Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyboy
Oh come now, that excuse is wearing a bit thin. What is the point of them being in government at all, if they can't influence policy?
No they weren't. I asked if there was anymore footage of him on that day and the answer was "yes" and then the links to the videos. If the poster meant that it was about metaphors, he really should have said. I can't be blamed for someone not being clear.
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There is a yawning, semantic chasm between 'influence' and 'dictate'. Blind Freddie can see that the Lib Dems have
influence over Coalition policy - the referendum on AV being the prime example. Do not underestimate how hard that one is going to be for a lot of Tory backbenchers to stomach.
On the other hand, their position does not allow them to
dictate - which is why there are some things they simply have to swallow hard and get on with.
What actually is wearing a bit thin is all the comedy jaw dropping that has been going on over the last few weeks, by supposedly intelligent, keen political commentators who are asking us to take seriously the idea that they don't understand the quite fundamental difference between single party majority and coalition.
This is not altogether dissimilar to the divisions that exist within all our political parties. They are all broad churches with differing views and priorities among members. The only difference is, those divisions are better managed and usually better hidden from the Press and public.