British Lib-Dems Commit Political Suicide

It took five days, but the British now have a new government. The Conservative Party has formed an alliance with the Liberal Democrats, making Conservative David Cameron the new Prime Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister (similar to our Vice-President) is Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg (pictured). The Liberal Democrats have also been assured of at least 20 posts in the new government and a national referendum on political reform.

I'm sure the Liberal Democrats are proud of themselves, because this marks the first time they have actually been a part of the ruling government. But I think they are fooling themselves. The Conservatives are not about to let them have any real power -- they are simply figureheads in a Conservative government (and a minority government at that).

Although the Conservatives have seized power, most of the British people voted to have a left-of-center government -- not a right-wing government. The Conservative Party only got about 36% of the national vote, while the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats got about 52% of the vote (and that doesn't count the vote of several other small left-leaning parties). This by itself puts into question the stability of the new government, since it has the support of only a minority of the population.

Now you might think the new government also has the support of voters who voted for the Liberal Democrats, but I don't think that is true. Liberal Democrat voters are left-wingers (even slightly to the left of the Labour Party) and are not pleased to see their party help install a right-wing government. It would not surprise me at all to see many of these people voting Labour in the next election to prevent this from happening again. Just look at some of these comments from a Liberal Democrat website:

"Voted Lib Dem. Got Tory. Won’t make that mistake again."

"I voted Liberal Democrat in the last three elections because I was disillusioned with Labour but could never contemplate a return to Tory government. I know lots of people who did the same. Needless to say, I won’t be making that mistake again. Neither will they."

"Vote Lib Dem, get Tory… get used to that slogan, got a feeling you’ll hear it a lot…. bye bye Lib Dems…"

"I have a feeling the joke will be on the Lib Dems at the end of the day. The joke is certainly on the electorate who voted Lib Dem."

"I am disgusted at this sordid deal – it’s a marriage made in hell. LibDem voters did not vote for this – they voted in their hordes to keep the Tories out. The only comfort I have is that the LibDems will (deservedly) be wiped out at he next election."

Frankly, I think all the Liberal Democrats have done is to commit political suicide. Progressives are not pleased that their votes for the Liberal Democrats resulted in the installation of a Conservative government, and it would not surprise me at all to see them abandon the party in the next election. And that election could happen in just a year or two. I think the Liberal Democrat MPs will not be able to stomach the Conservative policies they are now being asked to support and will soon abandon the government.

This is actually a good thing for the Labour Party. They now get a year or two to develop their policies and strategy, and to find a new and more appealing leader. If they are able to do so (and they should be able to) then they will probably get many Liberal Democrat votes in the next election and again form a majority government. As for the Liberal Democrats, the next election will see them lose many of the seats they now hold in Parliament to Labour.

The Conservatives had better enjoy this new government while they can, because it won't last long and the next election will not be kind to them.