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General Election 2017
#1
So what is the view of the Party on Theresa May calling a General Election and will the Party be fielding any candidates?

My thoughts:
  1. It's costly especially with the local elections. 
  2. The biggest enemy is the Tories and their so called 'Hard Brexit' proposals which are completely illiberal. 
  3. Ousting the Tories would offer a better opportunity of delivering PR and increasing Liberal Party representation.
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#2
The Liberal party supported a Brexit, on a personal level I voted remain. Cameron took a huge political gamble that failed in a most spectacular way, and has left us with, now a divided Britain, when we once had a United Kingdom.
But we are where we are in the June elections Labour are going to take one almighty kicking, the Lib Dems can only make gains, but almost certain to where they were post 2015, and the Conservatives are going to be left with a mandate to do whatever they like.

I believe that Lib Dems calling for a second referendum on Article 50 is just silly and wrong, but it gells well with those on the remain camp.

For the Liberal party lobbying for fairness, and the protection of EU residents before article 50 kicks in is vital. The next 5 years are going to be one hell of a bumpy ride...
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#3
I myself was a 'Reluctant Remainer', after years of campaigner against the EU it's centralised, bureacratic system and support for the neo-liberal agenda. But the possibility of a Tory government leading us out of the EU was too much to bear, and by and large what I am seeing post-referendum endorses the fears I had. As you say NeilT we now have a Britain more divided than ever, with increased levels of racism, economic uncertainty, and the possible erosion of legislation on workers rights and the environment. Is this what the Liberal Party wanted when they supported Brexit? I don't think it was.

Labour are likely to take a hammering, and deservedly so. I say this as not so much somebody that is anti-Corbyn, but because they have shown themselves to be another 'nasty party', only this time it's the members that are nasty to each other and anyone that disagrees with them. Do we really want such a party in power?

The Greens now appear to have almost a developed a 'love affair' with the EU and in a number of ways echo the thoughts of the Lib Dems. Here was an opportunity to call for rebuilding of the EU in the way the European Free Alliance propose, but this is not what I'm hearing.

The Lib Dems 'we have voted to leave but not the destination' does have some meaning, but what they are proposing is not a new destination but a round trip heading back to the same port.

I totally agree, we must protect the rights of EU citizens currently living in the UK. Personally I beleive if that all those that reside here that were resident in the UK 12 months before the referendum they should be offered British citizenship. This I believe is the liberal and fair thing to do. Therefore pressure needs to be applied and voices for a Liberal Brexit raised. If nothing else this would at least show there is an alternative - a Liberal Brexit.

As for the General Election, would participating really pay dividends? Or is concentrating on the local elections on this occasion a far better option? I believe concentrating on the latter is more important and would not hinder prospects of raising a Liberal voice on important national and international issues such as Brexit.
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#4
The next lot of local elections here where I live are not until 2018. By then ots very possible that the boundary changes will have taken place, and councillors in many authorities going down from 3 per ward down to 2 per ward.
And it also could be "All Outs"

The whole Bexit thing is a mess TBH ill thought out with very few knowing what the implications are going to be. For sure our export market should go on the up, but imports etc cost will rise, pushing up inflation, and this in turn will push up interest levels.
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#5
The snap general election has certainly caught me out here in Reading.

With only two local elections under my belt I simply don't have the credibility to be contesting a general election at this point. I had instead been looking to 2020 when Reading would have been at the tail end of its 3 year cycle and the parliamentary bid would have boosted a simultaneous local one.

Once this election is over its realistically going to be 2022 before the next one. One of the consequences of this snap elections, and almost certainly not the main driving force, is that the boundary changes will now not come in-effect come into force for a futher 2 years.
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#6
Would parliament vote for a general election right now? they must know how universally hated they are so risk losing their seats.

Cant see the likes of Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry voting for one, its would be bye bye for them
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#7
As the mythical Chinese proverb says, may you live in interesting times.

My feeliing is that the PM will attempt to have a GE now whilst he's riding high in the pools, given 6 months post-BREXIT his position may be a lot more precarious and the opposition might be in a better position to triumph.

Todssys vote on the latest deal is just another fork in the political road.
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