Tories plot cash-for-seats offer to Clegg

I heard this on the Press Review on Sky News and couldn't quite believe it - our money mind you - not Cameron's or any of his cronies - OURS!!! You see once they get into Government they forget that it's not their money!

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/41641140-1614-11e2-9a8c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz29KrxJEua

Tories plot cash-for-seats offer to Clegg

By George Parker, Political Editor

Senior Conservatives are plotting an audacious “cash-for-seats” offer to Nick Clegg, where the Liberal Democrat leader would back a Conservative-friendly Commons boundary review in exchange for millions in state funding for his party.
Grant Shapps, Tory chairman, said on Sunday he had not “given up hope” of winning Mr Clegg’s support for the boundary review, which could give David Cameron 15-20 extra seats at the next election.

Although Mr Shapps denied on the BBC’s Sunday Politics that talks were under way, senior Tory figures have told the Financial Times that they believe the cash-strapped Lib Dems would be susceptible to the offer.
“They are basically out of money,” one minister said. Another minister confirmed that the idea of buying off the Lib Dems with public money was being actively pursued: “There is a plot,” the minister said.
Mr Cameron’s hopes of winning the next election took a blow in August when Mr Clegg said his party would kill the proposed boundary review, in retaliation for the Tories blocking House of Lords reform.
The episode was labelled as the Tory party’s “worst single electoral setback since Black Wednesday” by the Conservative Home activist website, because the next election is expected to be decided on very narrow margins.
The Boundary Commission’s proposals – which cut the Commons from 650 to 600 seats – would disproportionately hit Labour and Lib Dem seats and will not survive a Commons vote in October unless Mr Clegg’s party changes its mind.
The Liberal Democrats admit their finances are “not rosy”, with party membership falling about 20 per cent last year. While Labour can fall back on the trade unions and the Tories on big business donors, Lib Dem finances are precarious.
The party is paying the price for sharing power in a coalition, since it immediately lost the £1.75m it used to receive annually in “short money” – the state funding provided for opposition parties. Over the lifetime of the parliament, the loss amounts to almost £9m and led to significant job losses at Lib Dem HQ.
In depth

UK coalition government

The Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition has faced stresses
The Lib Dems would like to get some of that money back but Harriet Harman, Labour’s deputy leader, has mocked Mr Clegg for trying to cling on to “the trappings of opposition”.
However, Mr Clegg’s aides said the deputy prime minister would not change his mind and back the boundary review, not least because his veto proved extremely popular in the party and among his own MPs.
“This is completely for the birds and shows an element of desperation if they think they can buy us off,” one aide said. “The Tories are just realising what a mistake they made in blocking Lords reform.”
Sir Menzies Campbell, a former Lib Dem leader, said: “Nick Clegg has made the Liberal Democrat position quite clear. I can’t conceive of any circumstances in which he would change his mind.”

I forgot we have a Politics thread, will use it in future!!

I can't understand the Government paying Political Parties thought all their money came from donations from Trade Unions or Businesses. The Lib/Dems will never get the vote of the public as long as they have such grandiose policies instead of downto earth ideas on how to govern Britain.

The way things are going I wouldn't be surprised if the coalition is abandoned before the next election , Labour won't get in so my guess is the extreme right Party will win more seats.