SNP calls for 'progressive' Westminster alliance

[New Dawn]

Source: BBC

The Scottish National Party has called on the Liberal Democrats to join a "progressive alliance" involving Labour, the SNP and Plaid Cymru.

SNP leader Alex Salmond urged the Lib Dems to consider the alliance as an alternative to a deal with the Tories.

Senior Liberal Democrats have been meeting to discuss the power-sharing offer issued by the Conservatives.

An arrangement between Labour and the Lib Dems, SNP and Plaid Cymru could command a majority in the Commons.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/scotland/8669883.stm

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Big news. Hopefully the various parties will agree and the Tories will be kept out of power for a while longer.

[onehandle]

1. Whatever it takes to keep the Tories out of power. nt

[brooklynite]

2. Not enough...

Labour would also need votes from the Northern Irish parties, which don't tend to agree with each other. Cobbling together a "progressive alliance" with a group of nationalist/pro-autonomy parties would be incredibly unstable.

[New Dawn]

3. The SNP supports Scottish independence.

Yet they are making this proposal. Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid Cymru, SDLP, the Green, and the Alliance member have a combined 329 seats. That is more then enough.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

16. Not sure

Alliance is very closely aligned with Sinn Fein and also the Green Party is very anti-nuclear power (Labour supports the Trident development).

I think if the LibDems really want to have a go, it's best to form an alliance with the Tories (and some chief Tory party members were saying on the Andrew Marr show that they would be willing to offer Cabinet positions as part of the deal). That alone would be impossible in a multiparty alliance with Labour.

Plus, Brown has rejected any alliance with SNP.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. The Alliance isn't close to Sinn Fein

For instance, in 2001 it switched the designation of some of it's MLAs to 'unionist', to keep the agreement going: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/learning/history/stateapart/agreement/governance/support/gov1_z021.shtml

And last year, one of its politicians left to join the Unionists: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8250505.stm (he lost to Sylvia Hermon in this election: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/northern_ireland/8647665.stm)

Why do you think Lib Dem cabinet positions would be impossible in a multi-party alliance?

[FunkyLeprechaun]

18. Hmm...

I would think with the very different views of these parties that it would be impossible in a multi-party alliance. Besides I've heard that Brown doesn't like the idea of a multiparty alliance, as he's already rejected SNP's idea. Like what they've been saying in the news that a Labour/LibDem/SNP/PC/etc would be like herding a bunch of cats.

Really, I had thought Alliance was like SF as they beat a pro-Unionist party, but it is more SDLP than SF (they are cross-sectarianism). My mistake, sorry.

[harmonicon]

5. I don't think the plan would be to have a stable long-term government out of it

... just enough to keep the Tories from being able to legally form a minority government while electoral reforms (and definitely some goodies for the smaller parties) can be established before calling another election after which a more stable coalition could be formed. That could be two months or two years, but not five years.

[steaa]

10. The way the NI parties will side -

Alliance will side with LibDems.
SDLP will side with Labour.
Independent (Sylvia Hermon) will side with Labour most likely. She quit the UUP after they joined the conservatives so its highly doubtful she would go under the conservative wing in London.
DUP will side with whoever gives NI the best deal. The conservatives cant just expect them to fall in line.

The main demand of all is the continuation of the 10billion NI block grant.


And of course, the UUP/conservatives were rejected completely and got 0 seats in NI.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Would Hermon really support Labour?

That seems surprising to me, given her UUP history. Is it that she fundamentally disagrees with the Tories on many things, but is just a convinced Unionist on the actual topic of union with Great Britain, or that she didn't like the concept of tying the party to the Tories before the election outcome was known?

Your Northern Ireland knowledge would be very useful - does she have a record on non-Northern Ireland topics that is distinctly to the left of the Tories?

[mwooldri]

13. It's enough on its own.

Politically in ideaology, Lab, Lib, SNP and Plaid are not that far away from each other - except that SNP and Plaid ultimately would want independence. Otherwise SNP and Plaid would be sticking up for their nations and doing what they can through Westminster (who ultimately hold the pursestrings) to ensure their nations get the funding they see they need.

[Oerdin]

4. Dumb move.

That will only result in an unstable government which will fall with in 18 months. It is much better to make the Tories and the Liberal Dems form an unstable government which will quickly fall.

[harmonicon]

6. why would one unstable government be better than another in your view?

I'm with SNP on this - I think an unstable progressive coalition would be better than one between LibDem and Tory.

[craigmatic]

7. I know it would probably end Brown's career but Labour should let the tories

take power so that they get blamed for the cuts in services. Labour could easily win the next election with a new untarnished leader.

[Pab Sungenis]

8. Brown's career is over.

Even if he stays on as PM with the Hodgepodge Coalition the SNP is proposing, Labour won't let him lead them into the next election. He's a dead man walking, politically.

[craigmatic]

14. Yeah it's sad. I wonder who the next leader will be.

[rpannier]

9. It would be a bad move for the Lib Dems

They'd have more clout in a two Party coalition

[Change Happens]

11. I saw someone completely rulling out any alliance with the cons on election night....nt

[FunkyLeprechaun]

15. I thought I heard that Labour has rejected the SNP idea

N/t

[provis99]

19. the SNP? why would any sane person listen to those twats?

They're right up there with Rangers supporters on the level of nationalistic idiocy.