John Cleese's party political broadcast for the Liberal Democrats - April 1997

[BringBRToTheUK]

He sounds like derren brown.

[SuperIlluminaughty]

Love you anyway JC.

[334286]

Ukip is NOT a right-wing populist party, as is believed by many. It is a CENTRE-party driven by common sense and traditional Judeo-Christian values like those of our ancestors.

[elh666]

@334286 To me, that means right-wing.

[matchbox555]

lib dems are worthless

[CNash85]

"They'd vote Lib Dem if they thought we could win" - almost fifteen years on and the problem is still the same. How many people "agreed with Nick" during the last election? And for all that "Cleggmania", the Lib Dems lost seats...

[SIXITHS]

@CNash85

That was due to boundary changes before the elections, their share of the vote actually increased.

[Uniongamers]

Why, John, why :(

[IlRezzonico]

I am also puzzled. Cleese has recently complained that London is no longer an English city as it is full of immigrants. Yet he belongs to a party - the LibDems - which wants more immigration than happened under Labour. So it would appear that Cleese is moron or a hypocrite.

[davethehostage]

@IlRezzonico If you analyzed his quote a little more closely, you would see that he wasn't complaining about immigration. He was simply stating that London has now embraced a wide variety of different cultures - he asn't posing that notion in a negative light.

[NatDemUK]

Lib Dems are so confused on most things.

[petarphyle]

I would love to hear what the John Cleese of the 1980's/90's thinks of the Nick Clegg's party prostitute pimped out by the Tories while they destroy the every class EXCEPT  the wealthy ?

[ukipwarrior]

@petarphyle Substantiate your points mate?? Taking child benefit away from high earners and giving tax rebates to the lowest paid workers.

[petarphyle]

@ukipwarrior

"Taking child benefit away from high earners" you think they give a damn about £100 per month from the Gov when they are already a shit load more from their bailouts and bonuses?

[ukipwarrior]

@petarphyle Enter one jealous dinosaur socialist

[petarphyle]

@ukipwarrior

So i answer your point and you resort to name calling, do you happen to work for Rupert Murdock?

[segano1]

Wonder how successful this broadcast was...lol

[whiskey225]

@blackandproud75 Nope, he's an out of touch upper class idiot who wants to do what Mrs thatcher did and make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Unfortunately, with the labour party in a shambles and with a weak leader at the time of the 2010 election, and the lib dems, well... the lib dems, no-one even remotely leftist could win. I hate conservatives that think that their leaders give a damn about anyone except businessmen.

[Tokyorosebiz]

Forget Phone Hacking Please check out THE PARTY OF SLEAZE by Tokyo Rose it's a laugh and one day it may come true.

[Durbs75]

Ah yes, the magical "penny" on income tax.

If only it were £0.01. But it isn't is it? Is it 1% which is a variable amount. And quite a lot more.

Funny how we don't talk about VAT, Stamp Duty, Corporation Tax, Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax and so in in terms of "pence". Funny that...

[prigg88]

Cleese needs to do another party political broadcast.

[23lFrench]

I do agree with The LIberal Democrats policies but they have sold out and need to get of this coalition and get Clegg to step down. They need a new image and a fresh start!

[Jcolinsol]

It's the same political problem all over the western world. The people have a representational political system (aside from the nwo-y bits) and yet,

And yet,

They are universally convinced that they can't elect the representatives that they really want.

At what point is this whole political system predicated on a self-deception?

[RustyTBone69]

I wonder what he thinks of the Lib-Dems now! Con-Dem Nation

[person9144]

This is a good party political broadcast, but the Lib Dems are traitors and I'm annoyed with Paddy Ashdown over his support for tuition fee rises. Anyway, Labour got nearly half the votes in 1951 and they lost...!! So it wouldn't necessarily be a landslide.

[livifan45]

@person9144, that is to to with the way the constituencies worked out, labour got more votes as they landslided the seats they already had won, the tories however won more seats by mirginals amounts of votes, so under the voting system, they get more seats, but in most cases if you got around 50% of the vote, you will win by a landslide, for example, the 1983 landslide (I know it was only 43% but for most parties that is enough, for the lib dems it would have to be near 75% for a majority).

[irishgodfatherchris]

@livifan45 thats why the UK should've voted yes on the referendum

[drmoonrat]

Being some what a Conservitive, I still find this a great Lib Dem message. I wish politics could still be this light hearted today.

[VanDoodah]

Look at the Lib Dems now.

[david552]

In 1997 the LibDems got just under 17%, the lowest vote in their history....

[flashash2k9]

@JuanMacready a coalition doing everything the torries want to do, but nothing from the lib dems.

[lawrence142002]

@newshound1000

Yeah, I think Clegg sold out and for that, the LibDems might not even get PR

[Andyrfc86]

sold our country to the tories

[MarxistKnight]

I didn't understand how the Lib Dems didn't do so much better in this election, it's exactly like Cleese says here. How so many ordinary non-privileged people vote for the Tories I'll never understand

[FutureKubrick]

I would've voted Lib Dem if I knew John Cleese was one. Hmm lol

[doIsoundlikeicare]

@newshound1000 We will see how it goes. The Lib Dems may have placed the ultimate sword of Damocles over the Conservatives as they try to continue to steer Britain out of this global economic slow down.

[willywonka12345678]

Unfortunately, I believe the Liberal Democrats will surrender their dreams for PR, just to be in power. It will lead to their return to obscurity like in the 1060's and it will be another bad day for democracy if they ever go into power with the tories, ie: No PR and a return to just a 2 horse race.

[willywonka12345678]

@willywonka12345678 that should be

It will lead to their return to obscurity like in the 1960's

[Niflheim13]

@willywonka12345678 well perhaps... but PR, if implemented, would give them more seats, and thus more power. And it's been one of their main campains for a long time, most LibDem MP's and their voters would surely abandon them immeadiately if they did that.

[doIsoundlikeicare]

...

I voted for our Lib Dem MP partly because I did not want the conservatives in power. A coalition with Conservatives - would be such a damning indication that the party I voted for is more interested in navigating shallow Politics than championing a deeper Philosophy of fairness for all.

...

It is important to start with fairness - reigning in spending. Do not start with a system that genuinely makes protecting the (finacial) interests of the wealthiest it's philosophical priority.

[psychodave0]

@TheZanipolo I think you mean

- introducing a border police force

- having more power in europe so we don't have to be run by it without joining the euro

- wait, what?

I'm surprised you didn't mention "getting rid of a nuclear deterrent", which is utter bollocks too, because what the Lib Dems actually want is:

- to let military chiefs decide the size and scale of the nuclear deterrent by including it in the defence review.

The way lib dem policies have been misrepresented makes me despair.

[ZaphodUk1]

they should have re used this or got clease back to do another

[Badg3r001]

he's rather tanned isn't he?

[SeryiVolk2009]

@TheZanipolo - "the Lib Dem policies are utter lunacy".

Really?

Then why are the three examples you give all made up?

[rainbowwaffle16]

omg yeah john cleese!! go lib dem xD

[TheNoeticCC]

Still all too true... have people not learned anything?

[H4YK8Y]

He is brilliant!!! :) Vote Lib Dem 2010!!!!!

[jimmytalent89]

I like how self-defeating he sounds.

[Stefanthenautilus]

This is pretty ace stuff. Are there other ads like this one in Brit politics or was this just a one-off moment of genius?

[pysgodfach]

@Stefanthenautilus John Cleese did a lot more for the sdp-liberal alliance

[agataAgatha]

LOL! This is BRILLIANT! xD

[91nintendo]

Monty Python FTW

[luvdupraver]

see at 1:03 - talking about reforming government but in 1997 nobody listened

[Billiam873]

He agrees with Nick

[LyncusBee]

This is very very appropriate for airing 2010..... Let's rock the boat and change the ping pong bipolar disorder that is British political system into the 21C.. X for LibDem's 2010

[janebusby]

New Labours 'achievements'

* An illegal war in Iraq + a 9 year war in Afghanistan.

* Tuition fees which locked the poor out of university.

* A record divide between the rich & poor.

* 2.5 million unemployed.

* Less renewable, home produced energy than nearly every other developed nation.

* Record patchwork privatisation in the NHS.

* Proposals for spending tens of billions on Trident, ID cards & more war.

If every Labour voter voted Lib Dem, Clegg would have a massive majority.

LIB DEM 2010

[DracoSlashHarry]

Didn't know John Cleese was Lib Dem.

The guy was a legend :)

[hkcross]

True in 1997... True today...

[girlhitsbus]

I support the lib dems but Nick Clegg reminds me too much of Cameron

[libdemnews]

I think we should recycle this #libdem election video...it's awesome :-)

[Mikeofdundee1987]

So true

[anillondon89]

will the liberal democrats give a referendum on changing the uk flag?

[WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

@anillondon89

Whats wrong with the present flag?

[anillondon89]

@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1 It is offensive because it has devisive christian symbols and represents colonisation - we need a flag to unite the different faiths of the uk, not one that separates us!

[WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

@anillondon89

With the greatest of respect I disagree. To include minority religious symbols on the flag would just be PC silliness. Whether you like it or not, Christianity has been more influential than any other religion in British history- that is not to say other religions should be misrepresented or feel marginalised but there are other ways to address those concerns. Bear in mind the legislative and practical cost of replacing our 210 year old flag would outweigh any pros.

[WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

.... and I think your analysis of it 'representing colonialism' is far too simplistic. With that argument just about every major flag in the world would have to be changed because every powerful country has its skeletons. I am of the view that the British Empire was too influential to simply label 'good' or 'bad'- aspects of it were both and to label it either way is in my view to ignore the complexities of imperial hegemony- that does not mean I am an apologist for imperialism.

[BastionOfFinality]

libdem2010 . com

Let's do this, folks.

[GlitchyTechnicals]

@blastarrbollaxIII Hahah, i'm not quite sure if this is parody or not.

[MissCheekyChops7]

I'm going to give them a chance :)

[Cena60793]

Many people vote for the big 2 just because they know under FPTP minor parties can't win

[binstig]

Nothing wrong with that! Politics is very important and we have to find ways to stop the Tories and if that means showing off our celebrity supporters then so be it! Didnt stop Eddie Izzard for Labour!

[lowestoftbus]

I'm only joking, i like the liberal democrats and i think they should be given the chance in government. They have realistic policies and i agree 100% with you on stopping the tories at all costs. Nick Clegg is a good PM and there is nothing wrong with any celebrity supporting a party and good luck to the lib dems.

[SpAzTiCFiSh]

really? Its just Clegg is the one reason I *can't* vote Lib Dem. That and because they're 4th behind the BNP in my constituency and they have't bothered to campaign here

[lowestoftbus]

they have not bothered here to

[flametaledfox]

Does anyone know if anyone did reply to the Liberal Democrats regarding ideas?

[robertisquitecool]

12 Years ago, still very relevant for the next elections.

[Crazychic112]

OMG Jon cleese is a libbie dem i new he was amazing but yey

[lowestoftbus]

@Crazychic112 I think it was a mick take

[binstig]

no it wasnt. he has been a lib dem for over 20 years.

[toweronepower]

@Crazychic112 I just voted liberal Democrat!

[MrAbe345]

@Crazychic112 1 year later...

[SheepJumpFish]

@Crazychic112 you stand by that? You must have changed it by now surely...

[msknight5]

You know, he's got a point.

[kayman92]

@msknight5 too think 50% could have voted libdem. We would never have gone into Iraq, we might regulate banks better instead of continuing tory deregulation, we could have closed tax loopholes and stopped blair/cameron's love-ins with murdoch media (who now owe Britain £1bn in unpaid taxes)

[cun7us]

@kayman92 don't be so sure that we wouldn't have gone into iraq if lib dem's were in power. Historically U.K has always followed and supported America wherever it goes. It all dates back to the WWII and the fact that we owe them lots of money for saving our bacon. All the opposition leaders say they don't support the iraq war, which they probably don't, but if they were in power they would have little choice in my opinion. Lets see what happens with Afghanistan if Lib Dem's when the election now

[ezjamin]

@cun7us The MAIN reason we went into Iraq was that Tony twat face Blair managed to convince enough people that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction even though he knew he was lying.

I'm hesitant to say it but I think that if it was a conservative OR a libdem government at the time we would have not invaded Iraq.

[cun7us]

@ezjamin and hesitant you should be. If it were a conservative government I think we most certainly would have invaded Iraq, as much as lie-face Cameron objected to it. As far as I know, every conservative PM has never backed down from a war. I'm not so sure the Lib Dem's would have gone for it.

Anyway, as people say, choosing Labour, Tory or Lib Dem is like picking the best of a bad bunch. I think Lib Dem's would do the best job of managing the country's finances which is why I voted for them

[jadoredobby]

@cun7us

Lib Dems actually DID oppose the Iraq War from the beginning though. Tories and Labour supported it. Tories are only against it now that the truth about WMDs is out.

[WorldNews92]

@kayman92 And to think, if 50% voted Lib Dem now. Intervention in Libya; dithering on regulations of banks and public services; higher unemployment; a moribund NHS; hundreds of public sector cuts; higher tuition fees and a wider divide amongst English, Scottish, and Welsh students; little to no delivery of constitutional or environmental reform; as deep as the Tories in scandals with Murdoch and the lobbyists; and all because the Tories offered them a seat on the front bench!!