We shall never know now.

Mind you, Gordon's annoyed millions more people today by deciding to go to Buckingham Palace at the time EastEnders was meant to come on.

littlemissy

MoK wrote: »

Easy to say with hindsight of current news but it was never going to happen. The Labour party would guarantee a loss at the next election if they went into arrangement at this late stage.

As it is, Nick Clegg is going to suffer with his voters at the next election...

The thing about a Lab-Lib coalition is that they would've needed nearly all the 'other' MPs to be on board too. There were simply too many different parties that would've had to be involved and it just wouldn't have worked.

Former Member

stargalaxy wrote: »

We shall never know now.

Mind you, Gordon's annoyed millions more people today by deciding to go to Buckingham Palace at the time EastEnders was meant to come on.

3 people on my facebook have complained about this so far!

Former Member

MoK wrote: »

Easy to say with hindsight of current news but it was never going to happen. The Labour party would guarantee a loss at the next election if they went into arrangement at this late stage.

As it is, Nick Clegg is going to suffer with his voters at the next election...

Not sure that's true. If the Government does well they'll do well by default, if it goes badly they'll be punished.

Former Member

Evenstar wrote: »

3 people on my facebook have complained about this so far!

Facebook groups everywhere are being mobilised with titles such as "PUT EASTENDERS ON, BBC!!!!!!!!!111!!!!!!!".

Personally, I wish the Queen had decided to take the piss out of everyone by declaring that she was going to bed early tonight, thus delaying the appointment of Call Me Dave as PM until tomorrow morning.

Harriet Harman's in charge of the Labour Party now too - just what a party that's been thrown out of power needs to cheer itself up. :yeees:

Former Member

Who Daves Wins.