I know it’s all about not shutting any doors, and keeping all options open. However, much as I like Neal Lawson personally and the whole of Compass, especially Gavin Hayes, I think the best way to save the “progressive left” is to vote Labour at the general election of 2015.
Why do I bring this up now? Nick Clegg said he could imagine working with Labour after 2015, and Ed Miliband has said politely, “it would be difficult”. This is the equivalent of a boy saying, “Do you fancy us going to Claridges’ tomorrow evening?”, and the girl saying, “Not really, you stink”.
It would be impossible for us to work with Nick Clegg or the Liberal Democrats. While Clegg can use empty words such as “duty” and “national interest”, actually his proposition is deeply offensive. It’s deeply offensive to those innocent people who objected to his party enacting the privatisation of the NHS. It’s deeply offensive to those disabled citizens who hate the new disability benefit legislation. It’s deeply offensive to those with housing or other social welfare problems who are seeing a swathe of free law centres and citizens advice bureaux shut down.
The Liberal Democrats are now in self-destruct mode, en route to commit a full political apoptosis on May 8th 2015. They will be utterly obliterated from English politics. Do you think that Nick Clegg is lending an olive branch to Labour members? No, Nick Clegg hates Labour and the Unions. He is sending out a message that a vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for Labour.
Ed Miliband must reject this at all costs. We do not need a sympathy vote from Nick Clegg or his party. His MPs enacted three of the most destructive laws, without involvement of the people concerned, in my lifetime. He is hoping that Social Liberal Democrats won’t bother voting at all, and his Orange Liberal Democrats will provide “one last heave” to get David Cameron winning his first ever general election.
Nick Clegg’s message is politically odious. He never explained why the deficit had increased due to spend on the hospitals or schools, nor why a desperate measure was needed to save the banks. I would say, “If he wins Sheffield, I’m a baboon”, but unfortunately he has a very safe seat which would be impossible for Labour to win.
