Lib Dem Conference, Brighton

[Brovion]

What are you trying to achieve?...if you are trying to get a message over to the delegates then putting out a message saying "liberals not welcome here" is hardly going to get them listening to you !

If all you want to do is slag them off, fine, its a free country - but your message about Falmer won't get across.

Disagree. If they faced real hostility don't you think they'd want to know why?

 

[B.W.]

Have to agree with the "march again, but this time with attitude" people on here... I am fcuking angry at LDC and the Lib Dems... most of us are... time to let them know how we feel... stop p1ssing about with flowers, postcards, etc... that was right for then, but this is now...

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

What are you trying to achieve?...if you are trying to get a message over to the delegates then putting out a message saying "liberals not welcome here" is hardly going to get them listening to you !

If all you want to do is slag them off, fine, its a free country - but your message about Falmer won't get across.

I disagree.

By putting across a very strong 'you're not welcome' message it's going to get them asking why? It's something out of the ordinary for them, something they've not come across before.

If it becomes clear to them that the actions of a few of their members are destroying the whole party's reputation and image then they're going to want to know what's going on. Especially when it becomes national news. There's the old saying that 'no publicity is bad publicity'. Well, this action could be the 'exception that proves the rule'.

If we don't make it clear to them how strongly we feel, then there's nothing to stop LDC continuing with their petty, vindictive, lying, hateful actions.

Politicians get their power from the people. Too often the people don't exert their power. It's time we did.

 

[vauxhallexile]

I disagree.

By putting across a very strong 'you're not welcome' message it's going to get them asking why? It's something out of the ordinary for them, something they've not come across before.

If it becomes clear to them that the actions of a few of their members are destroying the whole party's reputation and image then they're going to want to know what's going on. Especially when it becomes national news. There's the old saying that 'no publicity is bad publicity'. Well, this action could be the 'exception that proves the rule'.

If we don't make it clear to them how strongly we feel, then there's nothing to stop LDC continuing with their petty, vindictive, lying, hateful actions.

Politicians get their power from the people. Too often the people don't exert their power. It's time we did.

I disagree. A "You're not welcome here" will just get nearly all delegates thinking it is clearly party politically motivated, and will play neatly into the hands of the anti-Falmer lobby.

Why? Simple, some of the Lewes Lib Dems will be looking to paint the pro-Falmer campaigners as irrational, "foaming at the mouth" Lib Dem haters. This will just prove their point.

Look at it another way. Imagine you are handing out leaflets on the street in Brighton, you shout "f*** off" to a member of the general public before giving them a leaflet and asking them to back your cause. Hardly the best way to get them to support you!

As I have said before, choose what you want to do. If you actully want to get your message across effectively to the Lib Dems, a far more effective way of doing this would be to show that the option of Falmer is good for the environment (good public transport links etc), and that the option being advocated by Lewes will be bad for the environment. The Lewes councillors like to portray themselves as being very environmentally friendly, so they would be very unhappy at anyone trying to paint them as being non-Green...

 

[vauxhallexile]

Disagree. If they faced real hostility don't you think they'd want to know why?

If they encounter real hostitlity, most conference delegates would just keep out of the way of any Brighton fans, and end up talking to Lewes Lib Dems about it instead who of course will give just one side of the story.

A few will come up and speak to you, but many more would be put off...so if you want to drive most Lib Dems into the arms of LDC, you are going the right way about it.

The alternative is to hold a demonstration, get the message across, but not in a hostile manner.

 

[Brovion]

If they encounter real hostitlity, most conference delegates would just keep out of the way of any Brighton fans, and end up talking to Lewes Lib Dems about it instead who of course will give just one side of the story.

A few will come up and speak to you, but many more would be put off...so if you want to drive most Lib Dems into the arms of LDC, you are going the right way about it.

The alternative is to hold a demonstration, get the message across, but not in a hostile manner.

They're going to talk to the Lewes Lib-Dems anyway. And anyway I WANT them put off. I want them to wonder what on earth has happened. Yes they'll avoid us, yes they'll listen to LDC far more sympathetically than they would listen to us, but they're politicians. They want to be liked and they want to get elected. We will get nowhere by trying to win them over with debate and reasoned arguement, we've got to appeal to their baser instincts by saying "Whatever you think of the rights and wrongs of building a stadium it has made you very unpopular. If you want to change that then order your colleagues at LDC to drop it."

Besides we've tried the non-hostile, 'yes we can see your point of view' approach and it has got us nowhere. They haven't listened to us before and they won't in the future. We have nothing to lose by getting nasty.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Bugger, I'll be on my honeymoon then. Would love to have given the Lib Dems a piece of my mind

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

she'll understand.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I agre with Brovian, This is beyond some political debating issue. LDC - albeit with a cloak of responsibility - are not acting rationally and this point needs to be made load and clear. They will damage the LD's electoral chances and their fellow travellers - who have their own interests at heart - need to be made aware. A good natured demonstration is not going to do that.

 

[Hannibal smith]

They're going to talk to the Lewes Lib-Dems anyway. And anyway I WANT them put off. I want them to wonder what on earth has happened. Yes they'll avoid us, yes they'll listen to LDC far more sympathetically than they would listen to us, but they're politicians. They want to be liked and they want to get elected. We will get nowhere by trying to win them over with debate and reasoned arguement, we've got to appeal to their baser instincts by saying "Whatever you think of the rights and wrongs of building a stadium it has made you very unpopular. If you want to change that then order your colleagues at LDC to drop it."

Besides we've tried the non-hostile, 'yes we can see your point of view' approach and it has got us nowhere. They haven't listened to us before and they won't in the future. We have nothing to lose by getting nasty.

Top post. I'm no militant but the time for nicey nicey is over.

 

[Caveman]

Its not about being all polite and friendly. We've done that until the cows came home. The fact is they are not welcome in Brighton, No?

 

[vauxhallexile]

They're going to talk to the Lewes Lib-Dems anyway. And anyway I WANT them put off. I want them to wonder what on earth has happened. Yes they'll avoid us, yes they'll listen to LDC far more sympathetically than they would listen to us, but they're politicians. They want to be liked and they want to get elected. We will get nowhere by trying to win them over with debate and reasoned arguement, we've got to appeal to their baser instincts by saying "Whatever you think of the rights and wrongs of building a stadium it has made you very unpopular. If you want to change that then order your colleagues at LDC to drop it."

Besides we've tried the non-hostile, 'yes we can see your point of view' approach and it has got us nowhere. They haven't listened to us before and they won't in the future. We have nothing to lose by getting nasty.

The "shout at them all" strategy just won't work. Remember, most in the Lib Dems have nothing to do with this decision, and you will only turn those people in the party who are supportive against the cause, as they will see it as being party politically motivated.

 

[Silent Bob]

But we're not going to win them over are we? We just want to turn the heat on them and get attention for our cause.

I think it's time for to become

 

[Caveman]

We should march on someones home like Archer.

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

We should march on someones home like Archer.

Jeffrey has done lots of wrong things, but even he isn't implicated in the Falmer delay.

 

[Roger Mellie]

Its time to get angry. Lets get organised - what do we need to make this work?

 

[B.W.]

They're going to talk to the Lewes Lib-Dems anyway. And anyway I WANT them put off. I want them to wonder what on earth has happened. Yes they'll avoid us, yes they'll listen to LDC far more sympathetically than they would listen to us, but they're politicians. They want to be liked and they want to get elected. We will get nowhere by trying to win them over with debate and reasoned arguement, we've got to appeal to their baser instincts by saying "Whatever you think of the rights and wrongs of building a stadium it has made you very unpopular. If you want to change that then order your colleagues at LDC to drop it."

Besides we've tried the non-hostile, 'yes we can see your point of view' approach and it has got us nowhere. They haven't listened to us before and they won't in the future. We have nothing to lose by getting nasty.

Exactly... 100% agree... LDC and the Lib Dems have had it far, far too easy from us until now... and where has it got us... nowhere...

 

[B.W.]

The "shout at them all" strategy just won't work. Remember, most in the Lib Dems have nothing to do with this decision, and you will only turn those people in the party who are supportive against the cause, as they will see it as being party politically motivated.

Surely, the Lib Dems need to know that their colleagues in Lewes are causing their party to be less popular?...

I totally disagree with you... the only way to hammer the message home is to let them know in no uncertain terms that we mean business... the time for being nice is over... their perception that it is party politically motivated would arise either way... and, BTW, I have written to the Lib Dem leadership in a cuddly way and all I got back was a nice 'fcuk off' response or no response at all, i.e. they won't lisen unless we make it clear how angry we are...

 

[vauxhallexile]

Surely, the Lib Dems need to know that their colleagues in Lewes are causing their party to be less popular?...

I totally disagree with you... the only way to hammer the message home is to let them know in no uncertain terms that we mean business... the time for being nice is over... their perception that it is party politically motivated would arise either way... and, BTW, I have written to the Lib Dem leadership in a cuddly way and all I got back was a nice 'fcuk off' response or no response at all, i.e. they won't lisen unless we make it clear how angry we are...

Whatever. Sounds like you have decided to just turn up, shout loads and turn more people against Falmer. Free country I guess, but it will do nothing to get the stadium built....

 

[B.W.]

Whatever. Sounds like you have decided to just turn up, shout loads and turn more people against Falmer. Free country I guess, but it will do nothing to get the stadium built....

That is NOT what I intend to do!... you sound like you want to send them flowers, with a written apology for the possibility that you may offend them... as you say, it's a free country!... we already KNOW your way isn't working tho'...