Friday, September 21, 2007

Mark Oaten and Lib-Lab co-operation

A couple of weeks ago Mark Oaten had an article in The Times which floated the idea of a Lib Dem/Conservative pact. Or at least it was dressed up by the paper as though it did.

Now he has written for Fabian Review:

Lib Dem Mark Oaten says there are some persuasive arguments for Lib-Lab co-operation, but there are some big stumbling blocks.

It begins to look as though Mark Oaten is more interested in promoting Mark Oaten than in persuading the party to adopt a particular strategy.

The article is not online, but you can read Sunder Katwala's call for the Alternative Vote system to be adopted for Westminster elections as part of a package of constitutional reform.

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3 comments:

  1. Anonymous21 September, 2007 10:57

    At least Oaten is retaining equidistance by courting both Labour and Conservatives. :-/

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  2. Jonny Wright21 September, 2007 12:56

    I just bought a copy of Oaten's book (which the Times article was promoting). I'll reserve judgement on his views until I've read it in full, but I've been pretty forthright in the past with my opinion on electoral pacts, and I don't expect to be too thrilled by it.

    I do think your analysis of Oaten is right, though: even if he hadn't done well on the front benches, he could at least have had a long career as a constituency MP, but now it's politically impossible for him to re-stand, he's in an awkward spot, and doesn't know where to go next.

    His name is tarnished with his scandal, and he can't do very much other than politics - so it looks like he's gearing himself up for a career as a pundit and commentator.

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  3. Anonymous22 September, 2007 11:53

    Thanks for the mention.

    The Mark Oaten article can now be read online.

    http://fabians.org.uk/publications/review/autumn-07-politics/oaten-lib-lab-project/

    The Fabian Review issue also an editorial on this theme, on which LibDem views would be interesting.

    http://fabians.org.uk/publications/review/autumn-07-politics/editorial-pluralism/

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