[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by arista

But Kizzy the Voting System has Not Changed.

A really strong point and in my opinion the Lib Dems are going to find themselves back to pre-alliance in 1983 numbers as to having MPs after the next election.
The argument for a change in the voting system will be likely laid aside for some time,decades probably by all others.

Something else the Lib Dems under Clegg could not deliver, even with the best chance ever of insisting it was part of the Coalition agreement.
They should have insisted on AV being brought in anyway and then having a referendum on other forms of PR before or on the same day as the next general election.
After this Coalition, few will listen to the Lib Dems now as to this issue in my view.

The Conservatives now know how to play the Coalition game, had they had just a few more seats,then with the DUP, they likely would not have needed the Lib Dems at all.
Even if Labour miss out on an overall majority next time too, parties like Plaid Cymru,the SDLP in Northern Ireland and likely even the SNP, would not be likely to support a Conservative Govt but could make life easier for a Labour one.

I can see the Lib Dems out in the cold of politics for a really long time again now after their performance in this Coalition,Clegg will likely run off to a well paid postion in Europe anyway after the next election, he could even lose his seat in Sheffield if things stay much as they are now.

The person,in my view, who really got the Lib Dems to a position of strength was Charles Kennedy, it is Clegg who has blown the chance of going much further from that or even having the Lib Dems being in the same position again for a long time to come.