But will the Tories be so Machiavellian as to oppose a change they have just agreed to put to the UK electorate? Undoubtedly some on the fringes of the party will, but it is hard to see how Clegg could have agreed to a deal whereby Cameron will hold an AV referendum only to oppose its passage - even if it has been agreed that the Lib Dems can abstain on Trident and a few other very controversial Tory policies.
Would a smart leader not have negotiated a better position, or opted for a less formal alliance, allowing the Tories to crash and burn without tying himself to their depleted uranium boat anchor?
If Clegg has any smarts he will have negotiated a 5 year programme with his priorities in their early. That way the Lib Dems come to be seen as a party capable of influencing policy and of Government after 100 years on the fringe - which gives them a certain credibility even if the Government ends up being unpopular.
Even the fact that Coalition Government comes to be seen as "normal" in the UK means it is moving closer to the European norm! Joining the Euro was never going to happen anyway barring a financial melt-down, and if that happens Clegg will have an issue on which to precipitate an election if he wants one.
If Clegg does achieve AV he will have achieved more than any other Lib Dem leader in living memory - not just for the Lib Dems, but for all minority parties, for electoral participation, and for a system seen as being more inclusive and fair. Frank's Home Page and Diary Index
Joining the Euro was never going to happen anyway barring an even bigger financial melt-down
FIFY
- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
The Euro was barely mentioned, but there was an intervention by someone from "The City" which I'll report here. He started out with the claim that London is subsidising the rest of the UK through its tax revenues which, as we know (ahem), are due mostly to London's position at the centre of the world's capital markets. He mentioned that the Euro Zone is taking over from the US as a global standard-setter in finance, and that this is driving international banks to establish offices in London, which (see above) is good for the UK economy. So the Euro is good for Britain because of that. But, of course, that doesn't mean that the UK should trade the Pound for the Euro. And here's where I really felt like slapping the guy to wake him up: he said there wouldn't be a case for the UK joining the Euro Zone unless and until there's some serious economic crisis which is not what "the current hiccup" is.
A few Tory mavericks and the Murdock media campaigning against AV is one thing. Cameron and the Tory part of the Government campaigning against their Lib Dem colleagues is quite a different matter. I could see this becoming the game breaker. Its all very well the Lib Dems abstaining on a couple of Parliamentary votes by prior agreement. But the two parties campaigning against each other on an absolutely fundamental issue will do nothing for the longevity of the Government.
Of course if the British people had any sense they would vote for AV precisely because the two main parties are against it, and in a low poll the Lib Dems might actually beat both major parties. After all, AV changes nothing except giving people effectively more than one vote - or making their one vote count as part of the final determination of who gets the seat and ending the spectre of "wasted votes" and pointless candidacies . In theory its a win win for the voters.
But never underestimate the power of the media and the establishment to persuade people to vote against their own best interests.... Frank's Home Page and Diary Index
Yup. That should do it.
I think he's still in that state of post-Ministerial denial where he gets in the back of the car and expects it to go. "Any economic unit can emit money. The serious problem is to get it accepted" Hyman Minsky
5 votes - 38 %