tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post3385439488200590594..comments2024-03-27T16:39:43.522+00:00Comments on Liberal England: Charles Kennedy set to lead pro-Union campaign in referendumJonathan Calderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-9436435713957866862012-01-13T11:25:19.971+00:002012-01-13T11:25:19.971+00:00Just as in the Euro referendum our distinct contri...Just as in the Euro referendum our distinct contribution was glossed over in favour of a bland pro vote so I fear in Scotland we will not put the federalist case and get swallowed up in a Unionist campaign.iainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14130477837827628789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-45195702961255514092012-01-12T11:07:02.728+00:002012-01-12T11:07:02.728+00:00The idea that the disappearance of Scotland's ...The idea that the disappearance of Scotland's MPs from Westminster would lead to a permanent Tory majority is an interesting one. In the short-term, it might well be true, but wouldn't electoral politics adapt to the new realities? <br /><br />More currently Tory voters might be less likely to vote for the party once it had been in power for a certain amount of time, for example, and the disappearance of Labour's Scottish contingency might cause wider changes in its direction and the way it's perceived.<br /><br />I find it rather like the argument that the Lib Dems would benefit from PR/STV, when in reality, in the long term, it would probably squeeze our vote back to the core liberal 10-15% of the population as tactical voting and incumbency advantage became smaller issues. It would still be 'better' overall, and a good thing for liberal democracy - but the long-term fall-out as voters adapt to the new reality would not be to entrench the Lib Dems.AdamHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-64523097130037898222012-01-11T23:09:56.713+00:002012-01-11T23:09:56.713+00:00Having just written a brief blog on the matter mys...Having just written a brief blog on the matter myself, I found that I felt that the break up wouldn't matter too much either way as well. But the thing which revolts me is that proud nationalism is winning out over cooler sensiblities. That something so petty as a national identity is threatening to tear the country apart in spite of shared economic interest and more than three hundred years of friendship, cooperation and shared fortunes is infuriating. It's like burning down your shared house because pixies have promised you gold.T. C. R. MacDonnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16428819821836162531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-84308451617920825132012-01-11T23:02:47.396+00:002012-01-11T23:02:47.396+00:00Well said. While I think Kennedy still has someth...Well said. While I think Kennedy still has something to offer - I'm not convinced that diluting it with the charms of the other two will do anything but bring his star even further down.<br /><br />And anyway the liberals and Lib Dems have never considered themselves unionists before - and part of the reason for our collapse north of the border is our indistinguishability from the others. The party needs to get out of the unionist trap set for it by the SNP not drag itself furthe rinto it - which this moves implies.<br /><br />http://livingonwords.blogspot.com/2012/01/time-for-moore-to-stop-digging.htmlDan Falchikovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10202541499332901648noreply@blogger.com