Contradictory Views amongst Voters

People often say they only ever see politicians at election time.
Conversely we you call on people after an election they complain why are you calling now, there’s not an election is there? You just can’t win.
Here’s another conundrum. Liberal Democrat voters believe Conservatives and LibDems are all the same now (following the coalition at Westminster). I’m not quite sure of the answer to that one, though it does indicate that no one is sure what the LibDems stand for any more.
Another amusing contradiction comes from the ComRes opinion poll last week. 78% of people prefer proportional representation, and yet in the same breath 72% do not like the political horse-trading that follows a hung parliament!
They say the customer is always right.

Why Now?

The London based Daily Telegraph newspaper faces the most serious question about David Laws’ resignation, and that is: Why now?
Why reveal information pertaining to his personal relationship as it relates to a rule change in 2006 about MPs renting accommodation from a “partner” -- a murky term if ever there were one?

It is certainly most detrimental to the coalition government, and hence the economic fortunes of the United Kingdom, and thus totally irresponsible.

Today the Telegraph makes the naïve claim they had no intention of revealing the victim’s sexual orientation. What a foolish claim.

It’s ironic that had David Laws defected to the Conservative Party at the time of the rule change he could then have safely come out, and stopped claiming for the London flat without giving rise to any suspicion.
But he didn’t, because he wrongly thought the Conservative Party more homophobic than his own LibDems.

Coalition Misgivings

I couldn’t help noticing the Liberal Democrats in Twickenham and Richmond are having a meeting on Thursday week (3rd June) to “discuss the coalition government”. Vince Cable will “speak, answer questions and listen to members' views.”
Now, political parties do not have meetings like that unless they have serious misgivings amongst their rank and file.
And for a party that has spent the last fifty years preaching the wonders of proportional representation and coalition government, the fact that they hesitate when they find themselves part of one is utter hypocrisy.

A Good Deal?

People ask me whether the coalition is a good deal. If activists from both parties are complaining in equal measure that too much was given away, that says that it was about right.

No one believes that a minority Conservative government would have lasted beyond Christmas. Now there’s a good chance the coalition will last long enough to get to grips with Labour’s economic mess.

Meantime we must stomach the hike in capital gains tax and the delay in abolishing inheritance tax for families with modest wealth.
And hope for the best.

A Five Year Parliament

I don’t fully accept the notion that “the people have decided” when it comes to election results, especially the idea that Britain somehow chose a hung parliament last week.
Most people made up their own minds and voted individually -- only a minority were wishing for an inconclusive result. And none of them was expecting such resounding coalition deal.
I can’t help thinking that a lot of floating voters treated the entire process as a TV talent contest like the X-Factor and American Idol.
They imagined it was just for this year, and they’d get a chance to vote again next year.
Maybe they will, but the odds are that David Cameron has played a blinder, and they’ll be stuck with their decision for five years.