Sometimes the Mainstream Media Really Amuse me.

[miss_s_b]

The last week has seen an absolute frothing media frenzy on the tuition fees issue. WILL THE LIB DEMS SPLIT?!!!1 OMG THEY SPLIT!!!eleventy! IS THIS THE END OF THE LIB DEMS????!!!!

Got news for you, bozos. We're Liberals. We accept the idea that reasonable people can (and in some cases should) disagree with each other. The process of debate is one that we actively enjoy in this party; and forged in the fires of Conference, our MPs are bloody well practised at enjoying a good debate.

That being said, the vote has happened, the votes fell as they fell, and now it's time to move on to the next issue. We're not going to have internecine strife between "wings" of the party over this; partly because the "wings" of the party don't fall in the way you think they do anyway. On some issues I'm a total Orange Booker; on others I'm a rabid lefty. But on everything I'm a Liberal, that's my core principle right there, and that means accepting the fact that you can't agree with everyone all the time, but it's still better to agree to disagree on some things, and work together on the things you CAN agree on, than just stand shouting pointlessly at each other.

All this bollocks about party discipline might apply to other (in my view lesser) parties who are full of authoritarian arseholes who can't tolerate discord; we breathe tolerance, we eat argument, and occasionally we shit discord. Get used to it.

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Comments

[fabulousblueporcupine.wordpress.com]

"On some issues I'm a total Orange Booker; on others I'm a rabid lefty."

This is exactly my problem. Wealth and land taxes? Through the roof, please! Benefits: universal basic income for all. State education: yuk, political agendas dictating what people learn, only came about in the first place because the state needed whole population of dutiful little worker robots with the same handwriting.

Who *are* these people who identify with one side or the other? I'd honestly have to toss a coin.

[miss_s_b]

Add to that the complication that the Orange Book is not a rabid right wing document as it is painted in the press...

[rmc28]

I've not actually read the notorious book, so it's on my Christmas wishlist so I can see what the fuss is about.

[innerbrat]

State education: yuk, political agendas dictating what people learn, only came about in the first place because the state needed whole population of dutiful little worker robots with the same handwriting.

This is fun for me as a total lefty progressive educator. I think education should be free at the point of receipt with no standardised curriculum or tests. Pay me to do what I want!

(With inspection. Inspection and portfolios of student work.)

[matgb]

Exactly. Hence I strongly support Free Schools. I even manage to still support Free Schools when I hear Gove and Young telling me how wonderful they are, which is impressive as that takes more effort.

[(Anonymous)]

ha ha ha, you are FUCKED!!!

[etoile]

If you're representing the alternative, then God help us all.

Now, run along before some other bottom feeder claims the rock you crawled out from.

[rmc28]

Thank you for an excellent summary of what I've been wanting to shout at people all week :) I particularly like

we breathe tolerance, we eat argument, and occasionally we shit discord

Perhaps it should be on a tshirt.

[contrastingsounds.pip.verisignlabs.com]

It's truly a fantastic line. It will be re-used!