Election: What a fucking mess.
May. 7th, 2010 06:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccatoriaOY VEY.
I do not even, people. I do not even.
Currently I think my biggest pet peeve is that everyone is acting like it's some kind of betrayal of the voting population if Labour and the Lib Dems even consider a coalition because the Tories got more votes than either of them.
I do understand the reasons people are acting this way? But frankly, fuck them because it's ignoring the fact that a majority of voters did not vote for the Tories. A majority didn't vote for anyone. No one has a clear mandate to govern.
Now, I will grant, much as I hate the Tories, that if it's possible for the Libs and the Tories to come up with a coalition that actually represents both parties, then...fine, that will be the coalition that most fairly represents the voters.
That said, I sincerely doubt whether such a coalition would be possible. I'm not a Liberal Democrat voter but over recent years they have portrayed themselves more and more as a left wing alternative to Labour, even though I think that it seems Nick Clegg is perhaps returning to its more centrist roots. First off, I can't imagine the Tories agreeing to any level of electoral reform which I imagine is a key part of any coalition they'd enter into.
And on the other side of the coin, firstly, even if they do enter into a coalition a Lib-Labour pact wouldn't get them a majority and adding various nationalist parties would likely form a coalition so unwieldy as to be potentially unworkable, and even if they did go that route with a minority government, I also heard a rumour that Clegg wanted Brown to go. Which frankly is an unreasonable demand. I know he doesn't want to be seen as propping up an unelected Prime Minister, but part of the problem with Brown was that he was elected from within the party after an election, and now they want to repeat that? How will that help?
But frankly, I don't really like the position that Clegg is taking. I understand his desire to play at impartiality, wanting to play ball with the bigger party first, but he DOES need to go in there representing his party's goals and fight for them rather than just being seen to support the bigger party because it's "the right thing to do". Because it's not; that's just propping up a party the people did not vote into power. And frankly, in an official coalition, I don't imagine that's what he'd do.
But what I do fear is an agreement that they won't vote down an attempt by Cameron to form a minority government and then they can step back and watch the Tories destroy themselves. Now, while I fear for the net results of five years of the Tories in power, I can't say that the idea of them destroying themselves is horrifying. But what does piss me off is that the Libs might refuse to try and work something out with Labour simply out of a desire not to be seen unfavourably. That they'd stand aside and let a minority party who will not represent the views of their own voters form a government so they don't have to be tarnished either by association with the Tories and their potentially unpopular government (since ANYONE will have a very tough job), or by association with a predominantly Labour government that will be seen by some as illegitimate even if it's not.
It's not so much that they'd do that that upsets me, it's that they'd do it then try to pass off handing the country to the Tories as "fair". Because I cannot state this enough - it's not. Pretending there's no such thing as an "anti Conservative" vote is naive.
If they genuinely try to form a coalition with both the Tories and Labour and can't, then fair enough. But...I have a horrible sinking feeling that we're headed toward a Tory minority government that will fuck us over politically and also internationally by being perceived as weak and unstable. :/
And frankly, I never thought I'd find myself feeling so antagonistic towards the attitude of the Liberal Democrat leader the day after this election. :(
OH, and all this is without even adding the fact that I am far from convinced the proportional representation the Lib Dems are demanding is a good idea. I mean, I understand the principle and I don't always think it's a bad idea? But I am terrified to the bone when I consider what proportional representation would do for the BNP. They'd get seats. Actual fucking seats. Probably like 10 of them or something. Fascist Nazis in all but name holding seats in our government. This should terrify us. Proportional representation can give platforms and power to some very dangerous marginal groups.
Seriously dudes, it's a fucking clusterfuck. There really is no good outcome to this mess, I don't think.
Also in my area, my candidate lost by 194 votes. 194 freaking votes out of 40 thousand or whatever. There was a recount, then the second recount was refused, I'm not sure why. I think some people are talking about an investigation into the reasons, but I don't think that'll go anywhere. The other dude probably did win; he's just a jerk.
I do not even, people. I do not even.
Currently I think my biggest pet peeve is that everyone is acting like it's some kind of betrayal of the voting population if Labour and the Lib Dems even consider a coalition because the Tories got more votes than either of them.
I do understand the reasons people are acting this way? But frankly, fuck them because it's ignoring the fact that a majority of voters did not vote for the Tories. A majority didn't vote for anyone. No one has a clear mandate to govern.
Now, I will grant, much as I hate the Tories, that if it's possible for the Libs and the Tories to come up with a coalition that actually represents both parties, then...fine, that will be the coalition that most fairly represents the voters.
That said, I sincerely doubt whether such a coalition would be possible. I'm not a Liberal Democrat voter but over recent years they have portrayed themselves more and more as a left wing alternative to Labour, even though I think that it seems Nick Clegg is perhaps returning to its more centrist roots. First off, I can't imagine the Tories agreeing to any level of electoral reform which I imagine is a key part of any coalition they'd enter into.
And on the other side of the coin, firstly, even if they do enter into a coalition a Lib-Labour pact wouldn't get them a majority and adding various nationalist parties would likely form a coalition so unwieldy as to be potentially unworkable, and even if they did go that route with a minority government, I also heard a rumour that Clegg wanted Brown to go. Which frankly is an unreasonable demand. I know he doesn't want to be seen as propping up an unelected Prime Minister, but part of the problem with Brown was that he was elected from within the party after an election, and now they want to repeat that? How will that help?
But frankly, I don't really like the position that Clegg is taking. I understand his desire to play at impartiality, wanting to play ball with the bigger party first, but he DOES need to go in there representing his party's goals and fight for them rather than just being seen to support the bigger party because it's "the right thing to do". Because it's not; that's just propping up a party the people did not vote into power. And frankly, in an official coalition, I don't imagine that's what he'd do.
But what I do fear is an agreement that they won't vote down an attempt by Cameron to form a minority government and then they can step back and watch the Tories destroy themselves. Now, while I fear for the net results of five years of the Tories in power, I can't say that the idea of them destroying themselves is horrifying. But what does piss me off is that the Libs might refuse to try and work something out with Labour simply out of a desire not to be seen unfavourably. That they'd stand aside and let a minority party who will not represent the views of their own voters form a government so they don't have to be tarnished either by association with the Tories and their potentially unpopular government (since ANYONE will have a very tough job), or by association with a predominantly Labour government that will be seen by some as illegitimate even if it's not.
It's not so much that they'd do that that upsets me, it's that they'd do it then try to pass off handing the country to the Tories as "fair". Because I cannot state this enough - it's not. Pretending there's no such thing as an "anti Conservative" vote is naive.
If they genuinely try to form a coalition with both the Tories and Labour and can't, then fair enough. But...I have a horrible sinking feeling that we're headed toward a Tory minority government that will fuck us over politically and also internationally by being perceived as weak and unstable. :/
And frankly, I never thought I'd find myself feeling so antagonistic towards the attitude of the Liberal Democrat leader the day after this election. :(
OH, and all this is without even adding the fact that I am far from convinced the proportional representation the Lib Dems are demanding is a good idea. I mean, I understand the principle and I don't always think it's a bad idea? But I am terrified to the bone when I consider what proportional representation would do for the BNP. They'd get seats. Actual fucking seats. Probably like 10 of them or something. Fascist Nazis in all but name holding seats in our government. This should terrify us. Proportional representation can give platforms and power to some very dangerous marginal groups.
Seriously dudes, it's a fucking clusterfuck. There really is no good outcome to this mess, I don't think.
Also in my area, my candidate lost by 194 votes. 194 freaking votes out of 40 thousand or whatever. There was a recount, then the second recount was refused, I'm not sure why. I think some people are talking about an investigation into the reasons, but I don't think that'll go anywhere. The other dude probably did win; he's just a jerk.
