I know that they are now part of a government and that following a referendum on electoral "reform" they may be there permanently, but I just can't take the Liberal Democrats seriously.
Many Methodists voted for the Lib Dems. Some told me that they did so to "keep the Tories out". Instead the Lib Dems did their best to put the Tories in office.
There was a lingering hope that a Lib Dem presence may actually contribute to mitigating the right wing of the Conservative Party. Somehow the signs from the Lib Dem conference are not encouraging.
And at the moment I have one very personal beef. In 2001 I stood as a parliamentary candidate in a Lib Dem held seat. The campaign was particularly unpleasant. More than once I was told that people wouldn't be voting for me because I was "a Jew from Birmingham". I really don't know where that came from but somehow that line was doing the rounds.
But that's by the way. Later this week I will sign a very big cheque to pay the tuition fees for one of my children as they take a place at a university. Now in 2001 I was told by several people that they were going to vote Lib Dem because the Lib Dems pledged to abolish university tuition fees.
The Lib Dems have conned a hell of a lot of people. They have shown just how dangerous it is to vote for a centre party with no underlying philosophy. I prefer my Tories to wear blue rosettes, that way everyone knows where we stand.![]()
Many Methodists voted for the Lib Dems. Some told me that they did so to "keep the Tories out". Instead the Lib Dems did their best to put the Tories in office.
There was a lingering hope that a Lib Dem presence may actually contribute to mitigating the right wing of the Conservative Party. Somehow the signs from the Lib Dem conference are not encouraging.
And at the moment I have one very personal beef. In 2001 I stood as a parliamentary candidate in a Lib Dem held seat. The campaign was particularly unpleasant. More than once I was told that people wouldn't be voting for me because I was "a Jew from Birmingham". I really don't know where that came from but somehow that line was doing the rounds.
But that's by the way. Later this week I will sign a very big cheque to pay the tuition fees for one of my children as they take a place at a university. Now in 2001 I was told by several people that they were going to vote Lib Dem because the Lib Dems pledged to abolish university tuition fees.
The Lib Dems have conned a hell of a lot of people. They have shown just how dangerous it is to vote for a centre party with no underlying philosophy. I prefer my Tories to wear blue rosettes, that way everyone knows where we stand.
