You do realise that the opposition of Simon Heffer is exactly as ‘troublesome’ for David Cameron as the opposition of Eric Heffer would have been for Tony Blair?

So Heffer is advocating higher spending cuts and lower taxes
yet you somehow support more of these attempts to drag Cameron to the right? Are you going to continue to pretend that the Lib Dems haven’t mitigated the Conservatives when people like Heffer so clearly feel betrayed by Cameron?

But, as with Tim Montgomerie, nobody who matters in the Tory Party gives a flying foxtrot what the Horrible Hefferlump thinks.

On some subjects, I’d go further: Heffer has been trying for years to rehabilitate the reputation of Enoch Powell – with no discernible success.

Another overmonied and overrated hack, lost in the reality of politics.

Simon Heffer’s following starts at the age of 65 +. Their politics belong to a bygone age and their knowledge of the changing world about them is mirrored in their everyday chit-chat. Eg. “immigration”, “today’s young people”, “UKIP and out of Europe”. How can I put this ? – boring, asinine, irrelevant, narrow, limited etc..etc… My critics please note, I’m not quite 65 yet !

George, I’m afraid that’s no evidence of Libdem influence. As Tim Fenton says, Heffer would be crying betrayal unless Tories go back to the days of Enoch Powell. He never was a ‘moderniser’ anyway.

What I do like the sight of, however, is Tories splitting themselves apart.

It’s got nothing to do with Heffer or any other tory for that matter.

It is up to the Lie Dems how much more of this humiliation they want to take.

So far they seem quite happy to be pissing off many of the people that voted for them and as a result will be out of power for the next 100 years. But then they are used to that.

As Tim Fenton says, nobody listens to people like Heffer, any more than the Labour party listen to Toynbee or Ashley telling them what should be done.

I went to school with Heffer and am dismayed at the downward spiral his life has taken. Mind you, he was a spotty right wing wotsit even then ).

What I do like the sight of, however, is Tories splitting themselves apart.

Heffer’s not a Tory. He votes UKIP and hasn’t supported the Conservative Party since 1990.

@5

So, to give you two examples, the AV referendum and the ending of child detention. You’re saying that these would still be happening without lib dems in government? Don’t make me laugh.

@9

Two swallows don’t make a summer.

If the LD’s negotiating the Coalition had had any “cojones”, we’d be having a referendum on STV, not AV, and whilst the overturning of New Labours profoundly unpleasant anti-civil liberties measures is to be welcomed, they don’t make up for the regressive measures being pushed through by a Tory administration being enabled by the LD’s, any more than the good things done by New Labour expunge the bad things.

You shouldn’t love Heffer. His ideas are dangerous to you.

You need all Tory supporters to go on believing that their party is conservative in nature as well as in name. They will not knowingly vote Labour, but of course, they *will* vote for Labour policies if they are also Tory policies. This has happened many, many times, most recently in May 2010. They vote Tory because they mistakenly believe they are voting for change.

You need to continue to “expose” Tory policies. You need to make it seem like they are *not* also Labour policies. Every time you kick up a fuss about cuts or privatisation or whatever, you help the Tory supporters to believe that their party really is different to Labour. They see your protests and think “At last, something has changed.” And the wool is pulled over their eyes. They go on voting for Labour policies, idiotically believing that they are Tory policies. Sometimes the Tories may win elections, but this hardly matters – the Labour party remain in power.

The *last* thing you want to do is acknowledge this situation. That’s why Heffer is so dangerous to you. He is saying, correctly, that nothing has changed – that the new government is the same as the old one. Every Tory supporter who starts reading Heffer (or someone like him) is lost. If enough Tories realise that their party isn’t conservative, then the game is up… for you, as well as David Cameron.

@George

Apparently, child detention is still very much with us (and it was over Christmas too), they’ve just changed venues from Yarlswood to Tinsley House.

Here’s something more in-depth from LibDemvoice:

http://www.libdemvoice.org/the-independent-view-child-detention-mind-the-gap-between-rhetoric-and-reality-22603.html

You have to remember that all sorts of announcements were rushed out before Christmas as part of the Tory’s ‘Save Nick’ campaign.

Its very rare the public will r-elect a government more than 3 times so, its better to have elections 4 yrs apart, if camaron has to have anotehr electionnow, he may win again in 2015 but by 2020,people will say he’s won 3 elections its time for the other side,

Let’s get this right – Sunny says the tories are in danger of tearing themselves apart, yet Sunny also says the LibDems are in danger being absorbed into the tories.

Sunny the contortionist, sorry mate, you are being either deliberately intellectually dishonest or are simply incoherent. Either way you need a holiday.

Opposition for opposition’s sake. Just sayin’.

@1: “You do realise that the opposition of Simon Heffer is exactly as ‘troublesome’ for David Cameron as the opposition of Eric Heffer would have been for Tony Blair?”

Yes – not many take Simon Heffer seriously. His regular function is to make the opinions of other Telegraph columnists appear sane. But forget the call for an immediate general election and reflect instead on the numbers of Conservative and Labour politicians who are working hard to restore two-party politics by pushing the LibDems into oblivion as quickly as possible.

“Ed Miliband’s pro-AV stance opposed by 114 Labour MPs”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/dec/29/alternative-vote-labour-no-camp

“Britain’s biggest union is in talks to form an “unholy alliance” with rightwing Conservatives to oppose next year’s referendum on electoral reform, The Independent has learnt.

“Unite, which has more than 2 million members and is the largest funder of the Labour Party, is expected to throw its weight behind the No2AV campaign early in the New Year. It will commit funding to the campaign and mail anti-AV literature to members.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-split-as-114-mps-say-no-to-voting-reform-2171786.html

Btw I chose not to vote in the 2005 election and voted tactically for a hung Parliament in the 2010 election.

Galan10 – I think the Lib Dems are getting more than you acknowledge.

The STV wasn’t on the table in the negotiations so is not a valid criticism. The only basis on which the coalition can be seen to be judged is from the signed agreement the parties have not what could have been but isn’t.

HIP’s, Tax rates, Runway 3 Heathrow, ID Cards, Student Premium, possibly AV and the forthcoming Freedom Bill mean they seem to be doing better than the Tories to me.

It’s early days and with Ed Miliband unlikely to be deposed until Labour lose the next election, which they will regardless of who leads them although he is clearly a liability, this government and especially the Lib Dem vote will be supported by the silent majority…