Could the Lib Dems Come Second?

In this video, we’ll have a look at this - whether the Lib Dems could overtake the Tories and what this would ultimately mean for British democracy.

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[Srindal]

It would be fascinating what the country would look like if it was divided between labour and lib dems

[kaylenscurrah]

‘Tories are set to win -5 seats’ but wait here’s how even worse things can get for the Tories

[socialistrepublicofvietnam]

2:39 I've seen one-party states with worse results than Labour in that graph, how did the Tories mess up this badly?

[marsharbour]

“Lib Dems can win here” and it’s just a map of Great Britain

[electric_whelk]

people saying that a "spell in opposition" would be maybe good for the Tories but I think a spell in the third party backbenches would be good for everyone

[anarcho-boulangistllamaent]

3:00 Regardless of your political opinion, this shows why the first-past-the-post system is stupid. Getting half the amount of votes but more than three times as many seats is ridiculous and simply unfair.

[tsarnicholasii]

It would be absolutely amazing if the libdems could comeback after basically a century of being 3rd or 4th

[Whitehalo]

Vote Lib Dem to force Labour to institute electoral reform for proportional representation.

[pedrofr]

LibDems on the first day at work as the official opposition: "The Whigs agree with the government to return to the EU"

Everyone else: " The Whigs? I thought you guys reformed?"

LibDems: "yes, that's what we wanted you to think"

[aidanbyrne]

I would love to have a labour parliament with lib dem opposition

[LuxVertas]

Folks, come the next election: VOTE! Don't just take these predictions and opinion polls as how things will be!

[richardjames]

It would be great if the LibDems did come second

[MrSpasticdancer]

if the tories couldnt even manage to be opposition, that would be hilarious

[Dardobul]

Imagine claiming you have a mandate to lead based on the last parliament when you've lost more than 300 elected officials per year on average since then

[psych]

The thing about the MRP polls is that while on the surface it looks like the Tories are in a secure second, when you look below the surface and at the figures in each seat, it becomes plain that most of the seats categorised as Tory are not secure. Their share of the vote is low, and in many of the seats they are only just barely ahead. Furthermore, MRP does not factor in tactical voting at all, and a level of Labour/LD tactical voting even at a fraction of what we have seen in local and by-elections would be enough to halve the Tory totals in the MRP polls. In a high tactical voting scenario where Reform UK vote holds up it is a very credible and plausible scenario that the Lib Dems win more Westminster seats than the Tories. I wouldn't bet on it happening, but I wouldn't bet on it _not_ happening, either. I feel like its probably about a 1 in 3 chance

[sdikrtd]

Reform and Conservative fighting amongst themselves will lose them seats and send them into oblivion, good.

[ganrimmonim]

I'm a card-carrying LibDem who in my seat am going to vote Labour, only way remotely possible to oust my Tory MP. I'd find it remarkable to find myself a member of The Opposition party.

[dirtyden]

I don't think it will happen, but it would be hilarious if it did.

[Mitjitsu]

As bad as Tony Blair was, he was right about one thing. Never underestimate the Conservatives; never overestimate the Lib Dems.

[CRINOTH]

I'm a Lib Dem member and I'd love it if we came second. But I don't think I'd want us to be the official opposition with as few as 44 seats. We wouldn't be able to properly fulfill the duties of an official opposition. We wouldn't even be able to shadow the government ministers without doubling up (or tripling up). We'd look like shambles. Worth remembering that 44 seats would be fewer than we got when we were in third place in '97, '01, '05, and '10. Also it's fewer than the SNP got in third place in '15 and '19. So I have mixed feelings. I want second place, but we'd really need to be beating our previous highwater mark of 62 seats in 2005 to look anything like a proper opposition.