Thursday 1 June 2017

Economist endorses the Liberal Democrats.

Economist endorses the Liberal Democrats.


 THE ECONOMIST ENDORSES THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS IN THE 2017 UK SNAP ELECTION

The Economist magazine long ago followed the FT down the Eurohole. Chasing a federalist white rabbit. Today they find themselves too disgusted at Brexit to choose May. And too appalled at Leninism to choose Corbyn.

So they pitched, as they readily admit on their cover by showing a tiny picture of Tiny Tim, for the 7% support of the nation and went fell lemon.
To borrow a slogan still yet to really cut through, The Economist chose to endorse the voters of 
"The Few, not the many."

Well, what else can a Europhile publication do when the only two governing parties of Britain
both want to exit the EU?

   I'm very glad I'm not a SpAd for Timothy Farron. 
Firstly, because that would mean I was a SpAd for Tim Farron. Secondly, because I'm fairly certain I would have made the same pitch to voters, in almost the same way, that the Liberals have. 

The euro party is such a natural fit for Team Yellow it was obvious they would head this way. But the strategy fitted as well as the ideology. Students like Europe. 48% of the voting public like Europe. The broadcast media like Europe. Business like Europe. World leaders like Europe. And Liberals love Europe.
May wanted a Brexit election, so let's offer the anti-Brexit response. Labour are coming apart and might not even stay aligned to election day. The SNP pro-EU pitch will help Liberals in Scotland who aren't SNiPers. 

The toxicity of former Liberal lies will be completely forgotten if we pitch as the nice party. The hands across the sea, one Europe party of smiley backpackers and hardworking farmhands. 
Anyway, Liberals paid dearly for those lies last time. This time they will be forgiven.

Tony Blair was saying vote for winning Democrats. The progressive alliance of chaos is sort of in place. Labour voters, desperate to escape the disintegration of their party will flock to Liberal ideals.

The only real snag is the Brexit supporting West country, that is Liberal heartland, might not be won back by demanding an end to Brexit. But enough seats should be won elsewhere, at Labour, SNP and Tory expense, to have a real fighting chance of 30+ seats and on a great day, coalition status.

But it just hasn't happened. The Liberals have not moved in the weirdo polls. Not moved in the tracker polls. Not moved in the fake polls either. 7-8%. This is no fightback. This is a counterattack that failed to launch at all. A march to nowhere and back again.

Unlike Labour's recent 'Battle of the Bulge' surge. An unexpected counterattack against poorly equipped, weakly held, unready for battle, reserve quality troops, that has punched a great hole in the Tory lines. 
Its expected that May will rally in time. 
She will finally, against her own better judgement and fear of a rival, but out of necessity, send her crazy but popular, eccentric commander,  'Old Blood n' Guff' Boris Johnson himself, to do a massive flank attack and end the Corbyn offensive. 
It won't be all over by Christmas after all. Jez , instead of being utterly destroyed can retreat behind the Rhine and hold out there. For a bit at least.

The Liberals however have had no surge. No gains. No traction. 
Was Richmond Park just the uniquest of unique seats? A Brighton without the students?

And why has the strategy failed? Was it the wrong thing to do? To pin all hope on unrealistically  overturning a decision many were resigned to almost a year ago?

Or right strategy, wrong leader? Tin Tim's big Adventure.

 https://m0.joe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/27181429/GettyImages-673845218.jpg
"Come on Snowy..Captain Haddock says we must get back to Brussels. And stop this evil plot"




15 comments:

Nick Drew said...

Notable that the Libs are using Clegg to front for everything just now

"I agree with ... errr ..."

Sandalista said...

So leading business papers like the FT and the Economist are wrong?

What next. Bank of England?

Doesn't take an O level in economics to know that pissing off 27 good customers is not an ideal way to negotiate.

Nor does it take the average person to clock that someone who can only parrot soundbites might have a tad of difficulty when it comes to hard negotiation.

When Trump was over at NATO dick waving, you could see the difference in the statesman like qualities of the Europeans compared to Trump and his poodle.

By all means Brexit ... but spare us May (and Tim but don't let people know).

Anonymous said...

I've been banging on that Israel/Palestine is the reason for the anti-Corbyn campaign inside the Labour Party. This is written by a Tory peer, Danny Finkelstein, but it is revealing of a mindset shared by some across party lines. Frankly I think it's hysterical. There's a lot more evidence that Corby hates the Brits.

https://www.thejc.com/comment/columnists/corbyn-must-lose-for-our-sake-1.437827

Forgive me for this is a point I feel I must make as a Jew. If Jeremy Corbyn and his followers do not suffer a gigantic defeat in this election, it will be an utter, complete, ghastly disaster for Jews. It will mean that despite all that has happened in the past two years, all his supporters have said about Jews, people — even Jews, for goodness sake — can still support him ... Jeremy Corbyn mustn’t just lose. He must be crushed electorally. It must be impossible for his supporters to say that it wasn’t too bad and they should have another go.

CityUnslicker said...

Because life is full of surprises.

Jezbollah is a loon, but now miraculously popular

The lib dems are just inauthentic, not pro Palestinian enough, not anti Tory enough, pro immigration which kills them. They are centrist in that they literally offer nothing to anyone.

Their vote share will increase in central London, in solid labour safe seats!

dearieme said...

Illiberal on the subject of sodomites, and undemocratic on the subject of the referendum.

Meantime Labour are anti-semitic, and not in the dishonest sense of opposing some Israeli government policies, but in the true sense: jew-baiters.

James Higham said...

The LibDems are just a pointless party.

andrew said...


JH
Unfortunately for the LibDems, the FPTP system does not work for them and being in power 2010-15 has destroyed the brand, I expect the libdems will become a 'county council' party for those who dont vote tory/lab/green for whatever reason.

andrew said...

and I meant to add

CU
Just because they are going to lose badly, does not mean they are wrong.

There is a price for being outside the EU, we will be poorer.

The thing I find interesting is that leaving no matter what the monetary cost is an attitude that seems to have gone from 'obvious' to 'unremarked' over the course of 1-2 years.

I wonder if (re)nationalisation of just about everything no matter what the monetary cost is an attitude that will go from 'obvious' to 'unremarked' over the course of 1-2 years if JC wins (and he might).

Sebastian Weetabix said...

Hopefully the penny has dropped with the Tory party that May is useless and needs to go, toot sweet (sic)

hovis said...

SW I was looking at the prices of to be the next Prime Minister on Betfair just as the Tory wobbling started. I am now kicking myself for not opposing the price of 1/3 on.

My out on a limb prediction, still a Tory majority with Theresa 'retiring' due to health issues.

James Higham said...

Andrew - yes.

Anonymous said...

Can't express how angry I am with Theresa May. Six years as Home Secretary; a year as PM and hasn't got to grips with the simple issue of keeping people safe.Reducing police, security services, the army and the NHS is not a solution.

Surely one of the most under-qualified person to lead this country.

Anonymous said...

Theresa the appeaser. She still doesn't fucking get it. The internet isn't the problem, ISLAM is the problem. If they can put travel bans on football hooligans, ban their assembly, use dogs to corral them and so forth, they can start on the jihadis.

Arm yourselves. The state can't or won't protect you.

Anonymous said...

I find 'poorer' a 'poor' concept. Give me GDP per capita and it becomes more accurate. Our electoral cycle does perform contortions, to be sure, but it's that flexibility that allows it to adapt, like the living, breathing organism that it is, to this age old condition. We are an island not a continent. Our Empire is dead, if we ever really had one. But geo-political hegomony had been tried and tested. I don't think we lost so much but we sure as shit didn't win that much.

The Lib Dems are only good for constitutional matters and now Beith is dead and Carlyle benched, Paddy pissed off and Farron weird - we're left with Clegg. I live in Hudds - mentioned it before (and will do for about a year until we get horribly humilated by a Manchester team in its run up) and there are shed loads of gentrified druids round here. Everyone smokes shed loads of weed, can make an awesome curry and has Paki mates. Who are the Libs trying to appeal to? Clegg came on the telly the other day and everyone started murmuring - muted the chap and everyone just relaxed about 50%. It was ace. Even the socialists are done with Clegg - that emotion needs to be used, like judo.

DtP

L fairfax said...

People like Andrew said we will be richer if we join the ERM in 80s, poorer if we leave it in 92 and richer if we join the EU 1995-2007. They wonder why we don't believe them now (I wish Thatcher etc had not believed them about the ERM).