Lord Ashdown may be right – the coalition has opened up the south west to Labour
Andrew George once told me that there was always ‘room for radicals’ in the Liberal Democrats. Well, that was some years ago when the idea of his party forming a coalition with the Tories was unthinkable. For this radical at least, the idea of supporting Mr George and the Lib Dems is now unthinkable. Mr George’s attempt to place all the blame for the failure to form a Lib Lab coalition on Labour is looking increasingly untenable as details begin to emerge - for example in today’s Guardian – of what went on behind closed doors during Clegg’s negotiations with Cameron.
The most persuasive case for a Lib Lab coalition came from Lord Ashdown in a Today interview in the days leading to Nick Clegg’s deal with Cameron. Forget the arithmetic, said Ashdown, none of the smaller parties would vote out a progressive alliance to let the Tories in. And in today’s Guardian report he makes clear he ‘wouldn’t be part’ of any Cameron-Clegg government. He said the coalition deal upset him because it meant the Lib Dems were ‘abandoning the alignment of the left’ and he feared it would open up the south west of England to Labour.
But not just to Labour. Radicals and progressives in Cornwall need to decide how best to defend the region against the cuts about to hit us from the Cameron-Clegg government. That may indeed be by supporting Labour – or perhaps other parties with ‘room for radicals’?
Away with the rose garden nonsense – this is Dave’s real project
Under the headline ‘Victory!’ today’s Spectator comments:
This magazine had hoped for a Conservative government. We have what is arguably the next best thing: a government led by David Cameron but supported by some political mercenaries put in positions where they inflict the least damage - and reform-minded Tories in positions where they can do most good. The strategy is fairly clear: give Lib Dems more Cabinet crowns and chauffeurs than they could have dreamed of. Tie them in for five years, and have then defend Tory policy on the air waves. And then, crucially, let them share the blame for the Irish-style spending cuts to come [...]
The Lib Dems are left with prestigious-sounding non-jobs like Scotland Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister. To adapt Boris Johnson’s metaphor, we have served up a sausage government and it is never edifying to see how sausages are made. But the meat in this sausage is most certainly Conservative. The Lib Dems are the gristle.
Lib Con Andrew George says it’s all Labour’s fault
NEWS STATEMENT: LIBERAL DEMOCRATS IN GOVERNMENT issued earlier today.
Following the announcement of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Coalition Government last night and the meeting of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party in Westminster, the MP for West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly constituency of St Ives, Andrew George, said:
The electorate had given MPs a clear mandate. One which required them to work together. There was no overall winner of the General Election.
“Liberal Democrats have always argued for consensus politics. In any case, it is the inevitable consequence of electoral reform. So this is consensus politics in practice.
“The last thing the country needs right now is unstable Government followed by another General Election in the autumn. I believe that the agreement reached is not only a good one for the Liberal Democrats – as the statement to be released later this morning will show – 80% of the policy commitments of the new Government are items from the Liberal Democrat rather than Conservative manifesto.
“Personally, I had hoped for an alignment of the centre left. However, the Labour Party were very clearly not prepared to do any kind of deal. They were not prepared to compromise. They wanted to go into opposition.
“I am aware that whichever way these negotiations went many local electors would be unhappy. I am keen to speak to as many people as possible about the challenges we faced, the conundrums we had to overcome in negotiation and the justification of having to come to a deal which, above all, put the national interest first.
“I will be holding public meetings in the coming months and am keen to hear from all who have an opinion on the matter. My Parliamentary colleagues and I will be releasing a joint statement later in the day setting out our ambitions for Cornwall in the new Government.
Andrew George, Liberal Conservative MP for St Ives…
more on Cornwall’s Lib Cons soon…
Not, I think, the ‘difference’ the electorate voted for, Mr Clegg
I listened and read with incredulity that the Liberal Democrats were talking to the reactionary party, the Conservatives, about the possibility of an arrangement for government… more
So, where are Cornwall’s Lib Dems on Mr Clegg’s talks with Cameron?
Julia Goldsworthy – who lost Camborne & Redruth to the Tories by 66 votes – was a Lib Dem MP who would not, I think, have had much time for the idea of her party propping up a Cameron government. As I suggested in yesterday’s post, Andrew George will not in the next general election get the votes of Labour supporters like myself, who have always voted tactically to keep the Tories out of St Ives, if Mr Clegg does put the Tories into Downing Street. That, I suggest, would also be the view of thousands of Labour supporters in Cornwall.
Gains for Labour as Lib-Con councils fail
If Mr Clegg is seriously contemplating a deal with Cameron, he might heed the fate of Lib-Con councils in Thursday’s local elections.
What do we lose if Cameron triumphs?
Mudhook has reminded us of What has Labour ever done for Cornwall? And Johann Hari reminds us of what is at stake over the next few days in his post What do we lose if we reject Labour?
A Clegg Cameron deal could sink Andrew George
As a Labour supporter who yesterday voted tactically for Andrew George at St Ives, I would not be best pleased if Mr Clegg decided to sustain a Cameron government. Looking ahead to a general election that might have to be called within the next year, I would be inclined to campaign for Labour supporters in St Ives to abandon Mr George and vote Labour. That would be very bad news for Mr George given his now not so healthy majority.
Vandalised Conservative billboards (2)
First sighting of vandalised Conservative billboards in Cornwall: outside Truro railway station a billboard depicting a grinning Gordon Brown has been amended with the addition of obscenities and an invitation to vote Lib Dem. Conservative PPC for St Ives Derek Thomas has acquired a moustache and goatee beard on a huge billboard on the road between St Ives and Penzance. Voter power!
