Comments on: The Kiss of Polly Shaped Death

By: Wayne Lawrence

Wayne Lawrence — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:28:46 +0000

“Guardian and Observer readers are amongst the most likely to vote or consider voting Lib Dem”

It’s because the LDP is seen as a socialist party, whether that is the ghastly truth or not. If so, why would a failed ideology, viz socialism, be successful under a different banner. It won’t.

I would hope people vote LDP because they had a Road to Damascus epiphany and saw the sense of liberalism (proper liberalism, not as an erroneous nomenclature for socialism).

I hope the leadership see things the same way too.

By: KeithML

KeithML — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:47:10 +0000

Whatever you think of La Toynbee, Guardian and Observer readers are amongst the most likely to vote or consider voting Lib Dem (I think the only Independent was higher) so for them to effectively say “vote Lib Dem” is potentially good for the party.

I’d love the Sun to support us, but I suspect we’ll be skating with the Devil before that happens.

By: Foregone Conclusion

Foregone Conclusion — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:52:21 +0000

I dislike Toynbee because she’s a polemicist, a hack and a champagne socialist. But I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. We’re a broad church – if liberal minded people want to vote for us on liberal grounds, and she encourages them to do so, it’s a good thing.

By: David

David — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:27:54 +0000

Polly Toynbee has become an albatross for the Guardian, her politics is now such a caricature it’s unfunny. Any article which trys to tie the Lib-Dems to her wooly communitarian/’social justice’ agenda should be shouted down very quickly.

By: burkesworks

burkesworks — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:00:33 +0000

This is why they call you the Awesome One! Are you the only other Lib Dem who saw that La Toynbee was switching her support to the Party and went “bleurgh” (or worse)?

By: Letters From A Tory

Letters From A Tory — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:52:21 +0000

Good analysis. Most people seem to have forgotten how high the Lib Dems scored in 2005 with the anti-war vote that will pale into insignificance compared to the pro-Tory-get-rid-of-Labour swing vote at the next election. The Lib Dems will be lucky to escape with losing just 10 MPs, in my opinion.

By: Wayne Lawrence

Wayne Lawrence — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:12:31 +0000

Oh Gawd,

It’s worse news than it would be finding out St Vince has a duck house on the taxpayer’s tab.

By: Ian B

Ian B — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:00:17 +0000

I wish 18% of the population were libertarians. It would be nice just if 18% of the population even knew what libertarianism is.

Anyway, Polly says-

Leaving Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy’s mainstream group will make future EU dealings infinitely harder. Why should other countries grant the endless compromises and opt-outs Britain has insisted on? Should those exemptions be refused, it would ignite yet more anti-European virulence.

Without then asking the obvious question of why Britain should be begging for opt outs and having to keep in the good books of all these other “partners” in the first place. Why is it considered hegemonically verboten to not want Britain reduced to a province in a giant new nation? Come to that, when are they going to admit that, rather than “the nation state being dead”, they’re actually just creating a new giant nation state with imperial intentions? And what the feck use is a powerless “parliament” you vote for, but a legislature that you can’t vote for?

By: Darrell

Darrell — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:09:38 +0000

You have pretty much hit the nail on the head with your first paragraph really; there is something that strikes me as being insincere about her musings. Personally, i always prefer a sincere opponent to a fickle friend and thats why I tweeted the kiss of death comment…..