If its not the evil red/blue Tories that the Nats are on about then it is the treacherous, sell out Lib Dems. The SNP are happy to paint an ugly picture of the Liberals at every opportunity. Sadly and immaturely, Labour have done so on numerous occasions too. Such an approach is unwise for various reasons.
Firstly, any unionist should be thankful to Nick Clegg for what he did in 2010. By putting his party and personal reputation on the line, he ensured that there was and still is a stable Government, this is crucial to the UK. If he had not done so, then a minority Govt would have been sunk and stability lost. In its place the SNP would have pointed to the mess won huge support for the idea of cutting our loses and leaving the unstable, unsafe, fiscally ravaged UK. However thanks to the coalition this did not occur. Instead the UK recovered and while it is far from perfect, the UK is a much more stable and secure country than in 2010, or than it would have been had the Lib Dems not honorably chosen to form a coalition deal.
The party also holds a clutch of seats in Scotland and for the pro union effort to succeed in May, then these need to be held. These seats are home to so me very important characters too; if they lose then it is a loss to Westminster as well as the party. Reasonable voices like Danny Alexander, who has played a pragmatic role in helping the UK recovery and effort to balance the books. For such a figure to be replaced by a nationalist with bad intentions would be a grave shame and damaging for the UK. Charles Kennedy, an honest and fair minded MP is also under threat of losing his seat to the SNP, his absence would hurt the unionist cause and the Lib Dems. Jo Swinson and Alistair Carmichael are also key figures who, again would be badly missed in the event of their seats being taken by Nats.
In terms of keeping Scotland's politics in line with the UK, it is crucial that there is a broad spectrum of parties that are also popular in England and Wales, to help cut down the 'we never get who we vote for' gripe. The Liberal Democrats play a role in doing this. Compared with the SNP, they are a party of compromise and pragmatism and believe in the UK. In seats where the Lib Dems have a fighting chance of holding on, we would urge voters to back them. They have done unsung good work for the UK and can continue to do so in future. From a unionist point of view, the party has done an important job, quite well. So let us hope Labour will stop the smears and focus on the real opponents: the SNP. The Liberal Democrats should not be written off, if we were to do so it would be to our great detriment moving forward. From the battle for Gordon, to the contribution to the pro UK movement in future and of the recent past, the Lib Dems remain relevant.
Firstly, any unionist should be thankful to Nick Clegg for what he did in 2010. By putting his party and personal reputation on the line, he ensured that there was and still is a stable Government, this is crucial to the UK. If he had not done so, then a minority Govt would have been sunk and stability lost. In its place the SNP would have pointed to the mess won huge support for the idea of cutting our loses and leaving the unstable, unsafe, fiscally ravaged UK. However thanks to the coalition this did not occur. Instead the UK recovered and while it is far from perfect, the UK is a much more stable and secure country than in 2010, or than it would have been had the Lib Dems not honorably chosen to form a coalition deal.
The party also holds a clutch of seats in Scotland and for the pro union effort to succeed in May, then these need to be held. These seats are home to so me very important characters too; if they lose then it is a loss to Westminster as well as the party. Reasonable voices like Danny Alexander, who has played a pragmatic role in helping the UK recovery and effort to balance the books. For such a figure to be replaced by a nationalist with bad intentions would be a grave shame and damaging for the UK. Charles Kennedy, an honest and fair minded MP is also under threat of losing his seat to the SNP, his absence would hurt the unionist cause and the Lib Dems. Jo Swinson and Alistair Carmichael are also key figures who, again would be badly missed in the event of their seats being taken by Nats.
In terms of keeping Scotland's politics in line with the UK, it is crucial that there is a broad spectrum of parties that are also popular in England and Wales, to help cut down the 'we never get who we vote for' gripe. The Liberal Democrats play a role in doing this. Compared with the SNP, they are a party of compromise and pragmatism and believe in the UK. In seats where the Lib Dems have a fighting chance of holding on, we would urge voters to back them. They have done unsung good work for the UK and can continue to do so in future. From a unionist point of view, the party has done an important job, quite well. So let us hope Labour will stop the smears and focus on the real opponents: the SNP. The Liberal Democrats should not be written off, if we were to do so it would be to our great detriment moving forward. From the battle for Gordon, to the contribution to the pro UK movement in future and of the recent past, the Lib Dems remain relevant.