The Brown Rainbow.

AH.com: 2010 UK GE Thread minutes after Coalition announcement.

Originally Posted by The Red

I'm no fan of Cameron, but forming a completely undemocratic coalition to keep him out helps no-one but the Tories. Even if this coalition does survive the five years, it will be incredibly unpopular and combined with the cuts they'll need to make, is going to devastate the Labour party for a generation.

Originally Posted by Constantinople

Ah, I mean. I sort of saw this coming. I mean the Tories would only work with the LibDems and just barely at that. But it could have worked, honestly. I can't believe Brown and company actually went and did it! Why don't they just slit their own throats while they're at it?

Originally Posted by Aracnid

To be honest I don't really buy the anti-democratic message, as much as I may hate it the "progressive forces of British politics" to use Mandelson's phrase got more votes and more seats than we did and thus earned the right to form government. But I'm opposed to this coalition on two points.

a.) It's not going to work, while there is a degree of common "progressive" ideology among the Lib Dems and Labour and that sort of coalition might be practical with this big a coalition there isn't a common view of the world. Look at the last Coalition this country saw, the National Government of the 30's. Now whatever the internal disagreements on the major issues of the day they were united, Treasury view economics, appeasement of Germany, then when war broke out winning it. This time around elements of the Coalition is totally ideologically hostile, most notably on Scotland. The SNP are committed to Scottish Independence, Labour and the Lib Dems are bitterly opposed. That's not the sort of difference that can be split down the middle. Half a dozen similar divisions are present including Tuition Fee's, Trident, the Electoral system etc. and while the focus will be deficit reduction those three issues are going to have to be dealt with in this Parliament.

b.) It doesn't represent the whole country. As much as I dislike them Labour and Lib Dems are national parties committed to acting in the national interest with voters from all over the country, even if they normally get the decisions wrong. The SNP and Plaid are not, they have no right to make decisions and support a government acting on behalf of everyone when they don't even pretend to be national parties and are purely regional. Never has the West Lothian question been more pressing.

Originally Posted by Constantinople

I guess Brown would be staying awhile too then right? Considering how unpopular *he* is and then he's going to be managing an unpopular government of what, like 6 parties?.... Nationalists, liberals (the orangebookers are going to be pissed), a green, the Irish parties... It can't last.

Originally Posted by Basileus Giorgios

I'm in two minds about this. On the one hand, it's an outrageous violation of democratic principles, and really does show the Liberal Democrats up as Labour's little bitches. The Conservatives have clearly won the election in terms of votes and seats, and yet the Lib Dems still spurn them for this absurd idea of a deal with Labour.

On the other hand, though, it cannot last. Electoral reform won't get past the Labour backbenchers, the scale of the cuts bearing down on England that are the price for nationalist support will shake Labour backbenchers further, and, most importantly, the Labour Party is too exhausted to govern. I'd be very surprised if David Cameron hasn't won a decent sized majority in a year's time.

Originally Posted by Constantinople

Well I'm sure behind all the indignation, Cameron and his party is absolutely thrilled about the inevitable Toryslide. Anyone wanna guess how long Browns rainbow dream is going to last? I give it, ah, 8-10 months.
 
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I like my appearance :), otherwise while this enhances the story it doesn't progress it. That means there is little to comment on.
 
I like my appearance :), otherwise while this enhances the story it doesn't progress it. That means there is little to comment on.

I'm just waiting for the snow in the north to die out so I can get my response from someone about the next stage of the Rainbow Cabinet.

Anyone want a post on changes from OTL at this point?
 
You'd have squeezed a comment out of me if you'd represented me in your little fake quote box :(

I do like the style, though. Bitty but not in a bad way, and the voices are all quite convincing. I don't *think* Clegg would use the term 'Islington Mafia', though, as... well, he's a member of it, and besides it's a little combative for a BBC interview, even 4 years on.
 
You'd have squeezed a comment out of me if you'd represented me in your little fake quote box :(

I do like the style, though. Bitty but not in a bad way, and the voices are all quite convincing. I don't *think* Clegg would use the term 'Islington Mafia', though, as... well, he's a member of it, and besides it's a little combative for a BBC interview, even 4 years on.

Maybe when it's time for the Toryslide. :)

Things have changed. They have grown to hate Clegg for now defining the LibDems as an economically right wing party and adopting the consensus of 'We accept cuts of around this size but in different places'.

But I have also edited it to say 'Islington Mafia, as they are called by the right of the Tories,' to try and make it make more sense.

Don't suppose you want to see what has changed, I have a Salmond bit coming up on theories on the Tory gains and how he's going to use it to his advantage.
 
10th May 2011

Alex Salmond was a happy man.

Why? He had a plan to deal with the complications that arose in the results of the Scottish election and if it worked then he could expect an SNP government in a matter of days and have the other parties become bitterly divided.

He would admit that, at first, he was panicking and horrified by the results as they were displayed on the election charts. But after he had slept off the fear and panic, he then used the old brain to try and think of a way out of the current predicament, showing himself why he had lasted for so long and kept his little coalition together.

First he had to remember why the Tories did so well. The return of the AAA rating was not a coincidence, the Tories were being rewarded and it resulted in a large increase in their vote share as it now looked like the country was getting better and the economy was becoming healthier, along with the stain that the other parties were given.

Labour was stained with Harman's attempt to de-Brown the party by ignoring the Scottish contingent and having the amount of Scots heavily reduced, the economy going south and having a campaign that consisted of 'Vote for us you smelly Scots, or you're dead'. Not the best strategy.

The LibDems had two opposite reasons for their result. Their co-operation with the Rainbow of Death and Clegger's new plan of outright saying what the LibDems are. The mere fact that they were part of the Rainbow Coalition damaged them but Clegg's announcement that the LibDems were an actual neo-liberal party had turned away Social Democratic Scotland.

Even his own party gained some damage from being part of it, but the Tory renewal and empty powers being given to the Scottish Tories meant that they gained some of the rural seats back and some of the Labour ones too.

Now was the time for some type of deal to be made and only one could be made. Labour couldn't make a deal with anyone because it would either be not enough, the party bases hate one another, it would be political suicide or even all of the above.

The LibDems had now developed a chronic fear of the word coalition and it would not be enough with any type of party, even if it was Labour or the SNP. Leaving them to try and work with Clegg while distancing themselves from the man's economic points.

The Tories could only make a deal with one party without committing seppuku and that was with Salmond. While it would sound silly at first, the Scottish leadership scoffing at the mere thought, there was one side that could force them to do so, no matter what some announcement declared when the going got tough for Cameron in Scotland.

While the Tories could probably pass the 'Privatise the NHS Act' through the Commons, most of their victories were in England and it was starting to show. Recent calls for changes in the funding for Devolved Parliaments was one example and Salmond even knew that, if given the chance, many Southern Tories would gladly allow Scotland independence if it meant more power to them.

All he had to do was get the idea into their heads that Conservatism could survive in Scotland if they let it go away and then they would start to pressure Cameron into forcing Goldie into making a supply-and-confidence deal.

If it worked, Salmond might find himself with a plan to get Scotland a very poetic independence. But first he needed to execute the plan and confirm the loyalty of the possible challengers to his position of party leader.
 
10th May 2011
Salmond even knew that, if given the chance, many Southern Tories would gladly allow Scotland independence if it meant more power to them.

You're wrong there. Poll after poll confirms that English Tory voters are substantially more pro-Union than other Englishmen and my experience in the Tory Party is that a desire to get rid of Scotland is held by at a max 2.5% of activists and MP's.

Then again Salmond could be deluding himself, he has to realise there is no way the Tories are going to vote through a independence referendum.
 
You're wrong there. Poll after poll confirms that English Tory voters are substantially more pro-Union than other Englishmen and my experience in the Tory Party is that a desire to get rid of Scotland is held by at a max 2.5% of activists and MP's.

Then again Salmond could be deluding himself, he has to realise there is no way the Tories are going to vote through a independence referendum.

I see Salmond as an extremely skilled politician but with unrealistic goals at the start of his plans.

He secretly knows this but will demand it, just to see what the reaction is in certain areas, and so that he can gain a large concession in exchange for dropping it.
 
Just found the TL, it's great the only thing I have against it is that Bath somehow escaped from the Blue tide.

They'll be playing that from loudspeakers mounted on helicopters as the Kill Squads move in onto the council estates.

That's awesome, you should be a Humorist Meadow!

The Blue Army would be closing in for the kill!

Couldn't agree more, loathsome party.

Same here, watermelons are only good for one thing, to eat them!
 
Wha? Welsh Tories largest party in the Assembly? Implausible. Welsh Labour has distanced itself enough from the federal Labour Party so that this wouldn't happen.

Hell, when Blair and Brown was in charge in the UK, Welsh Labour fought them for Welsh issues.
 
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