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NICK CLEGG today claimed that the Liberal Democrats could push Labour into third place as voters turn their back on Gordon Brown.
Lib-Dem party chiefs believe they could win a greater share of the overall vote at the general election expected in May 2010. Mr Clegg said: "The new choice is between yellow and blue". He said in the early 20th century the Liberal Party's failure to respond to the needs of the times had allowed Labour to overtake it.
But the Lib-Dem leader added: "Labour's basic reflexes - hoarding power at the centre, top-down government - are the wrong tools to meet the challenges of the modern world." Signalling that his party will focus on winning seats from Labour, he said the Lib-Dems already run many big northern cities including Newcastle, Liverpool and Edinburgh.
At the last election the Lib-Dems won 22 per cent of the vote, with Labour on 35.2 per cent and the Tories on 32.4 per cent.
Reader views (7)
The tide is potentially in the LibDems favour on this and any Labour support for a change in the voting system will accelerate it. Labour's position has been in decline since the 1970-80s and the slow death of the smokestack industries that gave birth to the Labour movement. The world is now far more divided along lifestyle conservative/liberal lines than along economic socialist/capitalist lines. The conservatives tend to be located in suburban and rural areas and the liberals in the cities. Many urban Labour voters would just as happily vote LibDem and vote Labour because it is the traditional non-Tory party in that seat. In fact many detest Labour's authortarian, anti-liberal, streak as well as their pro-union policies. So inertia in the voting system keeps Labour in many of their seats - a voting system they would be mad to change for short-term gain or to hand an incoming Tory government a ticking bomb. Change the voting system and Labour will be reduced to the rustbelt fringes of South Wales, the North East and Merseyside. Meanwhile, all those metro-Labour areas: London, Brighton, Norwich, Manchester etc etc - will go LibDem in a heartbeat.
- Milton-Not-Keynes, London
Some perspective here, please.
The LibDems don't have to do anything to improve their standing against Labour. Nose-diving Labour are doing it for them. Each party has its core vote, and these numbers are unlikely to change by much - it's those majority swing voters that will count ultimately, come the election.
- Rogan, Irving
That will not be at all difficult.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
I think the Liberals will do very well in Northern Cities due to their local government wins and many Labour voters will stay at home to protest about unemployment. One in four people in the NE.
- Andrew, London
Labour are imploding - there's reports that there are huge worries in some circles about the inability to fill seats at their conference.
It's a good chance for the Lib Dems to shine - especially as there's many, many voters who can't stomach the thought of voting Tory.
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall
Good
- Tonyjohnson, Hythe Kent
Thats a no brainer,I just hope you push the rich boys party into second,as another conservative goverment after their last major failure at running the country would be to much.
- Dave, london
