Why This UK Right Winger Supports The Coalition

The Aged P. com ^ | 13/05/10 | The Aged P

[sussex]

There will have to be some very tough spending and taxing decisions made over the next few months. By sharing this burden with the Liberal Democrats Cameron has appeared to be placing the national interest above party considerations. It might, of course, all end in tears and confusion. But if it succeeds it might well produce a sea change in UK politics that could marginalise the Labour Party and the left leaning cultural elite for a very long time.

[nickcarraway]

This is ridiculous! What right winger would support David Cameron?

[Nonstatist]

But if it succeeds it might well produce a sea change in UK politics that could marginalise the Labour Party and the left leaning cultural elite

So the LibDems arent "left leaning cultural elitists" ? Theyre seem more European and leftist and redistributionist than even Labour, I would think.

[Tublecane]

I just don’t get the logic of how running a middle of the road campaign colored by “progressive” leanings then allying with the far left party is supposed to make conservatism stronger. The answer seems to be that it’ll hurt Labor and anything that’s bad for Labor is good for conservatives. Which is a policy that precludes from the outset Thatcherism, which is English conservatism’s one and only triumph for as long as anyone can remember.

The best to be expected is a wishy-washy European version of Bush’s Compassionate Conservatism, which would appear to us Americans as something to the left of Obamism with a dash of Bush thrown in. Things will continue to be bad or get worse, then conservatives will be blamed and switched out for Labor, which will brings things back to the way they were.

[YHAOS]

You're dreaming, Aged P.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

I wouldn’t be so cynical. There is a slight hope here that the Conservatives and Liberals will find common ground on actually cutting spending. Even if everything else is a mess—they withdraw from Afghanistan and the relationship with the US goes further down hill—it will be worth it for them if they actually cut spending and balance the budget with spending cuts.

[Vanders9]

A desperate one or a pragmatic one...

[Vanders9]

I think its worse than that. The coalition will make things better by reducing the deficit, which addresses the underlying weaknesses in Britain's economic model. Unfortunately, doing that is going to cause a lot of distress in the short term. To reduce the deficit they are going to have to take an enormous number of unpopular decisions, which will translate into electoral oblivion and a return to Labour rule in the future.

In effect, the socialists have ruined the economy. The Coalition will revive it, at a cost of their own popularity, leaving Labour to return to pick up all the fruits of the Conservatives hard work (and ruin everything again).

Doesn't that sound familiar?