LibDem leader defensive on Marr over Tory defectors
LibDem leader Jo Swinson was challenged – twice – by the BBC’s Andrew Marr this morning about the number of ex-Tory defectors her party is accepting, including the pro-austerity, former May front-bencher Sam Gyimah last night.
And – twice – she declined to say that the LibDems are not the ‘soft Tories’ Marr described:
Swinson then went on to defend ex-Tory Philip Lee, whose acceptance led to the resignation from the party of the LibDems’ LGBT lead – and to insist that the LibDems would not stand aside even to facilitate Labour’s strong prospect of defeating no-deal Brexiter Boris Johnson in Uxbridge at the next general election.
As Twitter user Matt Thomas pointed out in a graphic this morning, Swinson has voted with the Tories more times than many Tory MPs:
SKWAWKBOX view:
Jo Swinson also talked during the interview about her limitless ambition. That ambition has exposed the LibDems’ true nature.
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Swinson is a phony and would even accept the Downing Street cat if she thought she could profit by it.
Swinson has picked up another Tory trait – Silence any dissenting voices.
“While most of the questions lobbed at the new leader were remarkably friendly, one woman took issue with Swinson’s decision to allow the former Tory MP, Phillip Lee, to join the party. The defection, while swelling the Lib Dem ranks, has gone down like a lead balloon with many members, due to Lee’s failure to back same-sex marriage in the past.
The member of the audience asked Swinson if the party was vetting new MPs carefully enough, to see if they have liberal values, and added that:
‘I am concerned that some of the people that have joined recently don’t share those [liberal] values, and their voting records show their true colours.’
Swinson attempted to answer the question by suggesting that not all Liberal Democrats need to share exactly the same values on every issue, and could arrive at a different conclusion from a liberal perspective. But her answer was given short shrift by a heckling audience member who (as far as Mr S could make out), hollered:
‘This is a Ukip policy, this is literally a Ukip policy.’
Before being silenced by the moderator on stage. Awkward.
https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/09/listen-jo-swinson-heckled-at-lib-dem-conference/
I am so glad Jo Swinson is getting so much air time as it enables the electorate to see for themselves her arrogance and hypocrisy. Her latest is when she “forms a government ……..” Yes she actually believes this is possible and she will be in No10 sometime soon.
Does she/the Lib Dems really think that unilaterally reversing the 2016 referendum is their path to government? Do hey really think we have forgiven or forgotten their role in imposing austerity on us during their years in office with the Tories 2010-2015.
Finally the Lib Dems are not soft Tories , they are just Tories plain and simple. I have no doubt whatsoever they want to get Brexit out of the way so they can form a pact or some sort of alliance with the Tories at the next election.
The question is, is Swinson using the drop outs or are they using her so they can dupe Libdem activists into campaigning for them in the next GE?
Jack T I suspect a bit of both,but clearly the power grab takes priority for little miss posh frocks
She’s laughably transparent, as in that “ambition” remark. It’s particularly funny the way she goes into huffing, defensive, protesting teenager mode when put under the slightest pressure about her voting record or the fact that her party is a repository for splitters from both sides of the Extreme Centre.
They’ll crash and burn when the mask comes off that one, hopefully during the election campaign!
The problem with this woman is that she may well allow the Right to win by splitting the opposition. She makes it crystal clear she’ll bugger Labour if she can. It’s interesting how the MSM laud her and big her up, not even remarking on the insanity of her basing policy around getting a majority! At least every time she speaks voters are falling away. It used to be said voting Lib Dem was a wasted vote; now you’d have to say it’s a dangerous vote because it opens the door to 5 years of Johnson and his Merry Money men.
Good point paul,and voting lib dem as always been a dangerous vote.Hopefully we will adopt that slogan in libdem marginals
What about the Lib Dems’ easy abandonment of the second referendum? The Lib Dems belatedly realised that given a second referendum, (spun as a somehow-different “People’s Vote”), the people would in all likelihood “vote the wrong way” again – very probably in greater number than last time because of voters’ fury at having their original instruction ignored.
Labour should have no truck with Lib Dem authoritarianism on Brexit – based as it is on a haughty contempt for the British electorate who should “know their place” and obey the ruling Establishment elite. We in the Labour Party should stop appeasing the Blairites, dump all notions of reversing Brexit and return to the stance on which all Labour MPs were elected – to RESPECT THE REFERENDUM RESULT!
Danny, would you undergo an important operation based upon a diagnosis made more than three years ago, or would you perhaps ask for an up to date assessment?
Wow, that’s a marvellous analogy.
I’d be suing the arses off, and trying to get struck off those doctors who hadn’t already operated on me and who had left me to suffer for those three years while they were wringing their hands about how to avoid doing the operation altogether.
Danny 15/09/2019 at 6:19 pm
“We in the Labour Party should stop appeasing the Blairites, dump all notions of reversing Brexit and return to the stance on which all Labour MPs were elected – to RESPECT THE REFERENDUM RESULT!”
Unlike the small minority of infiltrators from the ‘Tooting Popular Front’ the majority of Labour members and supporters are wise enough to ignore you. The majority have made it clear that they support having another referendum and want to stay in the EU.
” We in the Labour Party should stop appeasing the Blairites,”
What a tosser. The Brexit issue has nothing to do with ‘appeasing the Blairites’ for those of us who actually have roots in the Party rather than using it as a flag of convenience for posturing failure.
It’s the use of “we” that I object to!
Personally I am not strong on either veiw with brexit.But I am getting tired of watching some posters dancing on the grave of a democratic vote for leaving the EU.A little more understanding of a lodgical veiw would be polite.Talk about kicking a man while he’s down is not a good look….
“Fury at having their original instruction ignored” refers exclusively to the 52% – who are self-evidently unable to vote in greater number than last time. They are in fact now fewer in number.
You chose the word “instruction” to imply that the marginal win carries greater weight – ten commandments, tablets of stone, “How dare you ignore my direct order” – than a mere vote.
Unprofessorial conduct – guilty.
Indeed. The comparisons for this sort of bending and re-writing of reality and its history don’t provide a great reference. (Although it is quite funny when it comes out as a John Cleese caricature).
Of course – the *actual* majority outcome was a resounding No + ‘Fuck Knows’ – a fair summation of what still seems to be the case. Hardly a resounding call a jump over Cliff Lemming.