Today’s Telegraph reports that Gordon Brown is planning a “game-changing” move immediately after the Euro elections later this week by inviting the Liberal Democrats into Government.
Given current political climate, it is unlikely that the Lib Dems, notwithstanding their traditional predilection for political accommodations, would accept. An ICM poll, also in today’s Telegraph, shows that the Lib Dems have now overtaken Labour in general election voting intentions; they are on 25 per cent, as against Labour’s 22 and the Tories’ 40 per cent.
Running this through Electoral Calculus, this would give the Conservatives 376, Labour 161 and the Lib Dems 82 seats respectively. In other words, the Lib Dems, on present voting intentions, would stand to gain an additional 15 seats.
What on earth, in the circumstances, would be the benefit to Nick Clegg of hitching his wagon to Gordon Brown’s falling star? The Labour brand is now so toxic that even the very loosest of coalitions would be sure to contaminate any party that was associated with it.
If, therefore, there is any substance whatever to the Telegraph’s story, it serves only to illustrate still further the Prime Minister’s increasingly worrying detachment from reality.
Clegg would be mad to accept this ludicrous request just when it seems that the Lib Dems are about to replace Labour as the main party of opposition.
I hope the Lib Dems treat it with the contempt it deserves.
Labour really are starting to clutch at straws now as they go down for the second time (the third and final time will be the General Election)
Bye Bye Labour – you will NOT be missed.
I don’t think the LibDems will think that 15 additional seats is so big a deal, DJ.
The point is that they would (or should) only consider this if it will result in us getting a fair voting system. That is the only change that really matters … yet it is something that David Cameron has ruled out already.
I’ve made a fuller response here:
http://syniadau–buildinganindependentwales.blogspot.com/2009/05/game-changing.html
The Conservatives will dominate the forthcoming elections not because they are better, but because Labour are so pathetically inefficient.
It has been said that a week is a long time in politics. If this lot is allowed the year they have left, could the mood not change in their favour with the help of a few happy accidents? Public memory is short.
Surely they have done enough damage to merit throwing out of office now?