[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by Chris

It is implicit in any policy statement, pledge or promise that it can only be delivered if the one making it has the power to do it.

Carry on playing with words and doing the shock-horror act if it makes you feel better FB, but the political agenda has moved on and, this measure having been dealt with at the very beginning of a 5-year Parliament, in the grand scheme of things it is unlikely to make very much difference at all to the political landscape.

That one doesn't work I'm afraid. Because the pledge states that the signatory will vote against any government which seeks to increase the fees. Not only if they get into power.

Attempting to ignore it will not make it go away. People will not forget the LibDems' betrayal when it comes to the various elections between now and the next general election, which, if the bookies' predictions are anything to go by, will be a good deal sooner than you are hoping for.

---------- Post added at 22:41 ---------- Previous post was at 22:40 ----------

Originally Posted by Osem

Well perhaps he presumed that was obvious to anyone who wasn't a dyed in the wool Labour supporter and didn't need to be spelled out in words of one syllable. Being in coalition means having to compromise. What excuse did Blair and Brown have for failing to honour so many of their promises with a massive parliamentary majority by the way?...

Sorry, but to change the parameters of a signed pledge, after the event, is not a very honourable way of treating your voters.

---------- Post added at 22:44 ---------- Previous post was at 22:41 ----------

Originally Posted by vanman

i and all that have seen the videos can clearly see that they was not from the tuition fees demonstration.
i posted them to show that he can stand and that he obviously is not just a innocent man in a wheelchair.

Then why did you answer, "yes," to the question, "I would like to see more of this man's actions on the day. Is there any more footage of him?"

---------- Post added at 22:46 ---------- Previous post was at 22:44 ----------

Originally Posted by Damien

It is responsible to hold the parties to account somewhat on their pre-election promises. We have to accept that not all of them can be done and there will be an element of mix and match between the parties but the collation is not an excuse for the government to be exempt from being held to account when either party is diverging from what they promised their voters.

I can easily understand why Lib Dem voters feel betrayed that the party they voted for, who were against tuition fees, have now helped pass a policy increasing them.

Personally I dislike manifestos anyway. I don't think a government can be held responsible for promises made when events and circumstances can change over the course of a parliament. They should be less ambitious in terms of what policies to enact and broader in setting out ideals and visions that will influence policy over the course of the government.

But without them, the electorate would find it very difficult to establish what the different parties stood for and what they intend to do. However, I believe "The Pledge" was a separate element to the manifesto.