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UK General Election

eBrain
User since 2009
Posts: 613

12 May 2010

Ok, David Cameron is prime minister and there is a coalition between the Conservative Party and the Lib Dem.


Said by a french journalist : “Lib Dem is a central left wing party”. What do you think of it ?


Is this french view matching UK’s political life ? Would a coalition between Labor and Lib Dem have been more “natural” ?

6 comments

  • User since 2010
    Posts: 5

    12 May 2010

    Here in Germany is the same problem. Coalition between the biggest Partys are no good for hole Political. They can not make any decision. Anyone is against.
  • User since 2008
    Posts: 499

    14 May 2010

    In Germany, we had a big coalition beetween the two major parties, the 'Conservatives' (CDU) and
    the Social Democrats (SPD) from 2005 until 2009. But, quite contrary to the apprehensions before, that coalition
    turned out to be comparably effective and composed, and did a prudent job, at leat during the first 2 years.


    Since fall 2009, we've had the same constellation as the UK is now heading for: a coaltion beetween the 'Conversatives' (CDU) and the Liberals (FDP), and not few expected this new coalition to be more punchy, but it was a dissapointment so far. The high exceptations fizzled out very quickly, and the new government has achieved quite little so far.


    To come back to the primordial question: I would never consider the Lib Dems as a left wing party, no matter how 'central'. Maybe, the French journalist meant that the Lib Dems have lurched to the left in the election campaign to attract left voters. I didn't follow the election campaign in the UK that closely, hence I don't know.


    In Germany, we had that scenario during the campaign. The Liberals gave themselves at least partly a "social" countenace, because they knew otherwise they would put off and lose many voters. Nowadays, no party can afford not to be at least partly left and 'social', that is they would be be ill-advised not to claim some social aims in their agenda.


    You might say, slightly ironically, that all political parties in Germany have make themselves social-democratic, except the SPD.
  • User since 2010
    Posts: 115

    10 Aug. 2010

    I am from the UK and I think that most people would describe the Lib Dems as left of centre / a central left-wing party.
  • User since 2008
    Posts: 499

    11 Aug. 2010

    I see. As far as I understood here, the Lib Dems in UK are somewhat different in their political position from the Liberal Democrats in Germany. The Lib Dems in the UK have left-wing influences in their agenda. I read in wikipedia that in 1988, the Lib Dems party was founded out of a merger of the Liberals and the Social Democrats. That's different in Germany. Usually, the German Liberal (Democrats) and the Social Democrats have nothing to do with each other. The last time they formed a coalition in the government was 30 years ago.
  • User since 2009
    Posts: 613

    11 Aug. 2010

    OK then, is there a contradiction between what can be the liberal moto : "Let do and let pass, the world goes on by itself" and left-wing politics based on recommended government's interventions in economy ?
  • User since 2010
    Posts: 3

    1 Oct. 2010

    Left ? Right ? center ? Europe is in bad shape, maybe it's time for new political organisations ?

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