Oppinion of David Cameron

[YmirGF]

What do I think of David Cameron? Not much, so far.

 

[Yerda]

Yes the tories are more 'business friendly' - you say this like it 's a bad thing!

If I referred to the tories as 'business friendly' it would only be an attempt to make humour by massive understatement. I'm not suggesting that the tories are receptive to business, I'm saying the two are generally indistinguishable.

As for the Lib Dems. Perhaps I'm wrong, and they can hold off the lunatic ideologues in the Conservative party. I would have rather have seen the Lib Dems win the election outright than either of the other two, but if I'm going to slip into fantasy I might as well go the whole way and envision the overthrow of the political classes, the end of power, Rangers in the Champions League final and the coming of utopia.

 

[Pithyoneliner]

Pithyoneliner what the Lib Dems have done goes beyond opportunism. Generally speaking opportunists abandon their principles for personal gain but its hard to see what the Lib Dems gained by joining with the Conservatives beyond meaningless promises. What power they had as an opposition party has been lost and they've enabled a Conservative government that is deeply at odds with Lib Dem voters. They've also handed the next general election to Labour who will make a huge recovery from their current rout. As a Lib Dem voter I find that even more frustrating than having been betrayed by their coalition with the Conservatives.

Anyway, my impression of Cameron is that he is a true Tory boy. Nothing he has done or said is surprising in that regard.

Cameron is relatively impotent politically but will still have a great deal of power through class based corruption. I think he will quickly come to be more vilified than Brown was in the UK but internationally will be regarded as a temporary anomaly - a non-player who will soon be gone.

I don't see it as a betrayal, this is the first time in memory that LDs have had a chance to implement any of their policies - both of us would have liked to see and outright LD victory, but let's face it that was never gonna happen. According to the current polls you're pretty wide of the mark (Tories would win an outright majority according to current polls) - but this is of course academic until Labour get their house in order.

In terms of what they have achieved thus far, that were definitely not tory policies:
1) at least a shot at AV - likely to be unsuccessful since labour have done an opportunistic volte face and now say they will oppose but at least we have a shot.
2) increase in the zero tax band - surely a good thing
3) Elimination of the inheritance tax breaks / other tax breaks for the rich
4) Banking reform - that so far, although it is still in the works, looks to be very much according to Lib, not Con policy

And that is ignoring those items Tory / LD manifestos agreed on such as rolling back Labour's surveilance state.



We are both LD voters (and in my case member), let me put it to you scarlett, if you feel 'betrayed' what should Nick have done on May 7th? There are only three options, pick one:

• Lib-Lab-Celtic Parties (who's support would have had to have been bought)
• Con-Lib
• Remain in opposition to a Tory minority govt

To my mind he / our party made the right choice.

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

Outright victory wasn't a possibility in the recent election, sure, but I would much rather have seen the Liberal Democrats fight on to be an effective opposition.

Labour's surveillance state had to rolled back and thankfully that is one thing the coalition have done. That is a great relief to me. It was getting far too much like a prequel to Alan Moore's V for Vendetta for a while there. That's all I feel I have to celebrate.

Even if Alternative Voting were endorsed by a referendum, which currently looks unlikely, its nowhere near the kind of proportional representation the LDs have been campaigning for. And at what cost does it come? Enabling a Conservative government that would otherwise not have had the electoral mandate to make the devastating cuts to public spending it now can. Tax breaks for the poorest do not make up for creating so many more of them while simultaneously reducing services they depend upon to maintain a basic standard of living. As for the banking reform, its been put on hiatus until Osborne's Independent Banking Commission delivers its review next year. After seeing the list of members I'm guessing they'll recommend some cosmetic changes that will make no fundamental difference to the increasing power & hubris of the banks. Osborne will then get a weak-as-water reform bill through parliament then shelve the issue – just like he would love to do right now.

Yes, I feel betrayed and no, I am not a LD voter any longer.