Could a Left Wing Pact Beat the Tories? Should Labour, the Lib Dems and SNP Team Up - TLDR News

Support TLDR on Patreon: / tldrnews
It goes without saying that Labour aren't in a great place right now, with little sign of them entering number 10 anytime soon. Some have suggested their strongest route forward is via an electoral pact with other left-wing parties, to try and unify the left and beat the tories. So in this video, we try to find out if such a strategy would even work and the potential pitfalls of attempting it.
Follow TLDR on Facebook: / tldrnewsuk
Follow TLDR on Twitter: / tldrnewsuk
Follow TLDR on Instagram: / tldrnewsuk
Discord: / discord
TLDR Store: tldrnews.co.uk/store
TLDR TeeSpring Store: teespring.com/stores/tldr-sum...
Support TLDR on Patreon: / tldrnews
Donate by PayPal: tldrnews.co.uk/funding
TLDR is all about getting you up to date with the news of today, without bias and without filter. We want to give you the information you need, so you can make your own decision.
TLDR is a super small company, run by a few people with the help of some amazing volunteers. We are primarily fan sourced with most of our funding coming from donations and ad revenue. No shady corporations, no one telling us what to say. We can't wait to grow further and help more people get informed. Help support us by subscribing, following and backing on Patreon. Thanks!
//////////////////////////////////
www.newstatesman.com/politics...
www.ft.com/content/9710f31e-a...

[@gkdapul]

Labour can barely bring its own ideologically fractured party together, I'm not sure it would be able to convince any other parties to join them.

[@corpclarke]

Beat me to it.

[@danellis-jones1591]

Labour and the Tories are deeply fractured

[@corpclarke]

@@danellis-jones1591 if that's true the Conservatives are certainly much better at managing it since they're on their fourth term and two of those they didn't even have majorities.

[@danellis-jones1591]

@@corpclarke ERG anyone? How about May? A pro-EU PM creating a brexit deal. In fact the brexit madness all started with a Tory split. It's just Tories say they're united and people believe them!

[@corpclarke]

@@danellis-jones1591 the Tories, like every party, have factions. I'm not denying that. But they have clearly managed these factions a lot better than Labour as they have been in power for 4 terms and 2 of those in coalition.

[@_MrMoney]

"With the right policies, Labour doesn't need a coalition" Labour policies: Look! We're not Corbyn anymore!

[@gabeat_]

or maybe we are we haven't decided yet

[@JohnSmith-zv8km]

or are we?

[@AlwaysAC]

Labour are just red Tory’s currently.

[@ivanvoronov3871]

Corbyn and labour failed because they didn't respect brexit. Look at 2017, why did labour surprise everyone. They had similar policies to the 2019 election but in 2017 they promised to respect brexit. In 2019 they didn't and failed.

[@HypervoxelRBX]

@@AlwaysAC they’re communists

[@DGAMINGDE]

Obviously none of them gets the idea to do a pact to stop first-past-the-post.

[@achaeanmapping4408]

NooOoOoOoO you CanT gEt RiD of FiRst-PasT-THe-Post bEcauSe it wIlL -destroy the monopoly the larger parties have on power- lEAd To RadIcAls tAKing OvER

[@Aspartame69]

@@achaeanmapping4408 you type sarcastically but labour IS full of radicals.

[@achaeanmapping4408]

@@Aspartame69 Whatʻs your point?

[@charlessandoval3382]

The UK needs many more elections . Attorney General would be a good start.

[@sevret313]

@@charlessandoval3382 The UK have elections for the police commissioner and the turnout is terrible and you'd see the same thing with any other small election. Holding an election over everything when people don't care won't lead to more democracy but less.

[@thecreaghface2]

I love that a young voter is just a guy with an avocado t-shirt 😂

[@LOL10060]

Lol 😂

[@clickrick]

Whereas a voter who was around in the 70s is one with an avocado bathroom suite.

[@CamembertDave]

Yeah, this video is full of so much crap.

[@thecreaghface2]

@@clickrick haha so true

[@The482075]

@@CamembertDave How so?

[@ism94786]

'Not the Tory' coalition. Some of them aren't left wing.

[@TLDRnews]

Maybe not all left wing, but they're certainly all centrists or left of centre - Jack

[@ism94786]

@@TLDRnews i.e. 'Not the Tories. 'Left' and 'right' are such vague labels now. Particularly given how parties focus on electability rather than political/moral principle. P.S. Love your work btw! Thanks for your efforts.

[@000Dragon50000]

@@TLDRnews Not really? They're left of the american centre but none of them are greens and/or socialists so calling them "leftists" is a bit much, heck even Labour is drifting further and further centrist these days, with a lot of the old revolutionary bite gone. the Scottish national party, greens, plaid cymru and some of the other further left ones are pretty good but the Socdems are honestly more like centre-right.

[@imakevideos5377]

@@000Dragon50000 yea the green are definitely further left than labour no matter if labour is center center right or left

[@TheTheMoran]

@@TLDRnews The SNP are nationalists above all else, and the Lib Dems were part of a pro-Austerity government, neither are left, or left of centre sadly - and 'centre' is right wing in the UK

[@paytonmcdermott9111]

It would be cool if they formed a pact with the stated intention of implementing ranked-choice voting so that this could just happen naturally in elections.

[@internetperson9813]

I don't think that will be successful for two reasons A. The UK population thinks that RCV is undemocratic because of a misinformation campaign that was launched during the last referendum to decide if we should switch B. RCV is altogether not the best voting system anyway We need something like STV or MMP instead.

[@roberthudson3386]

You mean alternative vote. Ranked-choice voting is the American term.

[@JMB7777]

Labour supports FPTP. Labour can’t complain about vote splitting!

[@wastelandbrit3443]

Likely not for long - A big movement within CLP's exists to support a PR system

[@williamseldon1383]

I do agree with u but fptp is far more stable, for example, the people in power can actually focus on policies father than how oh earth they are going to make the other parties happy with them. Basically, fptp lacks the extremity of the flaws in democracy

[@JamesJansson]

@@williamseldon1383 That's completely wrong. FPTP doesn't guarantee that the people being elected will all be part of the two biggest parties. It's just as easy, or possibly even easier, to end up in minority government situation under FPTP.

[@RPSM101]

@@williamseldon1383 Actually minority or very small majority governments (where the biggest party can't ensure it's majority and thus is reliant on deal making/coalition style politics) are remarkably common in the 20th and 21st century of British governments. In the 30s (31 to 40) we had the national governments (which were coalitions). We had the war coalition for the rest of WW2, with Labour handling much of domestic policy, while Churchill focused on the war. Atlee (45-51) had a small majority and called an election a year after his win in 1950. Harold Wilson (1964-70, then again 1974-76) had to call an election 2 years after his first victory and 8 months after his third election victory because his majorities were too small to work reliably. James Callaghan (76-79) had to form the lib-lab pact (from 77 on) during his premiership to govern. Then of course we had the Cameron-Clegg coalition (2010-15). And lastly Theresa May famously had a great deal of trouble with her small majority, which allowed 2 factions within her own party to hold her hostage and stifle any meaningful votes that went through the commons. I think there are even more coalitions if you go back further, but I'm not as familiar with those periods. As another interesting side note, for a long part of our history, political alliances were a lot more fluid, with political parties being loose associations, subject to much in fighting and frequent changes in government (the corn laws was a really interesting albeit extreme example of this). This was of course during the period when the British Empire grew to it's greatest power and extent. All in all, of the last 90 years of politics, we have spent roughly over 25 years with governments that lack sole command of the house of commons. FTPT doesn't really give you strong governments, it just deprives fringe groups of a meaningful voice/way to vote. There are plenty of examples of functional coalitions above as well, regardless of your views of their politics, they were able to govern for varying amounts of time, much as other legislatures with PR also find a way to build consensus and govern. Food for thought!

[@charliezz6746]

@@RPSM101 Your right in Germany and many other countries with such a system it can take months to form a government since no party can get a majority it would be a bit like having a hung parliament every election with a lot of disagreements and chaos not to mention each party having to drop and compromise on key manifesto pledges.

[@natehutchinson5586]

KZbin algorithm: suggests video about the UKs political problems despite the fact I have never visited the UK. Me: hmmmm interesting

[@craigh2205]

what country r u from

[@charlessandoval3382]

Just enjoy , the UK problem politics would make you laugh , especially if you have a droll sense of humor.

[@ttyagraj9554]

@@charlessandoval3382 well compared to the parliament of my country, The UK parliamwnt is much more civilised, so i dont find them funny except for that one time a scottish guy spoke with a haevy scottish accent.

[@DaedricGamingHD]

Even if nothing in tjis video is of interest u should check out some of there other channels i can't recommend TLDR News enough

[@charlessandoval3382]

@@ttyagraj9554 Lucky guy . Congress in my country is mostly known for putting people to sleep unless they are hunting communists or angry about wardrobe malfunctions

[@dpn1604]

The only reason to do this is to introduce proportional representation.

[@Bushflare]

RP in a pure form is downright disastrous for countries so hopefully it will be implemented in a manner that won’t ruin the nation.

[@alexpotts6520]

This is a chicken-and-egg problem, though, isn't it? To implement PR you first have to win without it.

[@clickrick]

@@alexpotts6520 It's been done, albeit in a small number of countries (Ireland and New Zealand, I think). Telling, though, is that they've since found that the electorate like it and don't want to go back.

[@clickrick]

@@Bushflare Which system are you thinking of as a "pure" form? The party list system is probably the worst option as it puts all the control in the hands of the party elites. Many other systems are available.

[@alexpotts6520]

@@clickrick I'm not saying FPTP is a bad idea. I'm saying blaming FPTP for your lack of success is pointless and you're just going have to knuckle down and play the hand you've been dealt. Sure, change it when you are able to do so - but until then, focus on winning under FPTP.

[@kieranhindshaw6195]

2017 shows that Labour doesn't need to delude its politics to win votes, on the contrary it needs to show that a vote for them provides a fundamentally different outcome than a vote for the Tories. Labour needs a vision that provides hope for change and MPs that are in line with the membership.

[@williamfrancis5367]

In terms of vote share yes, but they got barely more seats than in 2010.

[@gerardcurtis3911]

Ah yes, 2017 when they did so well against such strong competition after them being in for such a short time.

[@mannyorange3098]

I mean that still relies on people disliking the torys, Tony Blair won by appealing to the centre and Boris is doing that now too, that’s not to say that’s the only way but you do have to win over Tory voters somehow and that’s an important consideration.

[@kieranhindshaw6195]

@@VloggingCastles Go see a psychologist or something mate, you are creating schizophrenic levels of strawmen

[@kieranhindshaw6195]

@@mannyorange3098 I am sure at least some Tory voters could relate to a left-wing populist message about the working class and the red wall. I certainly dont think that the 40% who vote tory are in favour of their close relationship with multi billion dollar donors or the surge in poverty levels they have done virtually nothing about, if not facilitated. But even so, less than 70% of the available voters actually bother and that might, at least in part, because they can't imagine it changing much.

[@AnnaBenIsrael]

I'm an Israeli, this looks like a simple straightforward coalition compared to what we currently have.

[@eatass1332]

Yeah well your coalition is too busy trying to commit war crimes

[@AnnaBenIsrael]

@@eatass1332 like nearly every government that is in an armed conflict. And those that don't sell weapons to those that do.

[@karmabomb3768]

Israel is evil.

[@AnnaBenIsrael]

From which country are you saying this?

[@karmabomb3768]

Israel is evil, the whole planet sees it.

[@paradox7358]

If a Labour government wasn't already unpalatable to the average English voter, imagine how unpopular a possible Labour-SNP coalition would be!

[@TheMajorpickle01]

I distinctly remember "the lefties will form a coalition" catchphrase being thrown around frequently in one election, maybe on before last? I'm a lifelong labour/green voter, but I don't think formal acknowledgement of snp green lib lab coalition will help the parties. Will push centrists to con or newer parties like change imo

[@letsmathsdebate294]

The country will be finished if anti British parties get into power.

[@grahamleiper1538]

Almost as unpopular as a Conservative government is in Scotland?

[@dankestmemes6748]

Imagine that holy crap

[@gota7738]

Do the English left really care so much for keeping scotland in the union? Most attitudes I've seen are apathetic. Maybe dismissive over Scotland's prospects but not concerned.

[@koalasquare2145]

Even then Keir Starmer couldn't win, he just lacks vision and is completely underwhelming

[@toyotaprius79]

He can't even win when he has the good graces of all the media. He should just merge labour into the Lib Dems and finish the whole thing off.

[@DFandV]

Agreed.

[@alexpotts6520]

If voters wanted vision they wouldn't have overwhelmingly elected Boris Johnson.

[@koalasquare2145]

@@alexpotts6520 they probably will vote Boris over Starmer, but I don't think there is even an argument for Boris having a stronger vision than Corbyn.

[@alexpotts6520]

@@koalasquare2145 Exactly. And Boris beat Corbyn by miles. ie "vision" means nothing if the public doesn't actually like your vision - better to have none at all.

[@jannikmeissner]

First past the post has got to go, since it is the hallmark of a majority rule, not true democracy that also has a duty to protect minorities and ensure everyone is represented, not just the simple majority

[@charlessandoval3382]

Give me a president ! See how faulty your logic is . I want more referendums let the people decide!

[@jannikmeissner]

@@charlessandoval3382 I have sufficient bad experiences with referendums, I prefer making decisions in long discussions leading to consensus

[@charlessandoval3382]

@@jannikmeissner what are you from California or Switzerland? Beside the cure for bad democracy is more democracy!

[@alexpotts6520]

Tyranny of the majority is a problem with representative democracy in general, not just FPTP. (Though FPTP can lead to tyranny of the *minority,* which is even worse.)

[@MichaelGGarry]

@@alexpotts6520 FPTP currently is very much leading to the tyranny of the minority - ie the Tories.

[@nnspenaz2343]

I’m a labour member (I ran in the recent local elections) one of our neighbouring CLPs (Kettering CLP) made a deal with Green, they are in BIG trouble for this (being kicked out of the party big) labour won’t make a deal

[@charlessandoval3382]

Then the best hope is that the Tories screw up so bad that no one will vote for them for twelve years

[@Lamartine111]

They will always be the second biggest party under FPTP so the more careerist minded MPs who aren't really interested in winning power are quite happy to maintain the status quo.

[@wastelandbrit3443]

To be fair mate, While not yet allowed officially by party lines, it seems possible that a labour deal could happen if some of the CLP's banded together to push national. Out of interest, has your CLP voted for the call to oppose FPTP?

[@adamcw88]

"Kicked out of the party big" Reason 45,875 why you didn't get elected.

[@adamcw88]

@@charlessandoval3382 🤣

[@mossbanksy]

As a left of centre voter, in favour of EU membership, I've felt completely abandoned by mainstream political parties. I'm really frustrated by other parties who hate the tories (as I do) but enable them by not working together. I have written to my Labour MP asking him for his party to work with other progressive parties to oust the tories. Labour seems more interested in tribalism and infighting than in governing the country, while the rest of us despair.

[@derkguez8590]

"Hate the tories as I do" hahah says everything society needs to know about you. But don't forget to remind yourself how desperately the world needs people like you and all the "love" you bring to the table. Smh...

[@harambae7014]

As a right of centre voter with a strong emphasis on traditional liberalism, I can definitely sympathise with the politically homeless feeling.

[@adamcw88]

This is the exact reason Labour will never be reelected. This post should be on the front of a Labour Post election review pack called "why we lost again" The left are defunkt

[@AJ-rg4nt]

@@derkguez8590 - So you're a Tory voter?

[@AJ-rg4nt]

@@adamcw88 - Your comment shows how well the Tories have brainwashed people into being little more than ticks on the ballot paper. You should spend less time thinking about parties and more time thinking about how you want the country to change.

[@h-Qalziel]

"How many left wing parties does it take to change a lightbulb?"

[@SleepParalysisDemon920]

I mean probably only needs one member tbh, it's pretty simple to change a light bulb, and most of the light bulbs I've changed were apolitical so I imagine that being left wing won't matter much

[@thecapacitor1395]

I hear people say left means socialist. Well my comrade, in soviet Russia, lightbulb change you.

[@AB-cn6iu]

@@SleepParalysisDemon920 i'm sure you're fun at parties

[@SleepParalysisDemon920]

@@AB-cn6iu incredibly so

[@leodesalis5915]

Did any of you watch till the end, the guy is quoting the video, it showed someone googling this joke.

[@luxither7354]

I've always hated the container words 'left' and 'right' because, outside of intellectual spheres, are very subjective in their definition.

[@Mypromiselive]

They are also different in different countries, and different in different times of local history...

[@apainintheaas]

Right and left is always subjective, I've had complete college lectures on the different definitions for left and right and how different people interpret them. In the case of place like the US and UK it end up becoming mostly based on whatever the big 2 parties use to differentiate themselves.

[@toyotaprius79]

But you can bet that there'll always be trusted media forces who push in those exterior walls of what's left abd what's right; Overton window, media curation, amplification and frenzy.

[@charlessandoval3382]

Even in intellectual circles its a very subjective definition !

[@ccf3294]

I agree with this

[@arya6085]

1. Left wing electoral pact 2. Fix electoral system to Single-Transferable-Vote 3. Have another election without any pact.

[@michaelblower7363]

How does an STV system work?

[@arya6085]

@@michaelblower7363 in my opinion it's the best system for having representative elections while still insuring that every single MP is represents a local area. Essentially you break down constituency lines so that your new constituencies make up (for example) 6 of the previous ones. This means each area can have a representative for political movements that only have support from 1/6 of the electorate. The way of assigning these 6 seats adjusts for the spoiler affect. You rank all your candidates from first to last (or just a first and a second of you please). After counting all first placed votes you find out how many seat parties have automatically earned (if party A achieved more than 2/6ths of the vote they automatically receive 2 seats). Then you take smaller parties who didn't get enough votes and look at their second choices and so on until you have given out 6 seats. Sorry if my explanation was poor I can find a video explaining it more clearly if you want?

[@michaelblower7363]

@@arya6085 Okay, it sounds interesting. :)

[@odysseus1660]

@@michaelblower7363 I prefer STV to first past the post, my only worry is that a more "complicated" voting system will probably put some of the electorate off of voting, but that might just be my lack if trust in humanity haha

[@zax1998LU]

Check out the electoral reform society for more info

[@taipizzalord4463]

The only way labour gets into power is via a left wing pact and then proportional representation.

[@charlessandoval3382]

Left wing pact yes . PR is problematic , majoritarian elections better . Best an directly elected house of lords and a bully pulpit president.

[@alexpotts6520]

How about - here's a radical idea - taking voters away from the Tories?

[@letsmathsdebate294]

So basically change the election system to keep others out of power. Very democratic!!!

[@ten_tego_teges]

@@letsmathsdebate294 You mean a voting system that DOESN'T keep other out of power. FPTP is terrible and leads to a minority ruling over the majority.

[@godlovesyou1995]

@@ten_tego_teges but it doesnt. It leads to a united opposition against the government, and prevents extremism

[@goodlookingcorpse]

I should point out that agreeing not to stand against each other *doesn't* mean pledging to govern in coalition or having a common set of policies.

[@tempestfennac9687]

Looking at how the seats added up from how this would have worked out in the last election, the SNP or Lib Dems would easily be able to cause a deadlock unless Tory MPs could be relied on, and being as the SNP would inevitably want an independence referendum before the next election, there's a decent chance that this would only work for one election due to how many seats would be lost of Scotland left the UK.

[@tempestfennac9687]

@Don Trump I wouldn't be that sure; Johnson's going that way with things like the meat tax which someone claimed would be essential and his strange G7 opening statement. Even if he goes back to the right/gets replaced by someone who's more right-wing by the time the next general election happens, something could completely ruin things for the Tories (in the early '90s, I'd guess that the sleaze which became prominent during the Major Years and Black Wednesday would have been enough to get John Smith a decent majority if he hadn't died, despite that meaning Blair's "modernisation" wouldn't have happened).

[@timonsolus]

Exactly. The outcome could be a Labour minority government, with a ‘confidence and supply’ arrangement with the other left wing parties. This would mean that the other left wing parties support the Labour government in Parliamentary votes, so that the Tory opposition loses. Same as when the DUP supported Theresa May’s government.

[@Republic-rh6ig]

As a member of the Conservative Party, I support proportional representation. It is not about the advantage of one party it is about what is right for the voter.

[@sclair2854]

Yeah, it's not something that either side should really be against overall. It's better for the British people if there's a competitive political scene that is representative of their views.

[@bryndentully981]

Right on brother

[@alexpotts6520]

Sadly I feel you are unlikely to persuade your fellow members on this, they inevitably favour power over principle. (Which isn't a totally bad thing! But not helpful for your cause.)

[@Conservator.]

Populists parties get votes all over the world and traditional right and leftwing parties are loosing votes. In the UK, the Conservatives have been picking up all populists votes (both left and rightwing). The FPTP had amplified this effect. That’s why Labour has lost so many seats.

[@DFandV]

Good observation

[@charlessandoval3382]

Populist parties only get 40 % bad news when the plurality party gets the most seats and controls the government making process. Better with a president when there is a 50/50 possibility the populace see the danger and reacts accordingly.

[@toyotaprius79]

Don't forget the highly amplified media on the topic of anti semitism against a certain ex party leader for not supporting the Israeli state like all other party leaders comply.

[@ea9167]

@El Dimos Karam I think it's a mixture of both your comment and what Conservator said, it is somewhat apparent across the globe Populist parties are becoming more popular, however Labour abandoned the working class years ago and they seem to judge the whole world off of "woke" Twitter.

[@DaedricGamingHD]

@@toyotaprius79 i think it had more to do with reportedly active members of the labour party being increasing anti-Semitic under his leadership n him himself not doing enough to put an end to it

[@leomcallister3549]

Getting Brexit done has won over the North and Labour, or other left parties, don't offer anything that those people want. Northerners started turning against Labour in 2005 and have continued to so. UK likes centre right law and order/immigration, and centre left economics - which is where the Tories currently occupy. Therefore Labour has shrunk to represent a narrower part of the electorate and is henceforth continually rejected.

[@sandymaison4463]

couldnt have said it better

[@alexpotts6520]

Agreed on law and order but it's not really clear where the Tories are on economics at the moment. To be fair to them we are not living in normal economic times - nobody in normal times would advocate paying people 80% of their regular salary to do nothing. We really have to wait for a non-pandemic budget to have a better idea, which means spring 2022 really. But I would wait until then before confidently declaring that the Tories are now "centre-left" on economics.

[@jibjub2121]

as Matt Goodwin says, it's easier for the right to move left on economics than for the left to move right on culture

[@ForwardSynthesis]

I definitely think that while Tory austerity did bite for the country's poorest, the left way over exaggerated the effects for most people with claims that the Tories are going to "destroy the NHS" and slash social spending whereas in reality a lot of things were ringfenced from austerity and under Boris austerity is now officially over (we'll see how long that lasts). Both the Tories and Labour will tell you they love the NHS anyway, and unless the discrepancy between what they say and what they do becomes so large that it affects most average people, the voters who are not already committed left wingers aren't going to see it as automatically disqualifying the Tories. If Boris underpays nurses after funneling a lot of money into the system it makes the conservative economic stance seem more "centrist" because they do some center-right things and some center-left things. This makes it hard to keep rallying the troops against Thatcher's corpse, which undercuts Labour's economic claims and brings culture issues to the fore. Not good with personalities like Corbyn. The overall effect is that while the Tories are center-right on economics, the older people who actually turn out to vote are more bothered by the more grandiose gestures to left wing ideology that come from Labour. Meanwhile the Tories are turning into a more bureaucratic party that eschews extreme expressions of ideology. Still way to the right of Labour but without the unified commitment to Thatcherism they had before.

[@catherinewilson3880]

@@ForwardSynthesis The Tories plan to sell off the NHS, and if you don't believe that then you are being naive. They're not doing it all at once, they're doing it little by little so it's less noticeable, but selling it off they most definitely are. They have also cut social spending to the bone, with most regional authorities, even Tory led ones, struggling to provide basic services. I suggest that you stop listening to Tory spin and look at the real world.

[@Jay92925]

Never heard of the SNP being classed as the politically homeless before

[@nihilistcentraluk442]

They are deeply homeless outside Scotland but that is their choice. The real fear in England and Wales is not Scots independence but an SNP coalition at Westminister which ends up as a protection racket or robbery.

[@Jay92925]

@@nihilistcentraluk442 hope it happens

[@nihilistcentraluk442]

@@Jay92925 I dont. I am quite happy with an independent Scotland but one arranged by a British govt with a majority outside Scotland

[@karmabomb3768]

Deeply homeless outside Scotland must be one of the most stupid statements I’ve ever read. We are not interested in foreign countries, we are only interested in Scotland, our country.

[@timonsolus]

@@karmabomb3768 : So you’re not interested in Scots who don’t live in Scotland then?

[@zacw4688]

One of the main issues here is that the Lib Dems are not a strictly left wing party. There are multiple centre-right Lib Dem voters (like myself) so this would just alienate them. This also describes why in the West Midlands mayoral election, 12,000 second preference votes went to the Tories. They were likely centre-right liberals as I find it hard to believe Green voters were voting Tory haha

[@Stedman75]

Yes you would not pass the purity checks and would be sent to the bigotry concentration camp

[@alexpotts6520]

Thing is though, as a fellow centre-right liberal I feel like the current iteration of the Tory party has never been further away from my own politics, to the extent that I hesitate to even brand myself centre-right any more in case someone thinks I'm a Tory.

[@zacw4688]

@@alexpotts6520 I get what you mean, I still wouldn’t vote Tory if the Lib Dems perused this but I wouldn’t vote Lib Dem either. I would probably spoil my ballot.

[@dvidclapperton]

​​@@zacw4688 Even if lib dems were the only party campaigning with the best chsnce of beating the tories (but all the other non right wing parties standing) if a non right wing election is far more likely you wouldn't see 1000's in a large swathe of seats nationwide suddenly switching to the tories being enough to stop Starmer becoming PM of a coalition government with labour the largest party The tories don't have 50% or more of the electorate to rely upon nationwide to defeat an election pact in such a 2 candidate head to head if all the non right wing parties decided to work together to get the tories out. A precedent was set in 2019 when Johnson and Farage colluded togetger. The tories have no right to cry foul if all the non right opposition parties work together in this year's general election.

[@ruairidhjames5341]

An electoral pact with the SNP, on the condition of holding a second referendum, would worsen Labour's chances of securing any future elections in the UK, as the left-wing would be hit harder by the loss of Scottish seats than the right-wing. I can't see it happening for that reason.

[@holdenennis]

I think after the next election, only the SNP will have enough seats to propel the Labour Party into government. It will be awful for Labour and destroy them in the long-term, but it will be their only way of getting into government.

[@gammamaster1894]

The main problem would be: The SNP would only join if a second referendum was promised The Greens would only join if they promised radical environmental action The Lib Dems would only join if they promised a very close relationship to the EU, if not full on rejoining And as a whole, the electorate probably wouldn’t be too keen on those ideas, you might support strong environmental action, but the threat of Scottish independence might encourage you not to vote for the Alliance. You might support rejoining the EU, but maybe the radical environmental plans just go too far in damaging the economy. I think you can see the problem

[@nihilistcentraluk442]

It is a coalition of minority pressure groups with at least one controversial idea attached to each.

[@Sajuek]

Why is that a problem? All of those things are good. England needs to be destroyed.

[@Chase1493]

@@Sajuek Why does England need to be destroyed? Lmao

[@Sajuek]

@@Chase1493 justice

[@Chase1493]

@@Sajuek Justice for what, exactly?

[@annitarobert3678]

Because of the epidemic people losing job hard to spend money... hope this method works to earn so much money🙄 Feeling hopeless these days

[@lewwiiscayer5812]

Despite the current state of crypto currency I still made £15,000, I think investing now is major thing everybody should do now.

[@marshallsteven9510]

Wow how did you make up such amount in crypto .

[@jeffharrison928]

Two months before this pull down of bitcoin, I read about Mrs Arnold Stephanie on Twitter and I contacted her with the contact I was given, I made a full decision of going into full trading with her.

[@janebliss8754]

Trading generally is not easy as it seems that's why it's advisable to invest with a good Expert, who gives guidelines and also decide when it's good time to invest.

[@harrythompson3270]

I starting trading with Mrs Arnold Stephanie as the pendemic lockdown increased, which greatly affected the Economy.

[@Thomps4991]

Isn’t Gordon brown a living british pm even if not voted it?

[@illegitimateotaku794]

Yea, but he was unelected. He inherited a government elected with Tony Blair at the helm.

[@someoneinoffensive]

No prime ministers are elected by the country, we live in a parliamentary system.

[@emizerri]

@@someoneinoffensive the majority of people vote for the party of the leader they want in power, not their local MP

[@someoneinoffensive]

@@emizerri [citation needed]

[@tytro1124]

Hey, just saying that Tony Blair was elected back in 1997, that’s 24 years today, 27 years in 2024

[@MrSpleenboy]

Thatcher was elected in 1979, and was in charge all the way through to 1990, when John Major took over. He, and the Tories, were in power until Blair was elected in 1997. Before Thatcher was James Callaghan, the last Labour PM before Blair. Prior to Blair, the last Labour PM to be win a General Election was Harold Wilson in 1974, so the point made in the video is technically correct (the best kind of correct ;) )

[@williamfrancis5367]

Yes, but no other Labour leader would have an election in that 50 year period. Wilson won an election in 1974, 50 years ago from 2024.

[@abhigyanbg5764]

Blair was one hell of a campaigner. He managed to pass the 400 mark twice.

[@themanwiththeplan1401]

@@abhigyanbg5764 Also the boundaries were kind of rigged to labour's advantage then. Labour won a lower percentage of the vote in 1997 than Boris Johnson in 2019 and in 2001 had a lower share of the vote than Theresa May and Boris Johnson and also Margaret Thatcher in 1983, where the gap was bigger than in either 1997 or 2001 between labour or conservatives, but conservative got less seat then. 2010 was a big example of the bias. However from 2015 there is now a conservative bias because of how votes redistributed themselves across the country.

[@henryhunter9643]

@@abhigyanbg5764 only because he appealed to floating right wing voters while the lifelong Labour voters weren't politically savvy enough to notice that Labour was no longer the party for the working class.

[@louisbaker4362]

An election pact for the left would be the death knell for the left. The SNP would want an independence referendum as a stipulation of the coalition. If the Scots get their independence then the remaining left will be consistently be outvoted by English Tories. Labour may not go through with such a pact knowing this and also being known for having the last prime minister of the UK.

[@theuglykwan]

If they win, could they not change the voting system to a form of PR before independence takes place? Thereafter, even without Scotland, the support levels would translate more accurately into seats. If the left cannot marshal enough seats under the new system then that is what the voters want. I'm in Scotland, if the UK used PR and the government more accurately reflected the popular vote I'd lean more towards the union than independence.

[@louisbaker4362]

@@theuglykwan I more identify with the right than the left but I agree with PR being used to accurately represent the electorate. You may be right that the Scots may lean more to the union, especially if the Lib Dems and Greens put it as a stipulation for such a pact. However, I can't imagine Labour, the largest and most influential of the left wing parties would be willing to forego their much larger monopoly of the left vote for a pact. They wouldn't compromise on some of their policies with the Lib Dems in 2010 so I can't imagine them doing the same with more parties. PR will also embolden smaller parties on the right such as the Libertarians and Reform UK. PR may make the English Right stronger as a consequence. It may even make the Scottish right stronger as a consequence.

[@glitchyghosting5798]

When the best you got is Tony Blair in 50 years, I think it's time to pack it in.

[@timonsolus]

@@euanbell912 : Yes, foreign policy was Blair’s weak point. A wise Labour leader with a good understanding of military history would have told George Bush in 2001 that a ground invasion of Afghanistan was a terrible idea. Both the British Empire at the height of its power and the USSR failed with previous ground invasions of Afghanistan. Even dropping a nuclear bomb on Kabul as revenge for 9/11 would have been a better choice. You can’t beat a nuke for ‘Shock and Awe’ effect, even the jihad crazy Taliban wouldn’t like being martyred that way.

[@sionsmedia8249]

The absolute best case senario for left wing parties leaves them with a majority that is still 13 seats smaller than what the Conservatives got in reality.

[@AlwaysAC]

Best case of leftist in Scotland Wales and Norther Ireland is separation. England has very clearly made its choice, time for us to make ours

[@oviselectricus7730]

Every party should form a single pact. No more elections needed. Problem solved.

[@ewanknight3015]

I reckon the election turnout would go down, as I know in my constituency there’s no way SNP supporters would vote for the Lib Dem’s… In Scotland the SNP either have the seat or are 2nd in every constituency, so they’d only need a pact for seats the Tories hold. Tactical voting seems to happen in Scotland and it’s more nationalist vs unionist rather than left vs right.

[@Alexander-vo4gv]

SNP are absolutely crushing every other party in scotland

[@v2511]

Getting the left parties to agree on something is a big ask.

[@metroidnerd9001]

I mean, over here in America, we only have one liberal party in power, and even they can only barely agree on how to do things.

[@thefrenchareharlequins2743]

@@metroidnerd9001 well, "liberal"

[@__chinmay__]

@@metroidnerd9001 they are not left wing

[@metroidnerd9001]

@@__chinmay__ I never implied that they were.

[@williamseldon1383]

In this case, the left wing right wing perception can be deceiving. While right and centre wing parties will only disagree on minor issues like immigration, left wing parties often don't even know what economic model would be best within their party let alone outside their party. The only exception to this that I can think of is the co-op party which most people feel couldn't work on a large scale and would still stifle growth and innovation.

[@dvidclapperton]

The Keynsian economic model is the most reliable economlc model globally that governments use. Did Clegg lib dem leader really think that Brown was left wing in 2010 when he decided to rush into Cameron's arms and form that infamous coalition government. A coalition government involving labour being the largest party is not the exact same thing as a full scale labour government.

[@dvidclapperton]

@williamseldon1383 I highly doubt that ths country would vote tactically to avoid a coalitiion government There's no such thing as 50% "real" support for the tories if that was the amount of support ths tories would have to depend upon to remain as the government after the general election vs a coalition government.

[@khalid4381]

Could you do a video on why parties like Labour and the Conservatives don’t stand for election in Northern Ireland seats

[@lucberthelot6463]

There’s probably some history of it, but the truth is that there’s no want for them. NI is too split along unionist vs nationalist lines, so they would have no support

[@immortaltyrant2474]

There is a Conservative branch in NI but they only received 0.7% of the vote share in the last election. The Ulster Unionist Party used to take the Tory whip prior to 1972, back when it was called the Official Unionist Party. Both parties also formed an electoral alliance between 2009 and 2010. Conversely, Labour is loosely affiliated with the SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party). I'm not sure if the Labour Party have an official NI branch but if they do it's mostly irrelevant. Politics here are too tribal, thus why the two main parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin, replaced the UUP and SDLP who were seen as too soft by unionists and nationalists respectively.

[@alexpotts6520]

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley in particular might find that video useful. She memorably confessed that she didn't understand Northern Irish politics either, despite that literally being her job.

[@jacobstonier2835]

I was told that Tony Blair got in because he was a “Tory in disguise” Edit: Not saying this is what I believe because it’s before my time

[@mitcho04]

Being told something should have no value in your opinions on a topic.

[@samjames3657]

Blair was a strong centrist meaning that he appealed to centre left and centre right. Don't think that makes him Tory in disguise though, maybe a Liberal Democrat in red?

[@vinniechan]

He was more centrist

[@henryhunter9643]

Correct. Lifelong Labour voters just voted Labour because that's what they always did. But the politically aware people were losing faith in the Tories, and Tony Blair's Labour was Tory-lite. So it stole a lot of right wing voters who are not loyal to the Tories. So combine the traditional Labour vote plus right wing floating voters, and that's why Blair's Labour got in. And it took 12 years for the lifelong Labour voters to figure it out. That's why Corbyn was seen as 'radically left'. Because Labour were now a right wing party.

[@Sparhafoc]

>>" I was told that Tony Blair got in because he was a “Tory in disguise” " It's more that he moved the Labour party further right than the ground the party usually held which appealed to a wider electorate. Recent years have shown that there's a struggle in the Labour party about who they are and what policies are meant to define them. For me, Blair was more a neoliberal-lite than Tory.

[@Bram06]

As soon as labour gets elected, it must abolish First Past The Post and establish proportional representation

[@mypointofview1111]

It won't do that because FPTP actually works. When it works for them they're happy. With proportional representation you'd have every Tom, Dick, Harry & his dog with a seat in Parliament leaving us with a fractured government like they have in Italy or the EU. What a mess that is

[@odysseus1660]

@@mypointofview1111 Except it doesnt really, it works for the party who wins but we haven't had a government backed by the majority of the population since the 1930s how can you say that works?

[@zax1998LU]

It depends on which PR system you choose. A national PR system like additional member or direct proportionality will do this. However something like STV will not and still be more repsentative than FPTP

[@odysseus1660]

@@zax1998LU I think STV is the best system of voting, for me its only downside is that its slightly more complicated and requires people to actually understand what each party stands for

[@schroederscurrentevents3844]

I actually agree. I’m usually against Proportional representation because it’s based on party and not person, - But Britain, as a parliamentary government, already focuses on parties more than people.

[@ScoutyDave]

In Australia we already do this automatically; it's called preferential voting. It is impossible to "waste your vote" or have a spoiler effect due to the fact that your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Nth preference is counted.

[@NSq12]

Best voting system in the world

[@Mr1Apokalypse]

Changing the current voting law should be favorable for Labour, too. It is tje only way they have a chance to ever get a prime minister again.

[@stephenboyd897]

Problem is that they need a prime minister before they can change the voting system. Catch 22!

[@supfaathebest]

I would love this to happen, I hope it does!

[@vincentallan4979]

The British Labour Party are too selfish to even consider this.

[@owen5847]

Correct. They wish to govern the same as the Tories with a large majority. They don't want to share power.

[@Cunnysmythe]

A few more kickings at the polls could present a change in perspective

[@farhadchaudhry]

They'd rather be at the head of the sole largest opposition party than be in a coalition in government. They can't even contemplate a coalition within the party.

[@JStamato]

I think you're definitely right in presuming that a Liberal will vote for a green, green will vote for labour or labour will vote for a liberal: let alone getting them to vote for the SNP. Just because they're considered 'left of centre' does not mean they will vote for another party that is considered 'left of centre'. The problem right now is that the left is unable to agree on anything due to the rise of extremists such as 'momentum and corbynites' and so has become extremely divisive, by comparison, the right while far from perfect unity they're mostly able to all agree on the Brexit issue (and immigration to a lesser extent) which has allowed them to become more unified which has led to the Conservatives gaining right-wing fringe party seats that Labour has not picked up their equivalent of, which is why you see the gap forming. So, while you could argue that Labour could work with the Liberals and the Greens, the issue is that the Liberals will not work with the Greens and vice versa, which leads to the problem of keeping everyone happy in parliament, let alone the voting base. Classical Liberals will not support the Greens or SNP and vice versa: even blood-red Labour supporters would not vote elsewhere. Thus, personally, I think this is impossible with the current divisions on the left and unless the extreme 'socialist/social justice' movements take a backseat then a coalition is basically impossible. Especially with Labour's current leader being very weak and unpopular, the green leader a hippie and the liberals thought of a stupid after the whole Brexit issue (in everywhere but London), let alone English voters opinions of the SNP. So the coalition even if possible would probably be the least stable democratic government in Europe; succession movements would appear everywhere. P.s: This is coming from a classical Liberal, more centrist perspective, if you disagree let me know why.

[@juanpablotoledo1343]

>corbynites are extremist Lmao

[@macke9215]

This wouldn’t even be an issue if Britain had a better electoral system like proportional representation or ranked transferable vote

[@cyion9373]

yeah constant coalitions would be very good especially for a country trying to recover from the covid-19 pandemic lmfao that's just a stupid idea, people only look at the positives of proportional representation

[@mnm1273]

It would be much worse. Lib dems would basically rule as king makes and so a party that represents 10% of the people would be the most powerful party in the UK.

[@Perdy258]

Love the avocado on the shirt for younger left wing voters. 😅

[@charlessandoval3382]

Let the move to Mexico .

[@ThePokeHimOn]

Libdems are left wing?

[@TLDRnews]

Maybe they're not all left wing, but certainly all of the parties are either centrists or left of centre - Jack

[@r3strt]

@@TLDRnews I think the Lib Dems are more Left-wing Socially but VERY right-wing economically. Edit: continuation I think this is why the Lib Dems managed to secure a pact between itself and the Conservatives. its because of the economic positioning of both of the parties. I think the main disturbance between Labour and the Lib Dems is that economic difference.

[@danielbentham758]

Proper more left wing than ever

[@danielbentham758]

@@r3strt the lib dems are "very right wing economically" is that some sort of joke? You've surely got to be far left to think that

[@danielbentham758]

@@r3strt the reason they did a coalition was due to the Conservatives being the largest party and the economic situation at the time

[@julianshepherd2038]

Successive Labour leaders have made it clear they will not work with the SNP and consider them to be a right wing party even though they aren't. Labour have 1 Scottish MPs Liberals have 4 Scottish MPs What can you offer the SNP? Indyref2

[@farhadchaudhry]

Has to be a devolution settlement. Indyref2 is a non-starter. If the SNP refuse, then the pact would have to be for England only.

[@keerankirubakaran432]

Slight error at 1:42, SDP signed a pact with the Liberal Party, not the Liberal Democrats (as said in the audio) as that hadn't come into existence yet, as rightly noted!

[@Organisedchaos11]

My dissertation for uni next year is all about this topic so thanks for making this video 😊

[@Pax.Britannica]

Imagine that: being so unlikeable that Tony Blair gets more votes than you do. At that point, I think I'd just end it all.

[@fyka2902]

Let's face it, that would be almost all of the current Parliament gone.

[@Pax.Britannica]

@@fyka2902 I mean... Tony Blair's pretty disliked.

[@fyka2902]

@@Pax.Britannica That's kind of my point. If Tony were to go into an election against what we have now, would any of them be able to win? The quality of our politicians seem to keep getting worse.

[@fyka2902]

​@Don Trump People don't care about war crimes or corruption or human rights. What matters is what they said on twitter, or who they are bonking in the closet. So yes, Tony would definitely win because he is the most slippery and competent when it comes to lying.

[@fyka2902]

​@Don Trump See this is the problem. This stupid left/right dichotomy. Your side and their side are full of morons that sell off your freedoms to the highest bidder, while funneling all tax money to their friends. But all that matters to you is whether your side wins. I guess the people get the leaders they deserve.

[@lfricmunuc4534]

The funny thing is that this could easily be done with Instant Run-off Voting or Alternative Vote without the need to not stand against each other.

[@epoh3334]

But how do you change that without getting smaller parties in power?

[@lfricmunuc4534]

@@epoh3334 I am not saying that they should. I am just pointing out that the UK missed their chance for it in the referendum in 2011. Although this electoral pact could be a step to introduce it again, maybe with a different voting system like STV or PR.

[@dvidclapperton]

The tories would have no right to cry foul over other partiea working together at general election. A precedent has already been set in 2019 general election when Johnson and Fatage agreed a deal for Farage to step down a load of The Brexit Party candidates to help the toriea.

[@nadeemchaudhry6585]

They dont need a pact,labour just need to get there act together, elect a leader that leads from the front and is able to bring the party together and also be media savvy.

[@snare5903]

Bringing together groups that have next to nothing in common is not exactly easy.

[@ogribiker8535]

Are you really that naive ?!

[@london_james]

One leader has won in 50 years

[@rogerwoodhouse7945]

'bring the party together' .For what.?

[@vaazig]

1 win in half a century. What are the probabilities of that happening under FPTP?

[@MultiMattRogers]

To be honest it may be the best of several bad options. Although I feel like Labour would have to commit to electoral reform to make it happen. That would excite politics geeks like me but the AV referendum in the early 2010s tells us that the Tories found it very easy to convince people that change is somehow scary. Even if all of their complaints were nonsense eg. Changing voting systems would require expensive counting machines (it wouldn't) or explaining to people that they will need to rank their preferences is so complicated it would be nearly impossible (it isn't)

[@charlessandoval3382]

Actually the change that the intellectual left likes would not be much of a change at all. More like a distinction without a difference . Unless you like F1 style politics of back doors and smokey rooms.

[@trystanexul5681]

Labour just need to be more focused on who actually votes for them rather than pandering to social justice groups in london.

[@kotasbyubilieau8365]

As a British Columbian, I would say this does work. On the provincial level, Tory and Liberal formed a coalition went against CCF-NDP (Canadian Labor) for 10 years. However, in the end, there is a possibly that a new party will be formed under a particular circumstance. However, it will be extremely difficult for a coalition to stay stable when there is not much consensus among coalition parties.

[@charliemiller4824]

The only progressive and fair way forward is electoral reform.

[@Camallunt]

Unfortunately that requires power to implement. Tories will not change the system they benefit from just like MPs won't vote to cut their bloated expenses or ban the gifts MPs receive. Last time we tried to vote on reforming the system the Tories spent public money on adverts saying public money should be spent on nurses not on reforms for government. Something that holds extra irony considering the recent 1% offered pay rise after Tories gave hundreds of millions to their friend's fake businesses.

[@larydbowie2659]

Be Left wing, Lose, Demand voting system be changed. Classic

[@godlovesyou1995]

First past the post promotes stability and unity. It means there are less changes to government and means that the main parties try to represent as many people as possible. It also acts as a safeguard against extremism or sudden/ short lived populism. It also leads to a united opposition against the governing party, allowing greater scrutiny and therfore efficieny. It is these things that lead to us having one of the most effective governments in the world, and our past successes, as a result of our national unity.

[@MatthewRoles]

Labour: Am I out of touch... no, it's the electoral system that's wrong.

[@youtubenotifications2150]

Loved this video, could you do something like this for like the yes campaign against the no campaign doing an electoral pact Seeing how that would influence the Scottish elections just passed

[@alexpotts6520]

Got to be honest, even if in the short term it would do the unionists good to team up like this, in the long term making Scottish politics explicitly about the national question and nothing else only benefits the SNP.

[@youtubenotifications2150]

@@alexpotts6520 I am mostly just curious in the numbers, not so much the whole actual idea of it all :)

[@michaelgreen1515]

SDP with the Liberal Party: otherwise they would never had become the Liberal Democrats!

[@KhaalixD]

Great video!

[@ciaranquigley763]

Did Gordon Brown not win for labour and is he not living still?

[@gokulpayyanur1839]

This type of pact can help in winning elections, Indian political parties do this every election

[@BritishRepublicsn]

​@@hitenumarnani4309India has 543 in the Lok Sabha..

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

The Tories are pretty left wing these days as far as I can see. You'll need them in this "Left Wing Pact".

[@Fezzy976]

delusional.

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

@@Fezzy976 Oh really? How so, specifically?

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

@Don Trump It seems not. Disappointing.

[@jgmediting7770]

Then you’re showing how people haven’t a clue what left wing is. Something tells me you’re so far right, everything looks left.

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

@@jgmediting7770 Oh really? How so, specifically? Why so vague? Why so inarticulate? ****LACK OF ARTICULATION IS LACK OF CONVICTION****

[@seb0rn739]

I was just wondering: Is there some kind of regular survey about the current voting proportions in the UK? Like: "If tomorrow were national elections, who would you vote for?" In Germany, surveys like this are conducted every Sunday by various institutions. We call it Sonntagsfrage. Is there something comparable?

[@supfaathebest]

Hopefully.

[@thenetherone1597]

this just sounds like a two party system with extra steps

[@amysutt]

the thing it that it would be difficult because the torys have at the very least appeared to soften up to accommodate for ex labour voters where as all of the left wing party's seem to just be going further and further away from what centreist voters like me want in the past I've voted lib Dems at a general election labour at local elections and more recently tory in both and I don't think unless a left party can become a little less far left then that won't change for myself or alot of other votes anytime soon

[@ajes3987]

exactly they push policies only popular in cities, then wonder why they haven't won in years

[@oktal3700]

Labour under Starmer are just the Tories with a smile. If that's not good enough for you then just admit you're right wing.

[@amysutt]

@@oktal3700 I'm economically left wing but socially your probably right

[@rocco3937]

I think the problem with this is that Lib Dem voters tend to say that they are central and don’t like this ‘left pack’ and then labour voters don’t want these extreme centrist then it will just go in the crap

[@schroederscurrentevents3844]

The reality is Labour has been unelectable since 1983. - Tony Blair and his 3 elections were a rare exception literally based on centrism and moderation, backed up by an extremely popular personage in himself at just the right time when the Tory party itself is unelectable. - But since then, the worst candidates line may in 2017 and Johnson in 2019 were able to win despite truly horrible records and ineffectivity on brexit.

[@OuroborosAlchemist]

Tories: "look what they must do to imitate even a fraction of our power."

[@c-bass9968]

What if they chose instead to hold “left wing primaries” in which the parties would compete for which one gets to stand up against the toris that year?

[@awestruckbeaver3344]

That would be far too much effort for the average voter. I personally think that it would dissuade voters even more

[@jakob7751]

The concept of electoral pacts is so sad to think about when having first past to post in mind. Just get your democracy together Britain.

[@HistoryonYouTube]

I can remember pacts being talked about when I was a student in the mid 1980s. With the imminent threat of the greatest disaster to hit the UK since WW2, the opposition could not unite in 2019. And they still have not learned their lesson.

[@davifreitas5691]

Quite frankly: that kind of pact would sound like desperation. It would be another catastrophe for Labour, which is already in ashes...

[@dm121984]

Honestly Labour, and I'm talking as someone who's voted labour most of the times I've been able to vote, you need to do this and support PR - the mess brexit and over a decade of tory austerity have inflicted on the UK needs a long term reform to the electoral system to make sure the tories can't force the country onto another decade of choas. The news media is so rightwing, the FPTP so rigged, we desperately need change to actually make the country democratic.

[@toyotaprius79]

You had that chance in 2011. And the Story advertising against proportional representation was nothing short of Orwellian. Clashing new voting systems with cuts to your brother's protection gear in the army posted all over bus stations.

[@DFandV]

Although I agree why do the masses not underline your view? And seem to think all is fine. I never could answer this.

[@eoghan.5003]

@@DFandV they explained in the original comment: media and the voting system. Although, in any case, I don't think you should stop fighting for what you believe in just because it isn't popular.

[@RedfishUK1964]

There are two main problems from a Labour Point of view 1. It's against the Labour Party Constitution - they must run candidates in every seat. So a Special Conference would probably be needed. 2. The only concrete policy would be a change to the voting system to something much more PR (not STV as that was already ruled out). This would mean Labour would never win an outright majority again, realistically it would probably mean a split in the Labour Party - if you are not going to get an outright majority why would the Blairite Right sit in the same party as the Corbinista Left - and even the Soft Left might think they were more appealing alone. Labour has always been an unlikely coalition in it's own right. The elephant in the room would be who could attract the Union money. Although the SNP might not be too keen on PR - FPTP really suits them, and they are delivering 55+ seats.

[@funkydanieluk]

People would see it as dishonest. It feels like trying to stack the deck and change the rules to get a win by any means necessary.

[@pepela8214]

Me watching this video: Wow, that might actually work. We'd end up with a two party system so votes aren't divided between left wing parties And then the realization hit, we'd end up with a two party system

[@coolbanana165]

The best thing would be to then change the voting system to proportional representation.

[@OnlyGrafting]

@@coolbanana165 if the people want such a thing. But somehow I doubt they do. They didnt want to rid the house of lords so why would they care to shake up the system like that?

[@jgmediting7770]

First past the post means we have a two party system regardless. How many people under the current system actually vote for their preferred party rather than against their least preferred party?

[@bethp7324]

I honestly don't think it's possible at this point without labour especially becoming more centreist and less baced on policy's only really popular in big cities

[@leightontreharne9134]

When doing these calculation did you also take into account the conservatives taking the Brexit party vote. Because that will have flipped a few more labour seats like we saw in Hartlepool

[@whatsreallyhappening5669]

Do anything possible to get rid of this government.

[@0211brucetube]

Neither of those parties are Left Wing. I also can't see how complete Tory hegemony in England (minus a few cities) will be defeated by an electoral coalition.

[@diegoyuiop]

Only if labour agrees to PR (they won't)

[@owen5847]

That's because the few brains are left in the party know PR would send them the way of their European sisters. They would never govern solo ever again.

[@Theorimlig]

@@owen5847 So what? A party should only govern solo if they get an outright majority of votes nationwide.

[@Zen-rw2fz]

funny how a liberal and a nationalist party is considered part of a left wing pact...

[@henryhunter9643]

Liberalism is a left wing ideology. The SNP are a party of civic nationalism, not ethnic nationalism. That's why they are the Scottish NATIONAL Party, not the Scottish Nationalist Party. Most nationalist parties are founded on ethnic nationalism, that's why they often have anti-immigration policies at their core. The SNP's core policy is that Scotland should be a sovereign nation, free to make it's own domestic and foreign policies without being tied down to UK legislation. Many of their other policies are left leaning. They support green energy initiatives, they oppose nuclear weapons, they support more social welfare and many other similar policies. They have lowered the voting age for Scottish elections ti 16. Scotland has had a politically savvy youth culture for some time, given that the Scottish Youth Parliament was founded in 1999, in which those aged 12 to 25 can vote for representatives. The SNP have had the stance of 'a true Scot is anyone who wishes to live in Scotland and wants the best for Scotland, regardless of their country of origin'.

[@michaelblower7363]

The Wings are often associated with their stance on the economy and who it should serve most?

[@totalvoid6234]

If there was an electoral pact and the only options in my constituency were Labour and Conservatives I'd either spoil my ballot or vote for the most left wing option, i.e the Conservatives.

[@ByddinRhyddidCymru]

Used to vote labour, now I vote Plaid Cymru, the only way anyone on this island will see a brighter future is if we break up the union

[@danielbentham758]

Delusional, Wales literally couldn't fund itself look at the Barnett Formula

[@alexpotts6520]

How will breaking up the union lead to a brighter future? It's all a bit, "step 1 break up the union, step 2 ???, step 3 profit", isn't it?

[@ByddinRhyddidCymru]

@@danielbentham758 an independent Wales would be the 46th richest country in the world, so if Wales couldn’t find itself, how do the 150 countries that are poorer survive?

[@crazycjk]

@@ByddinRhyddidCymru income vs expenditure. If I am the 46th richest individual in the world but I spend more than I make, I go bankrupt. If I am the 46th poorest person in the world but I spend less than I make, I stay solvent. I don't know about Wales' income vs expenditure, I'm just saying that being a wealthy country is somewhat irrelevant to funding onesself.

[@bad307207]

Before watching NO! A large proportion of labour voters hate the SNP! A packed between Labour and the SNP would cost Labour too many pro union voters!

[@achaeanmapping4408]

Yea, it seems stupid for them to include a Scottish nationalist party to the coalition

[@bad307207]

@@achaeanmapping4408 They kind of include it in the video but I think they underplay/ignore how hard an SNP coalition would hit Labour, imo there would be no red wall left! Imo Labour would be less damaged if they joined forces with the Tories lol...

[@binkensteinnz]

As an example of Voters going with party deals, have a look at the history of the Epsom electorate in Auckland, New Zealand. ACT have essentially been gifted a seat by National for many years.

[@bertaroo]

It’s first past the post which causes this there wouldn’t be talk of it without it

[@sionsmedia8249]

7:40 Well left wing parties do support telling the people what to vote for, and being above the people, because clearly those parties know better than the common person.

[@rmsgrey]

As opposed to Boris who is rapidly running out of lives after being dead in a ditch and doing things over his dead body several times, as part of his habit of breaking promises (and international law)...

[@andrei19238]

@@rmsgrey cope

[@LORDUnLuCkY13]

I cannot see anyone other than the Tories getting into power. Despite their incompetence, people in this country care about the perception.

[@AB-zl4nh]

I am sorry but this is wrong. You have mixed an electoral alliance with a coalition government. A pact would just be candidates standing aside for one another etc, it has nothing to do with having a list of policies or entering government together.

[@jh5401]

As a citizen of Aotearoa, I'd be much more in favour of coalitions with some from of PR. Aotearoa has MMP, but I'd be most in favour of STV. When I vote in Aotearoa general elections, I tend to vote for whoever is the most representative out of the two main parties of the electorate, then I'd vote for the party I'd want to with my party vote. If a coalition were more of a thing like, vote for whomever you'd like, we'll represent that proportion within our coalition. Say the constituency results, SNP got 41%, Labour got 10%, Greens got 8%, Libdems got 5%, and maybe Conservatives got the rest - if that vote was more representative as in PR or even just ranked choice voting, it would be so much better. To have a coalition stuck in place where you have very little room for growth in minor parties is not helpful at all.

[@DaedricGamingHD]

As long as the Labour party focuses on identity politics like gender pay gap (earnings gap) n constant claims this, that and other community are being disenfranchised. Labour may get considered if they shifted from the victim culture and shifted to focus on the individual level

[@charlessandoval3382]

Yup copying the Tories never works for Labour.

[@alexpotts6520]

I can't remember the last time I heard a Labour spokesman talk about the gender pay gap. I'm sure they have, but I would hardly say that frivolous identity politics are the core of Labour's offering. (Not that I would call an issue like GPG frivolous identity politics anyway, it's a real issue affecting millions of real people.)

[@DaedricGamingHD]

@@charlessandoval3382 its not even a tory labour thing i dont support group politics cause its been at the heart of some of history biggest atrocitys

[@DaedricGamingHD]

@@alexpotts6520 go and watch labour speakers in the house of commons n then tell me they dont have an unhealthy dose identity politics during covid ethnic groups had slightly higher mortality rates due to cultural differences and practices out lined by inquires into the disparity labour nah mate the uk is institutionaly racist

[@TopMcMercenary]

Seeing how the tories has handled this pandemic im never voting for them. Its absurd the fact they made the SAME mistakes as last year and for that reason I'll never vote a tory.

[@sparkymarky7504]

I agree- but any other party would have done a much worse job. We need a leader like De Santis, I’d vote for that

[@henryhunter9643]

And yet the Tories keep climbing in the polls. I've got two theories for this. 1: The right wing tabloids tell the ignorant masses who to vote for, and they follow along like the unthinking sheep they are. 2: Labour have proven themselves to be so inept over the past decade that it's a case that the Tories are gaining popularity because they're the least worst.

[@danellis-jones1591]

I don't think Corbyn would have done a whole lot better. But Starmer definitely would have. He's not very charismatic, but he's intelligent and thoughtful.

[@TopMcMercenary]

@@sparkymarky7504 i dont know about England but Scotland and Wales are doing far much better with handling the pandemic in my opinion and the tories aren't running these places ....much.

[@sparkymarky7504]

@@TopMcMercenary depends on your definition of handling the pandemic. Immediate euthanasia of anyone testing positive could technically be called “handling the pandemic”

[@mrambil2]

These pacts occur in France every five years in parliamentary elections. However, Labour: Don't take the Liberal Democrat vote for granted. Many of them would rather vote Conservative.

[@freshname]

After the tldr posted a question about the unpopularity of the recent videos I researched this one. Actually it's quite good, definitely the best of the bunch. Probably because this one feel less clickbaity