When I was growing up in deepest Surrey back in the early seventies there was little choice for those who wanted to get involved in politics. It was either the Young Conservatives or the Young Liberals. At a push the Young Farmers but little else. Labour was practically non-existent and in any case did not appeal at the time.
Railing against the system, especially some of the snobbery still prevalent at the the time (Village Squires and all that) I had a strong distaste for the Conservative Party. The Chairman of the local YC's was the buffoon Peter Bruinvels, the one that later became an MP and wanted to try Arthur Scargill for "sedition", which included a hanging clause at the time. Ridiculous little man.
So becoming a Liberal was a reasonable choice for a fifteen year old looking for a way to make a difference to the world.
Eventually of course the left did attract me as a student, but since I have lived in predominately Tory areas, voting Liberal, albeit tactically became a habit. Only relatively recently has Labour been a practical alternative in constituency terms.
However the Coalition Government has changed all that. Not even tactically would I vote for the shower that passes for the Liberal Party today. Clegg and his minions have destroyed an vestige of respect I could ever have for the "radical" Liberal tradition.
Everything they have done from botching electoral reform with a referendum on Electoral reform to Student fees has been has been excruciatingly painful to watch. At the height of the economic crisis Clegg was wittering on about reforming the House of Lords.
Sod that I thought
People need jobs, homes and a proper National Health first. Constitutional reform can wait.
And here we are less than a year away from a general election and what do I read in the Sunday Times? The Liberals have voted to make brothels legal and allow street soliciting. OK fine but not exactly a priority and certainly not a vote winner.
Our wages have been kept down so long it's now a struggle and union rights have been undermined by this government that Clegg is part of. Yet what is this I hear? Some Lib Dem Peer, Baroness Olly Grender, is moaning about her £300 a day allowance being not enough to live on.
FFS, what planet does this woman live on?
Everyone I know would absolutely relish being able to "struggle" on three hundred quid a day. Its a hell of a lot of money. Has she no idea about real wages and the cost of living?
Obviously not.
The Liberal Democrats no longer serve a useful purpose in politics. Currently out polled by UKIP and only just ahead of the Green Party in the polls, their future is bleak.
As far as I'm concerned ready for the proverbial political "knackers yard".
There is only one alternative to the Tories.
Vote Labour.
So Mr Milliband time to pull yer bleeding finger out and make sure you win.
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