@Beak. I am sick and tired of people blaming all of the current economic situation on either Gordon Brown or the Labour Party.

Sorry but is the current economic situation a Global one or not? Is Britain the only country with a large debt or economic problems?

I know! Lets all be like Beak and get macho and stuff about cuts!

Forget that the UK owns over $200 billion in US debt that should be sold.

People are going to die because of the coming cuts. Beak, I hope a member of your family is not one of them.

Well, well, well, I trust "Beak2 refers to his teaching job at Eton? If it isn't impolite, may I just point out that we live in a class-ridden society, with the highest level of inequality in Western Europe?

Hazel, in the light of Lib Dem actions, and the lack of support for either the Green party or any left alternative, I suggest that we do something to change the Labour Party, rather than just carping about its many failures.

Labour, for all its dirty policies over the last 13 years, is the only party on the left of our political spectrum with consistent support from organised labour. It is also a party that has reinvented itself more than once over the years, and can do again.
As a matter of urgency we need to organise to defend our people from the hideous effects the coming savage cuts will have. Without Labour, all hope of defence is stillborn.
As the economic orthodoxy of the last 30 years has been destroyed by events, it is possible to build a viable alternative. Those New Labour free-marketeers are now intellectually a busted flush.
We can bring Labour back to its libertarian and egalitarian traditions,and it seems to me that these are more relevant today than ever.

@Beak. I am not saying that Brown or Labour are not in any way responsible for the situation.

The neo-liberal economic policies pursued by every Government since 1976 are to blame.

You should be aware that the UK's overeliance on financial services made it more exposed to the economic situation than other states.

Of course there has to be cuts! But what cuts and where? Should we dump Trident - £100 billion over several years, sell our US foreign debt -over $200 billion.

Or sack thousands of teachers and nurses?

It has already been noted on the government website that ID cards are for the chop. First step in the restoration of civil liberties.

Not 'progressive alliance' it would just be a left alliance. No more no less

I too would have hugely preferred a Labour-Lib Dem government to a Tory-Lib Dem one. But I'm sorry,in the (often northern)cities where Lib Dems have run councils, they have shown themselves to be very far from the 'progressive' party you believe to be. When you say you "badly underestimated" their willingness to jump in to bed with the Tories, were you forgetting about Leeds, Birmingham etc. where they have done precisely that? Were you forgetting about Sheffield or Camden or Liverpool where Tories are persona non grata so the Lib Dems generally default to a "Tory" role? A huge number of truly progressive people already knew this (which is why the great Lib Dem "surge" didn't hold): perhaps you have been too stuck in the Westminster village to see (& understand) what actually goes on out there on the ground?

James I don't know what you've been smoking but the Lab-Lib coalition was a fantasy pursued by people who didn't appreciate that it stood zero chance of governing properly.

The idea that it would have been an effective progressive is a joke.

Labour lost the election by losing its overall majority and moving into second place, and clinging onto office by the most contrived coalition ever would be almost anti-democratic. The Labour MPs you talk of recognise this, and that is why they wish to recoup and recover in opposition.

emilia is spot on here. the LibDem campaign in my area was along the lines of 'tories can't win here, vote lib dem' endearing itself itself to any centre-right people in the area. a lib-lab coalition would alienate these voters.

beak is right in saying it wouldn't be a progressive alliance, but it definitely wouldn't be a left alliance.

it wouldn't really be anything but a compromise. which is exactly what the lib-con alliance will be.

can it last?

It is the perfect time to regroup.

The Lib Dems will pay dearly for sitting in a Conservative Government.

Lib Dem MPs particularly those in Lib Dems / Tory marginals rely on Labour voters to vote for them.

Those voters did not vote Lib Dem last Thursday to have Cameron as PM.

However long this parliament lasts and however successful this Government is the Lib Dems will suffer at the ballot box.

They should suffer for foisting these odious tories on us!

Well said Graeme, well said!

I hope the Lib Dems get what they deserve - political self-destruction. They are an insult to all those people who voted for them as an alternative to the two main parties, and the Tories.
The Labour Party will come back stronger - We'll keep the red flag flying here!

At the end of the day you have to hope that Cameron and Clegg do work this out and make a success of it, for that would be to the good of the country. I can't see how but that's my absurd hope because I'm idealistic and want to see this country get back on its feet in the way Gordon had started to head us. Gordon left with dignity and we as a party need to lick our wounds, regroup and come back to fight another day. It's a sign of the times that all three parties have come from left to centre and right to centre, it's a more middle ground centreland than ever before. That's good in a democracy even though I never thought the Tories would join with the Liberals, a most unlikely alliance but one that we must accept has been formed. It's worrying beyond belief that Cameron seemingly has a clear mandate on wrecking our economy and creating mass unemployment with their plans on cost efficiency; people will pay the price and turn to a party they can believe in if we hold our dignity and fight the battle on constructive ground. The Tories have an immense battle with a not too wacking majority, especially once disgruntled backbenchers start showing their contempt for what has been agreed by two leaders who didn't consult their kind. The bigger problem will be the mayhem in by-elections caused by differing Liberal and Tory councils who have no local mandate and will never subscribe to the new face on this ill thought alliance. Traditional liberals will never trust their party when this double act falls apart. That's how we'll rebuild the seats and with a new leader, Milliband I feel is the one, people will regain the faith. We shouldn't oppose in obstinacy, the stakes are too high. Clegg and his merry (and not so merry) men will real in horror when the media hype this as a Cameron and Tory win, that will be too bitter a pill for them to swallow and slowly the marriage will turn to divorce. I say this but I hope I've got it wrong for all I care is that this Country doesn't go the way of Greece. Don't forget how we came second in this election when the media had us in third place! Right, now where's the Anadin?

jeremiah - you better get used to it

Mind you I suppose we've still got to wait and hear just what a 'progressive' coalition has in fact been formed, Cameron hardly had the welcome which I recall when Blair swept to power after 18 years on the dark side! Tonight I think the prize for most honourable goes to Gordon Brown, can't help but feel he walked away in disgust......knowing what we can expect as the newly weds go to bed reading their A to Z's on 'how to fix the economy'!

THOSE WEEZELES OLD MAN STAW AND BLUNKET ARE TO BLAME . ITS STRAW AND BLUNKET YOU CAN THANK FOR GIVEING US A TORIE GOVENMENT . WHY DONT THOSE TRATORS F... OFF AN JOIN CAMRONS CONSERVITIVES , IM SURE HED GIVE THOSE TWO SCUM A CABNET SEAT .STRAW AND BLUKET ARE NO DIFFRENT TO LIKE UNION SCABS .

Blame me. I voted LibDem

@jeremiah

"With a Tory Government i'm sure we will all get used to economic incompetence, mass unemployment, a double dip recession and increased inequality."

Isn't that roughly what we've had the last few years? I think everyone's used to it already!

"I don't know about you beak but i'm looking forward to it!"

Do you live in this country???

Hey Beak! When unemployment hits over 3 Million, we have a Sterling crisis and a double dip recession you will be clamouring for the halcyon days of good old Gord!

Hey Greg! Yes I live in this country and I am looking forward to this coalition of public school cretins crashing and burning!

Labour didn't want to deal with the Lib Dems. Therefore, Cameron was going to end up as PM anyway.

james i hope the gardian is happy they dclared for the lib dems , your party dident did they james ? .

@ Greg. I deal day in and day out with helping victims of the GLOBAL recession we WERE recovering from. People who have been assisted positively by the effective anti-recessionary measures introduced by Labour. People have been able to effect financial recovery and remain in their homes unlike the awful Tory days of yesteryear. Labour has done a great deal of very positive work on welfare reform aimed at helping those in need. You seem to have a poor memory because it was the Tories who championed mass unemployment and now we are again in danger of seeing how Tory policy of 'cost efficiency' savings will force many front line decent hard working public servants back onto the dole with consequent rises in inflation forcing mortages back up. You congratulate this dubious duo; I hope for your sake you don't face the same perils that many will: belive me a change in fortune can happen to any of us a lot quicker than perhaps u'd care to think! Don't be smug at other people's expense and in any event I'd not put too much faith in Cameron and Clegg holding it together all that long, they are a mismatch made in hell! And you may care to remember that when it comes to recession the Tories fared none to well or does your memory not stretch back that far?

good to see tories and lib dems close to each other . lets hope it is forever.the only progressive party is the labour party .

P.S:- I agree with many posters here, we need to regroup, refocus and refresh the party. Select a strong leader, i'm leaning towards David Milliband personally but i'll wait till the contest before deciding.

I should add this, this coalition will fall apart sooner or later and when it does Labour will be ready.

We didn't sell out.

The Liberal Democrats are a disgrace.

Clegg and the Liberals should know that a political tightrope frequently gets tangled into a NOOSE. Then, suddenly back to a tight rope- a very tight rope.
We WILL remember.

Show your style and charm,The popular is what you want, right?

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