The news in The Daily Mail highlighting approaches made by the Tories desperate to "woo" Lib Dem MP's David Laws, Jeremy Browne and Norman Lamb (pictured)to join the Tories must be sending Conservatives in Yeovil, Taunton and North Norfolk in to something of a panic.
They now have to campaign against Lib Dem MP's who everyone now knows David Cameron wants to have in his team. How do you sell yourself on the door as a Tory in these constituencies in these circumstances ?
Personally I find it hilarious. I know Norman Lamb well and know that an enormous part of his success has come form his building "a team" of activists across the constituency, a great fundraising team and a large amount of trust from the electorate. Aside from the fact that he is not a Conservative, why would he possibly risk losing all that for a chance to be in the Tory shadow cabinet ?
The problem is that Cameron's Tories see politics as about getting in to government no matter what, and to hell with your principles. I would have imagined that they might have realised that if a guarantee of power was the aim at any cost, then people wouldn't join the Lib Dem in the first place, so they are hardly going to defect and abandon their principles in order to get it.
Every Liberal Democrat dreams of a Liberal Democrats government, but not a watered down pale shadow of one which gets power for power's sake. That is what we have at the moment and I cannot imagine why anyone would want to be part of some pale blue version of it in the future.
6 comments:
Two observations, Nich, if I may:
1. Lib Dems MP approach Conservative and Labour MPs to defect;
2. Real liberals - like you and Laws - are in a minority in the Lib Dems - we both know that most Lib Dems would rather worship the great God Zog than have anything to do with the Conservatives.
Hope you're feeling now much better !
I take it you're not dreaming of a Tory/LibDem coalition after the next election, then? As one who lives in LaLaFeatherstone Land, it would stick in my craw too, but I suspect the electorate would love it. It might also mean that the Guardianistas who were responsible for the election of she-of-the-irritating voice here in Hornsey & Wood Green might switch allegiance to Respect instead _ which would suit we Blues nicely!
Still, what do you do if you are a Tory activist in one of those seats. It must surely make your job harder ?
Given the choice in North Norfolk next time round I'm sure he'd prefer Norman Lamb anyway !
I think if Tory high command were going to approach Norman Lamb I might possibly know about it. It did not happen and it's ludicrous.
The problem is Iain, that Cameron has let it be known that he expects a Lib Dem MP to "switch", This story started over a year ago now, and with each month, and at each new effort for the Tory press to spin it, it seems less and less likely to happen.
You know as well as I Iain that the Daily Mail rarely prints something that the Tories are going to take great offence to.
The craziest thing actualy is to for the Tories to have imagnined in the first place that any Lib Dem MP is genuinely impressed or inspired by Cameron. It's "new Labour" all over again, and see where that got us.
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