A thought struck me today as I watched last nights version of 'The Campaign Show.'
If the Tories are really passionate about not having a hung parliament, why not promise that they will not - under any circumstances - work in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.
By doing so, not only would they be seen as sticking to their 'principles', but it would make it very clear that a vote for the LibDems can only mean one thing; a vote for Gordon Brown as PM. And the only way to avoid that would be by voting for David Cameron and the Conservative Party.
It's a sneaky political strategy that could backfire as the public could perceive a cast iron guarantee not to work with the LibDems as blackmail instead of a way of giving the electorate a clear choice.
But on the other hand, it has potential to secure that elusive majority.
Thoughts?
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Isn't there an ongoing problem with gambles in politics these days that if you put your foot in a door, you'll never be able to take it out. We live in such a media-frenzied society (which is of course fantastic for the pundits out there and for accountability etc. etc.) that it wouldn't be plausible to say such bold statements and ever go back on it.
ReplyDeleteWho knows what exact scenario we'll be in just over a week from now, and who also knows what the LibDems would be prepared to put back on the table to debate in a hung parliament scenario.. I'm not even sure the LibDems know!?
You're right, it really would be a big gamble. And some, myself included, would question how sensible it is to gamble when you're in the lead anyway...
ReplyDelete...but if this (very bold) move gained 2% of the LibDem vote for the Conservatives and made it 37% against 26% for both Lab/LibDem, then we would not be complaining.
Very up in the air but I think it could make an impact. More because people hate Brown than anything else.