• Liberal Democrat membership soars to 80,000 after the EU referendum
    22 replies, posted
[QUOTE] Lib Dem membership has been soaring since the Brexit vote and has now hit around 80,000, the party announced today. Officials say the party's ranks have grown by a third since the EU referendum with 20,000 people signing up. The new figure means membership is higher than it was at the heart of the party's protests against the Iraq War. And it means despite being decimated to just eight MPs, Tim Farron's party has more than half the membership of the Tories. Membership then rose slightly to 43,451 in 2013 and 45,771 in 2014 before rising sharply to 61,456 in June last year. Lib Dem President Sal Brinton hailed the figures, claiming: “With Labour throwing in the towel and the Tories veering towards a hard Brexit , we are now the UK’s only truly pro-European party." [/QUOTE] [url]http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/liberal-democrat-membership-soars-80000-8942375[/url]
I don't know much about them other than they were the junior partner before the latest UK government, and I heard they broke some promises. One hopes they can become a legitimate alternative to British Labour so that ya'll can have one non-batshit crazy party
[QUOTE=BlackMageMari;51136045]I don't know much about them other than they were the junior partner before the latest UK government, and I heard they broke some promises. One hopes they can become a legitimate alternative to British Labour so that ya'll can have one non-batshit crazy party[/QUOTE] They got 80% of their policies in power compared to the *I think* 30% of the Tories, but made the mistake of not publicizing it in the media after having to compromise on tuition fees. Their current leader was one who voted against that though, and they're making the biggest gains of any party by far, so I guess there's still hope. [t]https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/14468696_10100487107736833_742415708999676694_o.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=BlackMageMari;51136045][B]I don't know much about them other than they were the junior partner before the latest UK government, and I heard they broke some promises.[/B] One hopes they can become a legitimate alternative to British Labour so that ya'll can have one non-batshit crazy party[/QUOTE] and it's an image that the lib dems really need to shake off fast and/or people really need to be more understanding of the reasons behind what happened in 2010. it's a shame because they're fucked by fptp and two polar opposite parties who wish to squeeze them out of existence. furthermore, what isn't helping is farron's lack of charisma and their extremely minimal media presence. it's a good thing that they continue to push for continuing ties with the eu because the referendum was a total sham, it was just literally a political game played by cameron in order to preserve the conservative vote from being chipped away by ukip.
[QUOTE=Elfy;51136072]They got 80% of their policies in power compared to the *I think* 30% of the Tories, but made the mistake of not publicizing it in the media after having to compromise on tuition fees. Their current leader was one who voted against that though, and they're making the biggest gains of any party by far, so I guess there's still hope. [t]https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/14468696_10100487107736833_742415708999676694_o.jpg[/t][/QUOTE] They've got a good presence in our village. In fact, unless my eyes deceive me, the office of Tom Brake (MP for Carshalton and Wallington) is just down the street, merely a few strides away from the Moon House Fish Bar.
I think the current state of our politics could only mean good things for the Lib Dems, provided they capitalise on it. And if we do actually fucking go through with Brexit before the next election (and it'll be a guaranteed shitshow) it would give them some serious leverage in that election. BUT I have a feeling that May isn't going to enact Article 50 before the next election because A) she can use it herself as the Tories main policy to get voted in again B) if she loses then she'll be demanding that the victor enact it ASAP
I could see them gaining quite a decent following now that Labour is in the process of committing suicide. Hopefully people can put the whole Nick Clegg thing behind them.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;51136325]I could see them gaining quite a decent following now that Labour is in the process of committing suicide. Hopefully people can put the whole Nick Clegg thing behind them.[/QUOTE] Unfortunately their current leader Tim Farron is just about as unlikable as Nick Clegg and he hasn't even broken any promises yet.
[QUOTE=BlackMageMari;51136045]I don't know much about them other than they were the junior partner before the latest UK government, and I heard they broke some promises. One hopes they can become a legitimate alternative to British Labour so that ya'll can have one non-batshit crazy party[/QUOTE] less that they broke promises, but more of a severe image problem considering most people who voted for the lib dems utterly despised the conservatives, so as soon as the coalition was announced, the entire lib dem voter base was fucking horrified so you ended up with a situation where the conservative voters didn't give a fuck because they just sort of saw the lib dems as being a bit of a nuisance, while the lib dem voter base was just utterly distraught with the idea end result: next election the lib democrats utterly disintegrate and the conservatives wipe the floor with them, because nobody trusts the lib dems as they're seen as power grabbing muppets, and the labour party had basically a living sesame street character as the leader
Will lib Dems completely replace labour in time if this keeps surging?
[QUOTE=fruxodaily;51138600]Will lib Dems completely replace labour in time if this keeps surging?[/QUOTE] it's hard to say, as where i live is a guaranteed corbyn stronghold. nationally though, it is just between the conservative 'silent majority', and the loud and angry corbynistas. i wouldn't be surprised if it went 1981 again at the next election if labour loses, that's where i can imagine the lib dems overtaking labour potentially as some of the more moderate voters will be lost.
It would just be historical in many ways to see a major Labour party collapse and I wonder if it'll be a chain reaction to other labour parties if that happened
[QUOTE=fruxodaily;51140857]It would just be historical in many ways to see a major Labour party collapse and I wonder if it'll be a chain reaction to other labour parties if that happened[/QUOTE] I hope not. Our Labour party here is already weakened enough as it is, despite the fact they were exactly like the Liberal Dems - they pushed forward progressive and liberal policies that worked and they were a huge pusher for Marriage Equality in Ireland. Unfortunately they only barely have enough seats to retain speaking rights (to be fair that's partly down to the fact that Joan Burton was no-where near as good as a leader of Eamon Gilmore, who I hope will be recognised for his achievements in the years to come). I really don't want the left to be solely represented by the likes of Sinn Fein and the AAA-PBP; Labour is more moderate and less populist and my positions generally align with theirs. It's a sorry, sorry state of affairs.
[QUOTE=BlackMageMari;51136045]I don't know much about them other than they were the junior partner before the latest UK government, and I heard they broke some promises. One hopes they can become a legitimate alternative to British Labour so that ya'll can have one non-batshit crazy party[/QUOTE] The liberal Mess is 2fold, Short and small of it, Tories increse tuition fees for university students from 3k to 9k per year, The Liberals under Nick Clegg promise that they would lower tuition fees, most of their campaign was aimed at students, and so when the election results rolled in, they pretty much got the student vote. They then hopped into bed with the Tories, which fucked off alot of the existing lib voters because it was litterally siding with the enemy, and then they imediately back tracked on the whole student thing. Alienating every person who voted them. They did not even attempt to fight for the 1 policy that secured them a position of power they got, they just sided with the Tories and said yeah it was naive to make the promise, since then they have the image of selling out, rolling over and getting their tummy rubbed for a bunch of scraps, even if thats not nessescarilly the the whole truth. Whats helped them make gains is Nick Clegg fucking off and Labour going to complete shit.
[QUOTE=Fr3ddi3;51141091]The liberal Mess is 2fold, Short and small of it, Tories increse tuition fees for university students from 3k to 9k per year, The Liberals under Nick Clegg promise that they would lower tuition fees, most of their campaign was aimed at students, and so when the election results rolled in, they pretty much got the student vote. They then hopped into bed with the Tories, which fucked off alot of the existing lib voters because it was litterally siding with the enemy, and then they imediately back tracked on the whole student thing. Alienating every person who voted them. They did not even attempt to fight for the 1 policy that secured them a position of power they got, they just sided with the Tories and said yeah it was naive to make the promise, since then they have the image of selling out, rolling over and getting their tummy rubbed for a bunch of scraps, even if thats not nessescarilly the the whole truth. Whats helped them make gains is Nick Clegg fucking off and Labour going to complete shit.[/QUOTE] Even with their "hopping into bed" with the Tories, it looks like they behaved as a restraining bolt of sorts, the Tories as a part of the coalition didn't get away with even a fraction of the damaging policy they got away with outside of it. The Lib Dems fucked up super hard with the tuition fees thing, but do we have evidence they didn't even attempt to fight it? I expect there was a fair bit of turmoil within the party over that, though the party leader does kinda get final say I suppose, so if Clegg didn't think he could fight it, it wasn't going to happen. It's a shame really, as without them (and before Corbyn at least), we had no real left-leaning parties that weren't fucking useless in every single way. Slowly turning us into a smaller USA as our politics drifted ever closer to the Republican/ Democrat lines. We need some proper opposition to the Tories, and due a lot of the shit going down within Labour we don't even have that right now.
[QUOTE=hexpunK;51141364]Even with their "hopping into bed" with the Tories, it looks like they behaved as a restraining bolt of sorts, the Tories as a part of the coalition didn't get away with even a fraction of the damaging policy they got away with outside of it. The Lib Dems fucked up super hard with the tuition fees thing, but do we have evidence they didn't even attempt to fight it? I expect there was a fair bit of turmoil within the party over that, though the party leader does kinda get final say I suppose, so if Clegg didn't think he could fight it, it wasn't going to happen. It's a shame really, as without them (and before Corbyn at least), we had no real left-leaning parties that weren't fucking useless in every single way. Slowly turning us into a smaller USA as our politics drifted ever closer to the Republican/ Democrat lines. We need some proper opposition to the Tories, and due a lot of the shit going down within Labour we don't even have that right now.[/QUOTE] Which is where I think the average voter will forget the tuition fee scandal and give the Lib Dems another shot. At least there wasn't visible tearing during that scandal unlike Labour right now [editline]3rd October 2016[/editline] Tim Farron needs to seize this moment and start acting like an opposition leader
[QUOTE=Hamsteronfire;51136108] furthermore, what isn't helping is farron's lack of charisma and their extremely minimal media presence.[/QUOTE] As someone who lived in Farron's constituency (which had been Tory since it's creation until he came along) for 18 years before he became the party leader, I can tell you with confidence he is one of the most charismatic politicians I'm aware of. You're right about the media presence but I'd argue that that's because his party was so devastated by the coalition that it slipped into relative irrelevance.
[QUOTE=hexpunK;51141364]Even with their "hopping into bed" with the Tories, it looks like they behaved as a restraining bolt of sorts, the Tories as a part of the coalition didn't get away with even a fraction of the damaging policy they got away with outside of it. The Lib Dems fucked up super hard with the tuition fees thing, but do we have evidence they didn't even attempt to fight it? I expect there was a fair bit of turmoil within the party over that, though the party leader does kinda get final say I suppose, so if Clegg didn't think he could fight it, it wasn't going to happen. It's a shame really, as without them (and before Corbyn at least), we had no real left-leaning parties that weren't fucking useless in every single way. Slowly turning us into a smaller USA as our politics drifted ever closer to the Republican/ Democrat lines. We need some proper opposition to the Tories, and due a lot of the shit going down within Labour we don't even have that right now.[/QUOTE] in a bizarre turn of events, the actual opposition right now seems to be Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP I place my trust most in them [editline]3rd October 2016[/editline] labour is useless
[QUOTE=Turnips5;51145180]in a bizarre turn of events, the actual opposition right now seems to be Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP I place my trust most in them [editline]3rd October 2016[/editline] labour is useless[/QUOTE] The SNP genuinely interest me as a party. Despite all the shit going on they've managed to hold on to their positions, and if anything strengthen as a party. I'm interested to see where they go in the coming years given that we're currently suffering under Theresa "who needs human rights?" May.
[QUOTE=hexpunK;51145354]The SNP genuinely interest me as a party. Despite all the shit going on they've managed to hold on to their positions, and if anything strengthen as a party. I'm interested to see where they go in the coming years given that we're currently suffering under Theresa "who needs human rights?" May.[/QUOTE] I'm praying that scotland gets out. no part of scotland voted for this insanity
[QUOTE=Turnips5;51145582]I'm praying that scotland gets out. no part of scotland voted for this insanity[/QUOTE] If Scotland is going to leave just so they can re-join the EU, a better scenario is that Scotland stays part of Britain and helps Britain vote for politicians that will vote for all of Britain to re-join the EU. I don't know if that would happen but it'd suck ass if Scotland split and Britain slowly slipped into shit country status because of having the Tories in power for the next few decades.
[QUOTE=Helix Snake;51145614]If Scotland is going to leave just so they can re-join the EU, a better scenario is that Scotland stays part of Britain and helps Britain vote for politicians that will vote for all of Britain to re-join the EU. I don't know if that would happen but it'd suck ass if Scotland split and Britain slowly slipped into shit country status because of having the Tories in power for the next few decades.[/QUOTE] They already tried. Tories too powerful and due to be more powerful after the constituency boundary changes.
[QUOTE=shozamar;51145056]As someone who lived in Farron's constituency (which had been Tory since it's creation until he came along) for 18 years before he became the party leader, I can tell you with confidence he is one of the most charismatic politicians I'm aware of. You're right about the media presence but I'd argue that that's because his party was so devastated by the coalition that it slipped into relative irrelevance.[/QUOTE] that may be, but his past opposition to gay marriage, and religious beliefs probably hurts his image, definitely makes him less relatable to some, like me [editline]4th October 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=hexpunK;51145354]The SNP genuinely interest me as a party. Despite all the shit going on they've managed to hold on to their positions, and if anything strengthen as a party. I'm interested to see where they go in the coming years given that we're currently suffering under Theresa "who needs human rights?" May.[/QUOTE] lol they need to fuck off, exceptionalist bastards
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