"To avoid a Tory government after May 6, it is vital to grasp now the fundamental Labour-Lib Dem identity of interest. This can best be served by Labour coming out of the election as strong as possible, able to form a government."
After I spat out my tea, wiped down my laptop screen and calmed down I asked myself what common identity of interest?
Labour have brought in 4,300 new crimes over the last 13 years. The Lib Dems are bringing forward a Freedom Bill to repeal some of the most ridiculous and superfluous of these.
Labour are going to running a big brother state and still want to bring in the ID Card. The Lib Dems have vehemently opposed these moves all the way and are saying the the ID cards should be scrapped and innocent people removed from the criminal DNA database.
The Lib Dems are saying we'll raise the tax threshold for Income Tax to £10,000. Alistair Darling in his budget just last month froze it at £6,745 despite a 3% and rising rate of inflation.
These are just the tips of the iceberg. I look through the policies on which I will standing for the people of Linlithgow and East Falkirk on the 6 May and those of my Labour opponent and I fail to find much common ground on the four key principles on which we are standing. Fairer tax, a fair start for our children, a fair, green, sustainable economy and a fair politics giving power back to the people. Even o the few issues that there is common ground on some of those Labour have been promising action for 13 years on occasion and have failed to deliver.
Maybe what Lord Adonis meant to say is that the Liberal Democrats share a common identity with the founding principles of the Labour party. Standing up for fair wages, housing and educational opportunity for the poorest in our society. Standing up for them against the ruling classes of whom Labour are now just another cog. Labour are no longer standing on that ground.
But if that is what he meant surely Labour voters who want the principles for which they joined or supported the party initially should be voting Lib Dem on May 6th. Then they will see the change that works for them to build a fairer Britain. Returning a strong Labour party hasn't done that for 13 years of failure
