Comments on: The Liberal Democrats position themselves to the left of the Tories, to the right of Labour…But, y’know, I cannot tell the difference… http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/the-liberal-democrats-position-themselves-to-the-left-of-the-tories-to-the-right-of-labourbut-yknow-i-cannot-tell-the-difference/ For Lefties too Stubborn to Quit Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:05:24 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: WorldbyStorm http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/the-liberal-democrats-position-themselves-to-the-left-of-the-tories-to-the-right-of-labourbut-yknow-i-cannot-tell-the-difference/#comment-36372 WorldbyStorm Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:18:56 +0000 http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/?p=2340#comment-36372 Surely. Surely.

]]> By: ejh http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/the-liberal-democrats-position-themselves-to-the-left-of-the-tories-to-the-right-of-labourbut-yknow-i-cannot-tell-the-difference/#comment-36369 ejh Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:10:20 +0000 http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/?p=2340#comment-36369 Well, with <i>some aspects</i> of conservatism. But it's a wider set of ideas that tax and public spending cuts, which aren't the most important component of conservatism by any means. (Though they <i>may</i> be the most important component of its practical electoral appeal.) Well, with some aspects of conservatism. But it’s a wider set of ideas that tax and public spending cuts, which aren’t the most important component of conservatism by any means. (Though they may be the most important component of its practical electoral appeal.)

]]> By: WorldbyStorm http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/the-liberal-democrats-position-themselves-to-the-left-of-the-tories-to-the-right-of-labourbut-yknow-i-cannot-tell-the-difference/#comment-36363 WorldbyStorm Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:49:55 +0000 http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/?p=2340#comment-36363 That's a fair point about the media being complicit in this. But on a functional level I think that Harpymarx may be more rather than less correct. They're not Tories, but their approach (much as with some in New Labour) is one that colludes conceptually with Conservatism. That’s a fair point about the media being complicit in this. But on a functional level I think that Harpymarx may be more rather than less correct. They’re not Tories, but their approach (much as with some in New Labour) is one that colludes conceptually with Conservatism.

]]> By: ejh http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/the-liberal-democrats-position-themselves-to-the-left-of-the-tories-to-the-right-of-labourbut-yknow-i-cannot-tell-the-difference/#comment-36362 ejh Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:08:54 +0000 http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/?p=2340#comment-36362 They're not, though, and that's not to say I like 'em. Any of them could be in the Tories if they wanted to be, and their views on social issues tend to be rather different from maintstream Toryism (albeit not what the front bench would like us to believe it is). The Orange Book people, though, are very rightwing economically, partly because that's what's happened to politics and economics over the past to or three decades, and partly because they're a certain sort of person (professional class, ambitious, metropolitan) who will benefit very much from that sort of policy. It's also the sort of policy that gets spoken well of in the media, because it's the sort of policy that media people (who also fit that template) tend to admire. Bear in mind too that the Lib Dems are far less choosy over their politics than their general public image would suggest - and that for most of them, economic policy isn't really what interests them anyway. Moreover in local politics they're notorious for saying completely different things when their opposition is the Tories than when it's Labour. (If this isn't well-known it's because it <i>is</i> local politics, hence people tend to notice only what they say in their own locality.) Beyond that, over the past few years they've become absolutely obsessed with the fact that they weren't winning any byelections against the Tories, that they weren't winning Tory votes. "How to appeal to Tory voters" became the be-all and end-all for much of the party. So when you add together political trends among professional-class people, an absence of interest or principle when it comes to economic policy and a desire to chase the economic rightwing vote - you have what happened. Seeing them as Tories probably obscures more than it enlightens, though it doesn't hurt to say that they've just adopted an economic policy that only the most pop-eyed of Tory rightwingers would support. They’re not, though, and that’s not to say I like ‘em. Any of them could be in the Tories if they wanted to be, and their views on social issues tend to be rather different from maintstream Toryism (albeit not what the front bench would like us to believe it is). The Orange Book people, though, are very rightwing economically, partly because that’s what’s happened to politics and economics over the past to or three decades, and partly because they’re a certain sort of person (professional class, ambitious, metropolitan) who will benefit very much from that sort of policy. It’s also the sort of policy that gets spoken well of in the media, because it’s the sort of policy that media people (who also fit that template) tend to admire.

Bear in mind too that the Lib Dems are far less choosy over their politics than their general public image would suggest – and that for most of them, economic policy isn’t really what interests them anyway. Moreover in local politics they’re notorious for saying completely different things when their opposition is the Tories than when it’s Labour. (If this isn’t well-known it’s because it is local politics, hence people tend to notice only what they say in their own locality.) Beyond that, over the past few years they’ve become absolutely obsessed with the fact that they weren’t winning any byelections against the Tories, that they weren’t winning Tory votes. “How to appeal to Tory voters” became the be-all and end-all for much of the party.

So when you add together political trends among professional-class people, an absence of interest or principle when it comes to economic policy and a desire to chase the economic rightwing vote – you have what happened. Seeing them as Tories probably obscures more than it enlightens, though it doesn’t hurt to say that they’ve just adopted an economic policy that only the most pop-eyed of Tory rightwingers would support.

]]> By: Harpymarx http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/the-liberal-democrats-position-themselves-to-the-left-of-the-tories-to-the-right-of-labourbut-yknow-i-cannot-tell-the-difference/#comment-36360 Harpymarx Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:58:46 +0000 http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/?p=2340#comment-36360 They are the Tories in garish yellow. They are the Tories in garish yellow.

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