The Politics Thread 3.0

[Lex-Man]

I would love the Lib Dem's to come back but I can't see it at the moment. The electorate seems too divided (and the two main parties) between the left and right.

[Tineash]

I would love the Lib Dem's to come back

Oh god, just... why?

[Lagamorph]

I would love the Lib Dem's to come back

Oh god, just... why?

You'd rather have May or Corbyn?

[Moggy]

If Labour didn't have a leader that appeals to the traditional Lib Dem values

I'm sure anti-EU Corbyn really appeals to those traditional Lib Dem voters.

The Lib Dems lost 27 seats to the Tories in 2015. I'm not sure their traditional supporter base are as left wing as you think.

[Dual]

Matthew Parris: "This is the moment for a Lib Dem revival"

Believe

Why don't we all just agree to cancel Brexit and move Sir Vince into number ten?

Big Vince

[captain red dog]

If Labour didn't have a leader that appeals to the traditional Lib Dem values

I'm sure anti-EU Corbyn really appeals to those traditional Lib Dem voters.

The Lib Dems lost 27 seats to the Tories in 2015. I'm not sure their traditional supporter base are as left wing as you think.

I think for some people on the left, the EU issue with Corbyn is largely ignored. Certainly a lot of the studenty types look at Corbyn and see his views are largely the same as Tony Benn's, and realise that a Corbyn styled Brexit is not the same as a Tory Brexit. Maybe that's why he gets a pass, but Labour have certainly moved into Lib Dems territory with a lot of their other policy announcements.

[Alvin Flummux]

Matthew Parris: "This is the moment for a Lib Dem revival"

Believe

Why don't we all just agree to cancel Brexit and move Sir Vince into number ten?

Big Vince

You're moving him into the Westminster clock tower?

Not con-vinced (what an awful coalition that'd be ) at all that the Lib Dems are in any position to sweep into No. 10, but with Labour in the hands of Corbyn, and the Tories' recent "nice guy" makeover in tatters, I hope that they can pull it off.

[DML]

If Labour didn't have a leader that appeals to the traditional Lib Dem values

I'm sure anti-EU Corbyn really appeals to those traditional Lib Dem voters.

The Lib Dems lost 27 seats to the Tories in 2015. I'm not sure their traditional supporter base are as left wing as you think.

I think for some people on the left, the EU issue with Corbyn is largely ignored. Certainly a lot of the studenty types look at Corbyn and see his views are largely the same as Tony Benn's, and realise that a Corbyn styled Brexit is not the same as a Tory Brexit. Maybe that's why he gets a pass, but Labour have certainly moved into Lib Dems territory with a lot of their other policy announcements.

Brexit was of course was a major issue at the last election, but if you are looking at all the other issues surrounding an issue using actual facts - the Conservatives have hardly covered themselves in glory on issues outside Brexit have they? No wonder a Labour party was attractive to a lot.

Again, as I always state - I voted Lib Dem last time out.

[Denster]

Labour were very astute in targeting the youth vote. A demographic with a usually poor turnout that reaped dividends for them.
I also think the Brexit vote had a pronounced effect on the General Election. I think the dismay at that result counteracted the normal apathy of voters who think 'why bother voting - it won't make any difference' and galvanised a lot of people to actually go and vote.
Couple that with a positive labour campaign, Corbyn being actually decent at campaigning and May being appalling and it made for a very unexpected turnaround.

[Garth]

[KK]

A Panorama special tonight worth watching at 10:45pm and iPlayer,

Germany's New Nazis: Panorama

Violent right-wing extremism in Germany has surged to its highest level since the downfall of the Third Reich, with a record number of attacks against asylum seekers and their supporters. Panorama has spent six months in Freital, a small town at the heart of the new wave of far-right terror.

As Germany goes to the polls, this film hears how long-held taboos are being broken in a country still haunted by its Nazi legacy and far-right views are becoming mainstream once more. Across the world, far-right extremists have been on the march, from Charlottesville in the United States to the suburbs of Paris and the streets of Manchester. But how worried should we be by the rise of the far right in Europe's most powerful country?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b095zf2s

[Rocsteady]

Sounds like an interesting one, if the afd continues to grow it's going to make for a hella divided society - think plenty of Germans will be mindful of their history enough to make the backlash humongous.

[Squinty]

Hopefully more Nazi punchings that I can sort of publicly criticize, but secretly laugh at and feel no sympathy over

[Irene Demova]

twitter.com/netanyahu/status/910250240476942336

I love modern political discourse, this doesn't even make sense as a "funny" aside

[KK]

Watched that Panorama special. Really great. Definitely worth watching on iPlayer.

A lot of similarities to how some people feel in the UK, though it's by no means as extreme here, or at least the outcomes haven't been yet.

[Cuttooth]

Pretty poor exit polls for Merkel, the far right AfD has won 13.5% of the vote.

First far right party to enter the German parliament since the early 60s. Potentially terrifying times ahead.

[Rocsteady]

Which means they'll take at least 13% of Bundestag seats and could even form the main opposition. The worldwide political situation doesn't imorove.

[Lagamorph]

Farage is probably rubbing his hands together in glee.

[Cuttooth]

Which means they'll take at least 13% of Bundestag seats and could even form the main opposition. The worldwide political situation doesn't imorove.

Looks like they won't be able to call themselves the main opposition because the SDP have just ruled out continuing the grand coalition with CDU/CSU.

[KK]

"We are going to going to take this country back" chants crowd at AfD party as exit polls show they got 13.5% of vote

That phrasing sure has become a common theme this past year or so.