h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I used to be a Lib., years ago - I'm a bit to the right of that now, not that it matters because I don't vote any more.

The Barnsley Central result was quite interesting. We had 35% turnouts in the by-election, and in the Welsh referendum the same day.

It's all going pear-shaped for the Libs. I used to think that there would be no real change in British politics until one of the big two parties split. For a while it looked quite possible that Labour could split (the SDP &c), then the Tories looked vulneable (Major's 'barstewards' and the emergence of UKIP). But Labour and the Tories are still with us, and now it looks like it's the Libs who are in the running for politics' Darwin Prize. Having committed themselves to the coalition, and signed up to a 7th May 2015 General Election, the Libs. will look pretty demme foolish is they resile on the basis of a collapse in their support - hardly an endorsement of coalition politics; "we're in there with you, side by side, through thick and thin, adjusting principled positions and reaching pragmatic accommodations, preserving always core values and visions, in the interest of the nation, which comes first and foremost, until things start looking sticky for us, then it's byeeee." Aye, right. Just the sort of people you want to see in positions of power,

But would it be a bad thing if the Libs were to die out electorally between now and 2015. If that happened, some supporters would retire from politics, and some would remain loyal to any residual rump, but the majority would find new homes in either Labour or the Tory parties, and might actually begin to change those parties for the better.

I'm sanguine.

Come on Lib Dems, stick to your guns - serve your country and take the brickbats or plaudits as they are deserved. Sucess will be a validation of everything you have stood for. Failure will simply demonstrate the fundamental failings of your platform. What's it going to be?

However things play out in the longer run, it'd take foolhardy courage to take a punt on AV while the reality of peacetime coalition government in the UK is still, to quote Shakespeare, being tried in the balance...

Anyhow, I went in to town this morning and spent over £200 on shoes, shirts and trowzers. It is a bonny day oot. I will be in Fife on Sunday-Tuesday, and have two lectures and three tutorials to give at the Uni next week. My haircut is still getting positive comment - I saw Dr C today and he said it took 10 years off me.


Douglas

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12657071

Hmmmm... in the sense that 'dog bites man' is not a story but 'man bites dog is' what are we to make of the fact that the Liberals have the full support of Nick Clegg?


Douglas

I wouldn't be too sure about the Tories. Did you note who came 2nd in Barnsley? There are a lot of people on the right who are also far from gruntled with the coalition.

Glad to hear about the haircut. At our age we need every advantage. My last one was favourably commented on by the cute young Irish security woman at our office ("Like your new haircut!").

PJ's OH