1/09/2007

Do as Tory bloggers say, not as they do

In the space of a fortnight, we see just how hypocritical the Tories are.

When three non-entity (well I'd never heard of them) former Lib Dem parliamentary candidates join the Tories, oh, what a fuss from the Tories. This was supposed to be significant and definitely cause for celebration and discussion.

Iain Dale revelled in it and wondered why the Lib Dems were not talking about it. A Tory councillor got very silly on my own blog making party political points, such was his excitement at this turning point and decline in Lib Dem fortunes.

So what happens when two Tory lords defect to UKIP . Hardly a word. Just a single line posting from Iain Dale.

Now I'm not going to overstate the importance of these defections. I stated clearly at the time of earlier defections that there is an ebb and flow to defections. Some Tory councillors defected to the Lib Dems a few weeks back, some Lib Dems join the Tories, some Tory Lords join UKIP and a Labour Councilor joined the Lib Dems, it has been announced today.

What I do think is hypocritical is that the Tories wanted us to believe two weeks ago that defections were important and they should be talked about. Now, they don't.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think we've been fairly dismissive of them because we removed the whip from them at the last European elections when they advised people to vote UKIP.

If Cameron's plan is to force xenophobes and religious bigots into UKIP and attract real liberals, then I think he's on to a winner.

Nich, I'd rather have you any day over people like those two nuts.

By the way, I have a thread on the story.

Tristan said...

Justin: I don't know about 'real liberals' in the Conservatives, under any definition of that term... I'd advise them to join the LibDems (naturally) ;)

Nich: you're right of course. It was very strange that the Tory bloggers were so crowing and wondered why we didn't talk about it. Its natural not to want to highlight bad news surely?
If there was a crisis in the LibDems I think the LibDem blogsphere would be buzzing with it, we're like that :-p

Anonymous said...

Give it a rest Justin. It's not the xenophobes and religious bigots that are leaving the Tory Party as they are perfectly comfortable where they are,it's the ones who are fed up being lied to. Quite simple.

dizzy said...

If the LibDems are "real Liberals" why don't they support the classical liberalism inherent in American foriegn policy?

Unknown said...

Nich,

The two Peers that you write about were not Conservatives, they both had the party whip removed years ago.

JC

Nich Starling said...

James,

Similarly, one of the Lib Dems who defected to the Tories before the new year had NOT written the Lib Dem Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual manifesto, as the Tories claimed.

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