British Politics (was Spain Emulates Belgium...)

[Aquinas]

I've split the thread, since we seem to have diverted from Spain to Britain (yeah, I know I'm the one who started that!).

[Aquinas]

Aquinas, want to explain why the LibDems are not doing better? They are at least nominally classical liberal.

The opinion poll ratings are still crap, but we are doing very well in terms of increasing party membership and winning council seat by-elections. My impression is that the vibe *within* the party is actually very good - better than it has been for a long time. Record numbers attended last month's party conference, for example.

Brexit has been a disappointment for most Lib Dems, but it has succeeded in uniting/energising the party...that's the vibe I pick up. Morale is good.

Right now, our big problem is probably the massive decline in media coverage since the General Election wipeout.

Also, apparently we don't have much money (oh well!).

At times, I half wish we were more like UKIP and had a few interesting scandals. As they say, bad publicity is better than no publicity...

[Autokrator15]

Aquinas, want to explain why the LibDems are not doing better? They are at least nominally classical liberal.

The opinion poll ratings are still crap, but we are doing very well in terms of increasing party membership and winning council seat by-elections. My impression is that the vibe *within* the party is actually very good - better than it has been for a long time. Record numbers attended last month's party conference, for example.

Brexit has been a disappointment for most Lib Dems, but it has succeeded in uniting/energising the party...that's the vibe I pick up. Morale is good.

Right now, our big problem is probably the massive decline in media coverage since the General Election wipeout.

Also, apparently we don't have much money (oh well!).

At times, I half wish we were more like UKIP and had a few interesting scandals. As they say, bad publicity is better than no publicity...

There is no such thing as bad publicity. Brand awareness is sometimes more important than being pius.

[SelucianCrusader]

Aquinas, want to explain why the LibDems are not doing better? They are at least nominally classical liberal.

Didn't the Libdems start as a merger of social democrats and liberals? In my world "classical liberal" is more like the great Milo Yiannopoulos (i. e. a libertarian who isn't as close to anarchism as a dogmatic libertarian) but I'm not sure everybody agrees.

[jamescfm]

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[JuliaAJA]

Aquinas, want to explain why the LibDems are not doing better? They are at least nominally classical liberal.

Didn't the Libdems start as a merger of social democrats and liberals? In my world "classical liberal" is more like the great Milo Yiannopoulos (i. e. a libertarian who isn't as close to anarchism as a dogmatic libertarian) but I'm not sure everybody agrees.

I think more of Sargon of Akkad. I haven't been keeping up with Milo as well as I would like.

[JuliaAJA]

Aquinas, want to explain why the LibDems are not doing better? They are at least nominally classical liberal.

The opinion poll ratings are still crap, but we are doing very well in terms of increasing party membership and winning council seat by-elections. My impression is that the vibe *within* the party is actually very good - better than it has been for a long time. Record numbers attended last month's party conference, for example.

Brexit has been a disappointment for most Lib Dems, but it has succeeded in uniting/energising the party...that's the vibe I pick up. Morale is good.

I don't mean this in a negative way but a smaller party probably would have a better vibe. I think the Lib Dems position against Brexit was more of a Social Democratic one than a Classically Liberal one. I was very much in favour of Brexit. I think the European Union needs alot of reform and it might require entirely rebuilding it.

[Autokrator15]

While I enjoy a good firing squad for a violent criminal, I do not think it is a good substitute for democracy when debating political rivals.

Aquinas, want to explain why the LibDems are not doing better? They are at least nominally classical liberal.

The LibDems? Classical Liberal?! My arse! I am classical liberal and let me tell you I disagree with ALOT of LibDem viewpoints. Yes they have a lot of good ideas too and they are liberal, I will give you that, but way too statist to be Classical-Liberal.

[Reddy]

While I enjoy a good firing squad for a violent criminal, I do not think it is a good substitute for democracy when debating political rivals.

Aquinas, want to explain why the LibDems are not doing better? They are at least nominally classical liberal.

The LibDems? Classical Liberal?! My arse! I am classical liberal and let me tell you I disagree with ALOT of LibDem viewpoints. Yes they have a lot of good ideas too and they are liberal, I will give you that, but way too statist to be Classical-Liberal.

Many of the Orange Bookers (the classical liberal faction) have views similar to yours, Autokrator on economic and social views. People like David Laws and Nick Clegg (once) From I've seen, the establishment tends to be centre to centre-right on economics while the base is somewhere between left populist and centre left.

[Autokrator15]

While I enjoy a good firing squad for a violent criminal, I do not think it is a good substitute for democracy when debating political rivals.

Aquinas, want to explain why the LibDems are not doing better? They are at least nominally classical liberal.

The LibDems? Classical Liberal?! My arse! I am classical liberal and let me tell you I disagree with ALOT of LibDem viewpoints. Yes they have a lot of good ideas too and they are liberal, I will give you that, but way too statist to be Classical-Liberal.

Many of the Orange Bookers (the classical liberal faction) have views similar to yours, Autokrator on economic and social views. People like David Laws and Nick Clegg (once) From I've seen, the establishment tends to be centre to centre-right on economics while the base is somewhere between left populist and centre left.

I like Clegg (because he is half Dutch ) but its hard being classical liberal. In the Netherlands for example we, the liberals, are the most economicly right party and whilest we are liberal on social issues we are conservative on drugs, law and order, immigration and integration. The progressive liberals in our country are like the LibDenms; internally divided over left and right.

In Britain its hard because of the modern association that liberal is leftist and because of competition of the conservatives economicly as labour socialy.