The feel good factor is back amongst rank and file Lib Dems. Of that I think there is little doubt. The members up at Lib Dem Conference were in general upbeat and after a long time licking their wounds are starting to grow into being in government and relishing the challenge.
Sadly though the electorate unsurprisingly still aren’t being dragged with us as the following two screenshots will show. These are taken from the Ipsos-Mori September set of questioning. Please click on them to see them in a larger size.
As you can see on all the factors they measured the Lib Dems scored worse or joint worst with either Labour or the Tories. These ideals included ‘Keeps its promises’, ‘Understands the problems facing Britain’, ‘Has a good team of leaders’, ‘Will promise anything to win votes’, ‘Divided, ‘Looks after the interests of people like me’, ‘Fit to govern’, ‘Out of date’
Now this surprises me some of these views of the electorate. They believe the Lib Dems are more out of date than Labour or the Tories. Are you kidding me electorate? Do you not even understand what being out of date is? The only ideal we scored best was whether we were extreme or not and the electorate seem happy that we aren’t extreme, which I suppose is something considering on the political spectrum we stand in the middle.
Not surprised we are seen as divided but I think that is something we can work on. I think though we as a party understand the issues facing the country very well considering we went into coalition for it. It is a shame we aren’t seen as fit to govern with a paltry 23% believing that we are but Labour must not like the fact they scored 38% to the Tories 50% on just that question.
That screenshot just goes to show that in our circle nothing good comes up. Bit of a strange graph that one but still that is what they sent through.
So all in all the Lib Dems are still looking like eejits in the eyes of the electorate but up in Birmingham this week you got the feeling that the ship is starting to turn and there is a lot of time before the country goes to the ballot box to decide on its next government and maybe – just maybe – it won’t be the carnage that every Labour activist will have you believe. They say the Lib Dems will be obliterated leaving only Labour and the Tories as major political parties in this country set to govern for the rest of time.
I’m just not getting that sense…
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..so i couldent believe my luck when i asked her to mine for dinner (i had recently dicovered you can use hot water on pot noodles as well)and her eyes lit up untill she said, “i dont know what to wear, what should i wear”? and i said, you dont have to get dressed up for me sweetness’ a rizla will do!, “and i dont mean a kingsize neither”! that was the last time i spoke to her,never seen her since, some women are strange…..the weather is changing and a lot of us “high tariff/low life expectants are having a communal shitting ourselves day (to be re-arranged/organiser constipated)..
as if by magic a modern day hero called huhne(beano,dandy,toy story) has reassured the uninsured debt ridden like myself who pay close to £5.00 in every £10.00 back to the gas merchants meaning if you have no gas but have £5.00 in 1p 2p & 5p’s buy some beer, you cant get gas for a fiver like others can..why the beer? you will still be cold? yes but pissed enough not to give a shit! enter superhuhne and his super TOUGH utillity belt (a bumbag with 5p off coupons he showers from high on poor scum below)he has PROMISED all the sad and old,and those still trying to use half-pennys they saved, to ORDER energy suppliers to pay customers UNLIMITED REFUNDS as compensation for BAD BEHAVIOUR (well,robbery,aiding death through hyperthermia,pricing out smaller companys trying to sell cheaper…etc) and this will be music(dirge)to the hearing aids of the cold old as they only have to wait ten years for it to start…so will there be a competition to win a two bar fire for those that can live long enough to revel in this totally selfless superhuhne act, and finally shed ten of the twelve cardigans and be warm like the old times, in the womb of mummy? why is it so fucking hard,hey? for some people in an age where others are fighting for places on space travel and wankers are being paid compo for being called wankers,and prisoners lose liberty but can get sex change funding, and why the fuck is it neccessary to spend so much money on portcullis house which used the dearest materials from arround the world on every single part of the building, did they have to wear extra jumpers did they fuck, i fucking hate the class divide in this country and dont say get a job because the job i did myself was that fucking hard for years doing unreachable bonus work its crippled my fingers and arms and how do you end up earning less wages than you were earning ten years before, hey? death will be warm,its something to look forward to these days and that is so fucking sad but true….i just wonder if this will actually be shown and given the chance my others were not, even free speech is bollocks.
If all the people who say – ‘I voted Lib Dem last time – but never again’, actually had voted Lib Dem – then we would have a Lib Dem Govt – doing the things we said – not the compromise that the result gave us.
People!
andyj – may I ask why you voted for the Lib Dems in the past? Was it because you supported them on tuition fees or because you like liberal policy or maybe you just didn’t like Labour or the Tories?
Also nothing has actually happened on the NHS yet…
No-one thinks people will forget the u0turn on tuition fees. No-one. Don’t think we are morons and think this. However one big mistake doesn’t lead to oblivion and if the economy is strong come 2015 then the Lib Dems will have a leg to stand on.
…seems typical of liberals these days, everyone tell them they are getting it wrong but all they can come up with is this long way to the election rubbish…
…I can only speak for my self but the majority seem to be of the same opinion…I have voted for Lib Dems in the past but no way will I do this again…
…come may you will again get a good hammering…you have let us down on Education, NHS (unforgivable) and they idea that the economy will come to your rescue lies in ruins…and this idea that people will forget just makes us think you are trying to take us for idiots…no we won’t…
…if you think things will get better for you, your living in a dream world..
I think neilmonnery’s observation there in the comment is a good one. I wouldn’t get too hung up on each description and our score for it. When I have been asked to take part in an opinion poll before I’ve tended to agree with all the negative things about the party I disliked the most; even if I didn’t think it I didn’t want to give them a good score.
It all boils down to whether we can, through what we do in office, lift ourselves back out of this.
Yeah the out of date bit is just baffling. It is like people are just saying anything anti Lib Dem…
To be fair I’m not surprised at most of the results. The only thing I’m surprised about is that the Tories are seen to have good leaders and fit to govern.
I also don’t get why people think we are out of date?