Cleggover/'Call me Dave' Dave - get a room!

amcluesent

Nick Clegg goes public on coalition – and looks to the Conservatives

Nick Clegg today signalled that he would speak to the Conservatives first about the formation of a minority government. Clegg said he would not prop up Labour if it came third in the vote yet secured the most seats.

"High time us toffs ran the show, don't you think, old chap?"



"Clegg as expected is Home Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Cable is Chancellor, Osborne takes his old sparring partner’s job at Business. Phil Hammond and David Laws are tasked with cutting spending and reforming taxation at the Treasury. Lord Adonis remains as the government’s Transport Minister, Frank Field returns to the Department for Work and Pensions, both take the Liberal whip."

ukcarper

and Cameron agrees to PR ?

nickmason

While at the same time Paddy Ashdown is briefing the opposite. It plays well for the LDs to do this:
1) they negate the "vote yellow, get Brown" attack
2) they get more coverage
3) they appear distinct from Labour
And it's very very easy and to leak tasty snippets of potential coalition cabinets.
Just don't believe it to have any bearing on what happens.

My suspicion is that Clegg will ask the Labour party (which will be in the throes of ejecting its leader) to support him as PM, on the basis that he got a higher share of the vote than Labour. This will be rejected, and all hell will break loose. While trying to negotiate that, Clegg isn't going to talk to the Conservatives - and what's more his party members, tax and spend sandle-wearers all, will never buy it. I don't know the LD constitution, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he found himself bound by party policy (they make a big play of the fact that policy is made by the party members - which strikes me as an extraordinarily odd way to run a potential government) such that he can't do a deal with the Conservatives.

nickmason

amcluesent wrote: »

"Clegg as expected is Home Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Cable is Chancellor, Osborne takes his old sparring partner’s job at Business. Phil Hammond and David Laws are tasked with cutting spending and reforming taxation at the Treasury. Lord Adonis remains as the government’s Transport Minister, Frank Field returns to the Department for Work and Pensions, both take the Liberal whip."

In case anyone was taking this seriously, it was from guido's blog - which also contained in the same post:

After unofficial back-channel communications between Samantha Cameron and her third-cousin at Buckingham Palace all morning, the Queen’s Private Secretary calls the leader of the Conservative Party and asks him to come to the palace. The Private Secretary then calls Nick Clegg and asks him to come to the palace as well.
In what is the iconic picture of the election, Cameron walks out of his Millbank headquarters along the Thames embankment to 4 Cowley Street where Nick Clegg greets him and together they walk purposefully towards the Mall surrounded by photographers and cameramen as crowds cheer and many ask “which one is which?”

smamst

ukcarper wrote: »

and Cameron agrees to PR ?

Actually if this means that all those working class northerners that have done nothing but vote Labour all their lives and moan for years on end then bring it on. We'll never have a socialist government again.

mbga9pgf

Looks as if those cnts in the labour party are dead electorally for the next 100 years!

Electoral reform is going to shaft them. They are a bankrupt party and their electoral vote will be ground into the dust.

ukcarper

smamst wrote: »

Actually if this means that all those working class northerners that have done nothing but vote Labour all their lives and moan for years on end then bring it on. We'll never have a socialist government again.

We haven’t had a socialist government for over 30 years and LibDems are probably the nearest thing now.

Generali

ukcarper wrote: »

and Cameron agrees to PR ?

A necessary precondition of doing business with the Lib Dems as they believe it will mean they will be in power for the rest of time.

AIUI Mr Brown is still Prime Minister as he only resigns his Government and so gets first shot at forming a Government. If he can do a deal to form a coalition or even can persuade the Queen that he can get a Budget through with a minority Government then that's the end of it.

StevieJ

What if Labour do a deal with the Tories and freeze the LibDems out, after all these days they more or less wear the same clothes and FPTP would be protected :eek:

Generali

StevieJ wrote: »

What if Labour do a deal with the Tories and freeze the LibDems out, after all these days they more or less wear the same clothes and FPTP would be protected :eek:

It's not impossible; Mr MacDonald led a National Government in peacetime in the 1930s and Mr Brown has talked in the past of a 'Government of all the talents' or something similar.

Tactically it makes long term sense for the 2 main parties to retain the electoral system that has served them well for 100 years.

I just don't see it really. Where's Sir Humphrey when you need him?

FWIW, Betfair have no overall majority as odds-on favourite with the Tories at 5-1 on (bet £1 to return £1.20) to be largest party.

barrymoney

StevieJ wrote: »

What if Labour do a deal with the Tories and freeze the LibDems out, after all these days they more or less wear the same clothes and FPTP would be protected :eek:

Ha, yeah . On some policies its probably true (trident).

If libdems look like flip-flopping between the other 2 parties it might focus voters on choosing one of labour/tory. Could be a good tactic for lab/tory - squeeze libdems out for the final week. Suggest they 'arent ready to govern' or something.