Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tory MP Malcolm Rifkind says Labour/Lib Dem coalition is "illegitimate", he calls it Robert Mugabe-style politics; the nasty party speaks
















Dear All

Some where, over the rainbow!

That is from the Wizard of Oz.

It seems that Labour MP Douglas Alexander is saying a potential coalition deal between Labour and the Lib Dems would not include the Scottish National Party.

The SNP is calling for a rainbow alliance of all the "progressive" parties at Westminster to shut out the Tories.

Personally, I can’t see this happening; it is too complicated and won’t last.

It wouldn’t be a happy rainbow for starters.

If you look at the rainbow, it would involve the SNP, the Welsh Nationalists; some MPs from Northern Ireland, the Green MP, Labour and the Lib Dems.

This is a recipe for disaster; too many cooks in the kitchen all wanting their bit of the pie.

Alex Salmond said;

"If the Labour Party want to stay in government they should get off their high horse and see the world from other people's point of view."

Alexander piped up;

"I can assure you I have had no contact with the SNP, nor has the chancellor, the Scottish secretary or the prime minister because there are fundamental differences between the Labour Party and the Scottish National Party. Personally, I can't envisage circumstances in which we would enter into agreement with the Scottish National Party."

And that is the bottom line.

Then of course we have the Tories, the biggest party but with no majority, they are seething through gritted teeth.

Former Tory Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind said that the Labour Party’s attempt to form "a coalition of the defeated" was a "negation of democracy".

This is a bit rich because no one commands a majority, he is purely spinning.

Rifkind added a government "cobbled together" between Labour and the Lib Dems would be "illegitimate".

This is untrue because there is no PR; it is strictly a first past the post system currently used, so his PR argument holds no water.

Rifkind said;

"The idea that the two parties that suffered most in this election, that were rejected by the electorate, should put together an illegitimate government - this is Robert Mugabe-style politics”.

Would that be opposed to a Tory and Lib Dem coalition which were rejected in an equal measure?

Conservatives won the most seats; they did not win a majority.

Prospect of a rerun is looking more realistic with each passing day.

This time the SNP should run a campaign with more teeth, people want a local champion to be sure but a champion has to be a fighter.

They have to throw down the gauntlet and challenge the electorate.

Let us ask the uncomfortable questions next time round.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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