Lib Dem internal elections see anti-Tory candidates take key positions

[UrbScotty]

Source: The Guardian

Liberal Democrat candidates who called for their party to move away from Tory policies triumphed in internal elections for its two ruling bodies at the weekend.

Nick Clegg has been at pains to emphasise the Lib Dem leadership supports all coalition government policies, but the former MP Evan Harris topped the poll, calling for the party to "distance ourselves from Conservative policies that have been imposed on our ministers".

After reports that senior Tories and Lib Dems were working together to develop a longer-term programme, Harris emphasised that if the Lib Dems entered into another coalition at the next election, it didn't necessarily have to be with the Tories. "Any post-election partnership working should be based purely on the arithmetic and on the policy overlap and that policy work should derived totally independently of the views of our coalition partners," he said.

David Rendel was also returned, coming second in the election to the federal executive, which deals with management and strategy for the party. He is well known for being the only vote against the Lib Dems forming a pact with the Tory party when the executive was asked in May.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/nov/14/lib-dem-elections-tory

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Inspiration for us American progressives! Here's to taking our great Democratic Party in a new direction!

[nyy1998]

1. I guess that means they'll form a coaltion with Labour and David Miliband?

If the government falls apart(I think observers expected it to last maybe a year), then the Conservatives will lose a lot of seats(very unpopular right now due to their VAT increase to 20% and the college tuition raise), and Labour should stand to gain some seats, but I have no idea how the Lib Dems would fare.

[Ken Burch]

2. Ed Miliband, actually.

(David's younger brother, and slightly, but JUST slightly, to David's left).

There's also the possibility that the Greens, who managed to elect their leader, Caroline Lucas, to the House of Commons in the last election, could make some headway.

If the socialists to Labour's left could ever get their act together and put up a common front, this would be the kind of situation in which they could gain ground. But that doesn't sound like it's anywhere close to happening.

[nyy1998]

3. My bad, typo on the name, yeah I know the difference between and Ed and David, even i confuse their

names:banghead: :yoiks:

[Ken Burch]

4. No worries. At least they don't have the kind of politicians Australian Labor used to have:

(OK...Sir Les was just an EXAGGERATION of a typical ALP politician, but still...)