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Clegg now calling it a '2 horse race'
- Thread starter Jim D
- Start date
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,827
good for him. i wouldnt put money on the more seats, but it might be close.
jezzer
Active member
he cant possibly think he`ll get more seats, only perhaps more votes, the way the seats are chopped up around the country makes it impossible he`ll get more seats.
really? Where has he said that?
surrey jim
Not in Surrey
He was on Sky news earlier in Leicester delivering a speech with around 5/6 people waving Labour placards behind him!
- Thread starter
- #6
He was asked just that by a BBC (I think) reporter and, although he didn't give a straight 'yes' he started talking about voting intentions. He obviously thinks that the Labour vote may collapse and drift to him.
- Thread starter
- #8
Did you see that one of them was grabbed and ripped up? There was so much going on in the background I doubt anyone watching was listening to anything he said.
surrey jim
Not in Surrey
A zombie?
But Jim - where has he specifically said that he expects to win more seasts than Labour? I'd be staggered if he claimed that because FPTP means that would be nearly impossible this election. He may well have claimed they would get more of the popular vote than Labour.
Can you provide a source?
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,827
improbable, not impossible. how does FPTP make any difference, he simply needs to get more votes in a seat than Labour or Conservative. the fact the Liberals dont do this more often is not a product of FPTP but that historically they lack enough support in enough seats. Its the bipartisan, entrenched politics of most seats to return a Conservative or a Labour MP.
FPTP means the overall national vote doesnt translate to seats equally, but then the Tories lose out too on this measure.
It is both a product of FPTP AND the historical lack of support.
The problem with FPTP is that one side gets in, and if you live in a non-marginal, and you don't like that party running the show in your constituency, you are left with little alternative but to vote tactically to have them ousted. Seeing as we have had red v blue politics entrenched in our political landscape for years, it is extremely difficult for any other party to gain traction in most constituencies.
- Thread starter
- #14
None other than it was on the BBC news channel at about 10.30. He was asked about it while I was writing.
Simply put, if you are the second most popular candiadate in every seat you will have no MP's but quite possibly the second highest share of the popular vote.
I'm not debating the fairness of FPTP - I'd just like Jim D to provide the source for his comment. I would be staggered if Clegg had made this claim - "He expects to win more seats than Labour."
Edit: this appears to be the report - no mention ofmore seats - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8653795.stm
I'm not debating the fairness of FPTP - I'd just like Jim D to provide the source for his comment. I would be staggered if Clegg had made this claim - "He expects to win more seats than Labour."
Edit: this appears to be the report - no mention ofmore seats - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8653795.stm
Fixed, to highlight why the current system is so shite, with the Lib Dems likely to get half the number of seats that Labour get, despite a bigger share of the vote.
withdeanwombat
Well-known member
If it's him and Cameron,I think he means donkeys.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,093
He's not wrong.
The Labour support is now back to the levels of the dark days under Michael Foot. It is inconceivable Labour will win a majority. I admire Clegg's bravado re the 2-horse race thing, lesser men would be more conciliatory to Labour.
The point is he can see Labour is on it's knees and the Tories are still pissing about in the 30s in the polls. The Tories under a Ken Clarke or a Heseltine figure of yesteryear would be firmly ensconced in the 40s and expectant of a working majority. Fair play to Clegg for "Going for gold".
The Labour support is now back to the levels of the dark days under Michael Foot. It is inconceivable Labour will win a majority. I admire Clegg's bravado re the 2-horse race thing, lesser men would be more conciliatory to Labour.
The point is he can see Labour is on it's knees and the Tories are still pissing about in the 30s in the polls. The Tories under a Ken Clarke or a Heseltine figure of yesteryear would be firmly ensconced in the 40s and expectant of a working majority. Fair play to Clegg for "Going for gold".
Lord Bracknell
On fire
Assuming the Tory vote remains at about 35%, the only way the Lib Dems can get more seats than Labour is for them to poll as many votes as the Tories AND for the Labour vote to collapse to 21% - which would need about one in four of Labour's CURRENT supporters (as of today) switching to the Lib Dems before next Thursday.
Con 35% - 297 seats
LibDem 35% - 166 seats
Lab 21% - 153 seats
Others 9% - 16 seats
N Ireland - 18 seats
UK Polling Report
Con 35% - 297 seats
LibDem 35% - 166 seats
Lab 21% - 153 seats
Others 9% - 16 seats
N Ireland - 18 seats
UK Polling Report
Forget tactics. Forget hung parliaments. Just vote Lib Dem. For the first time in decades it's not a wasted vote - so just do it.