update – Greens ‘happy to consider C&S with reform oriented coalition’
Posted on May 10, 2010 by Adam Ramsay | 8 Comments
This from the official Green Party Twitter feed:
Green Party role in a hung parliament Misleading hdline (http://bit.ly/93LAhJ)
fr @newstatesman – @CarolineLucas happy to consider confidence/supply w/ reform-oriented coalition.
I understand that there may be a statement to come, but this is certainly a step in the right diection.
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8 Responses to “update – Greens ‘happy to consider C&S with reform oriented coalition’”
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May 10th, 2010 @ 4:34 pm
She cant criticise Clegg for being dithery if she doesn’t get off the fence herself.
A LibLab pact cannot govern with C&S. It needs the smaller parties to piss or get off the pot. Is she going to join a coalition or is she going to let the progressive coalition down?
And why is her party not being consulted about this? At least the Lib Dems are asking theirs.
May 10th, 2010 @ 4:50 pm
Blanco,
1) She is not on the fence. She is saying that she won’t deal with Tories, but would consider a deal with Lab/Lib/Nats depending on what was offered. That’s a clear position.
2) They don’t need her 1 vote in coalition – in practice, they don’t *need* it at all – though it will help. She could vote for a minority Lib/Lab/Nat coalition government – especially if it was only formed for a year (see below).
3) as I understand it, she is consulting the relevant party committees. I am not on any of these, so don’t know exactly what discussions are being had, and though I do get some more info, am only publishing what they choose to put in the public domain. In practice, there is nothing on which to consult yet – the only circumstance in which we’d be in any negotiations are if a Lab/Lib/SNP pact formed. In that circumstance, if she was approached with an offer, I’m sure there would be discussions with the party more broadly. But if her current statement is non specific in that it doesn’t give much detail, it is precisely because the relevant party bodies are currently being consulted.
Thanks,
Adam
May 10th, 2010 @ 7:22 pm
Cheers Adam. Now that it looks like the Progressive Coalition is on, what should Caroline’s position be? Your opinion please, none of this “well I wouldn’t want to prejudice any negotiations” all the politicos have been coming out with!
You’re right about her 1 vote. However, this calculator shows that there could be circumstances in which she does hold the balance of power, bizarrely enough:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/interactive/2010/may/07/parties-coalition-government
That would be the case if the SNP and Plaid withdrew, taking it down to 319 (assuming the SDLP and Alliance whip with Lab and Lib) – Caroline could be crucial in that scenario.
Having said that, if the Nats withdrew, it would bring the govt down anyway. So perhaps you’re right.
Would be nice to see a Green in government though?
May 10th, 2010 @ 7:39 pm
Hello,
I wrote a piece yesterday calling on Caroline to push for a deal – I’m not powerful enough to predjudice any discussions! – see: ‘Well done Caroline. Now time for a progressive majority’.
I think she should do a co-operation agreement to support a government along the lines described in my peice from this morning – ‘The deal Nick should do’. Such an agreement should be along the lines f the deal we did in Scotland – no guaruntees, but a vote for a Labour PM now, an agreement to negotiate in good faith when her votes are needed, and perhaps Labour support to get a better select committee seat than she’d have under the D’hont allocation system.
Thanks,
Adam
May 10th, 2010 @ 8:30 pm
You underestimate your opinion-forming might, Mr Ramsay!
May 10th, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
My concern is that if the government doesn’t need her vote, why should she be part of any formal agreement? They don’t need her if she isn’t going to pledge to support the Progressive Alliance. She is only of use to them if she pledges to formally join up. Otherwise it gives her too much leeway to just withdraw.
Country before Caroline’s career.
May 10th, 2010 @ 10:17 pm
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/05/greens-on-board-for-a-progressive-government
Every extra vote the #progressivemajority government could rely on, takes it a step further away from losing a confidence vote, or at least from not being able to get its main business through.
May 11th, 2010 @ 12:14 pm
Rupert, my concern is that unless Caroline is part of a formal coalition, the government wont be able to rely on her. To be blunt, I am more concerned about what she can do for the progressive majority, not what drawbacks there are for her entering the government.