In the last 36 hours I have had some rather interesting emails, Facebook messages or DMs on Twitter. I think for the sake of my own sanity I'm going to go public.
To the Labour activists who offered me a link to their sign up page or a membership form. No thanks. You have proven to be WAY too authoritarian over the last 13 years. I don't like it, it's not part of the politics that I stand for. As for the recent reaction of my Labour MP to a constituent who took a different point of view from him I think that sums up Labour too well.
To Patrick Harvie and his kind request of free membership if I switch to the Greens. I made a decision 22 years ago about which party was most like my vision green, socially progressive, liberal and economically viable. That position hasn't changed I prefer my environmental instincts to make economic sense, it is why I studied environmental economics for two years as part of my degree, so that the sums will add up and the world will also be a better place for us all.
To the poor deluded SNP members who think as I'm anti-Labour I most be pro-them therefore I should sign up. I'm sorry your bare-faced inability to explain how Scotland or the UK is going to get out of the economic mess that we find itself in makes the economist in me similarly to the greens cringe in despair, especially considering the former profession of your leader. I'd also far rather be in a party that seems more welcoming of diversity than some of your own number have been in recent times.
I haven't been offered membership of the Conservative Party but I'd just like to say that although my party are in partnership with your party in Westminster there are fundamental differences. I'm glad we are there to hold in check several of the more extreme of these.
I'm currently weighing up my options of what I shall be doing over the next 12 months. One thing is certain whatever it is I'll be standing up for the Liberal Democrat cause whatever I decide. So while I thank you for your kind remarks and desire to have me in your party I will have to decline on this and I expect any further occasion you care to broach the subject.
Well Said
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Curious to know what's economically not sensible about Greenery.
ReplyDeleteI agree, as a card-carrying Lib Dem, Tory and SNP...all at one time or another!
ReplyDeleteClegg and Cameron may well have broken the mould of British politics. Any political party is a coalition of opinions and interests. The historic glue was ideology. Clegg and Cameron have chosen to work together on shared interests and urgent challenges, putting ideology aside.
But the philosophies will still exist. The Thirsk by-election will be fought by both parties. There are codified disagreements on nuclear power and elements of voting reform. The world will not stop spinning on its axis because of these differences...MPs from both parties will work together on the critical issues and agree to disagree where applicable.
It will be interesting to watch the Cameron-Clegg relationship develop. There's been some talk about joint press conferences, and who does what at various meetings and PMQs. I think they will develop seperate portfolios and run with these, effectively a carve-up of responsibilities. The pair clearly get on well enough. It may well change the way parties run, push up the status of DPM to more than a token post, more like the US system ...very different to the image of Brown toiling away with all of the lonely problems of government, and all the stresses and dysfunctionality which that entails.
I hope the Labour party rediscovers itself and ditches the tribalism and obsession with power which has dominated the last decade. There are many good and respected Labour figures out there...I might not agree with David Blunkett or John Reid but they spoke perfect sense and truth earlier this week. So they need to ditch Mandelson and Campbell ASAP...Campbell will be rushing to get his diaries out before Chilcot reports....