Kennedy suggests Lib Dems will go it alone
The Liberal Democrat leader has suggested that in the event of a hung Parliament the Liberal Democrats would remain independent.
There had been suggestions that in the event of a hung Parliament the Liberal Democrats might be prepared to work with Labour in a similar manner as to the governing coalition in Scotland.
Yesterday, speaking at a question and answer session at the Liberal Democrat Party conference in Bournemouth, Charles Kennedy did not explicitly rule out such an move, but stressed he would decline to support a government that failed to represent the political will of the electorate.
The next general election is widely expected in the spring of 2005.
Pointing to history, Mr Kennedy said that a hung Parliament was unlikely, and further suggested that if the Labour Party’s majority was slashed so significantly that it resulted in a hung Parliament, then that would be a clear signal from the public.
“If we have increased our credibility and level of support are we really going to say we’re going to prop up a Labour government you have effectively dismissed? I think not, I think not.”
On electoral reform – and in particular proportional representation – he highlighted the ‘perverse irony’ in that the Party was ‘more likely to get to a fair voting system the further we can get under this unfair voting system’.
Mr Kennedy expressed hope that the Labour government would deliver on its manifesto promise in relation to electoral reform in the forthcoming Queen’s Speech.
However, he said that he did not detect “any appetite” from the Labour Party to fulfil this pledge, which meant that the Liberal Democrats would have to keep winning under the current system.
The upcoming Hartlepool by-election is a key target for the Liberal Democrats and is likely to provide a different electoral challenge from recent by-elections as, Mr Kennedy acknowledges, Iraq is not the central issue.
However, he stressed that the Liberal Democrats are still the principle challenges, saying: “We’re fighting it full on.” Predicting the outcome, he said: “Either Labour will hold on by skin of their teeth or we will win it”.
In more forthright comments, Mark Oaten, home affairs spokesman, told a fringe meeting hosted by the Independent newspaper that he would not be able to “stomach” a government that included home secretary, David Blunkett.
In comments reported in the paper, he said: “I could not stomach being in a government with the kind of brutal attacks which are constantly made in relation to asylum-seekers and on immigration.
“I could not stand by and be part of that and I suspect if you asked my colleagues from portfolio to portfolio they would equally have a problem.
“I cannot see Phil Willis being able to have any credibility standing next to or instead of an education secretary who was going to introduce tuition fees.
“I just think you have that fundamental problem of having taken these positions, unless they were to ditch all of those we would not wish to be part of the Cabinet process”.
