I don't favour any particular political party, but of all the parties, the Libdems have treated their own electorate with disdain. They've betrayed them in an unprecedented way and their ex supporters have now spoken. The party has lost 90% of its MPs and as each local election passes, the party comes out of it worse than when they went in. Between now and the next general election they face the prospect of gradual local council annihilation.
Where are the ordinary, hard working libdem councillors? At home and out of office. Where are the architects of the ill fated coalition? LORD Andrew Stunell, SIR Vince Cable, SIR Danny Alexander, that's where. How long before Nick Clegg sails off into European Baronetcy?
Locally, in 2016, the libdems will lose more seats in Stockport, they will certainly lose both Marple Seats.
As we all know veteran Councillors; Alexander & Candler are standing down at the forthcoming election, if either/both of you are reading this, I would say that you will be a great loss. What is being offered in their place by the libdems.
At the hustings in November for South Marple, the libdems couldn't find a candidate that had any credibility. In the end they were left with two and some in the party didn't want either of them.
Candidate One, had no connection to Marple or even Stockport. He lived in Manchester and worked in Leeds and London. To undermine his credibility even further, he was standing in both Marple South AND Marple North !
Candidate Two, is an ex councillor, in fact he is an ex Lord Mayor. The only issue here is that it has all been for the (wait for it) Labour Party! He has spent 20 plus years as a Labour councillor, now he's decided he is a Libdem.
The ex Labour Councillor won the nomination.
So who are our Marple libdem candidates in 2016?
Well, in Marple North, despite two experienced former councillors standing for the nomination the party voted for the unknown, Allen Malcolm, has anybody heard of him, does anybody know what he looks like. I've not met anybody yet that knows the answer to such questions.
And of course in South, we've got the ex Labour Lord Mayor.
You couldn't make it up.
The Libdems, as you say Duke, are going to 'bounce' but it won't be 'back.'