If I was you Kirsty. I'd look at Germany.

I must admit I raise my hat to La Pasionaria, in her political misdirection of the Lib Dems political woes with her speech to her party conference where she managed to grab some headlins with her claim
Lib Dems 'can learn Plaid's coalition lesson'. After all to concentrate on a rivals poor results in the Welsh Assembly Elections  draws attention  from the fact that under her leadership in Wales the Libdems

• Where reduced from 6 to 5 seats in a Assembly of 60
• So a huge fall in their vote especially in seats that they were running a close second.
• Saw 17 of their candidates lose tier deposits.

To be fair to her however it was hardly her fault , for she had grabbed the headlines with her attacks on the way the Assembly Government were running the NHS here and although there was an element of shroud waving she appeared to be the leading opposition member in the Assembly.

Like wise the Libdem also managed to gain some headlines on Education with which figuers that shows that the total spent on average per pupil in Wales is £604 less than the total spent per pupil on average in England. Though this has been masterfully shown to be a false argument by John Dixon in his Borthlas Blog. 

But event this use of the gift of attacking government on the NHS and Education.  Subjects that I doubt the public would never give a satisfied approval rating on. The Libdems in Wales suffered from reaction against their colleagues participation in a Tory  led coalition.

If  La Pasionaria is loking for lessons . Then I suggest she looks at the Libdems sister party in Germany the Free Democrats. (FDP)

In the national vote on September 27, 2009 the FDP increased its share of the vote by 4.8% to 14.6%, an all-time record so far. This percentage was enough to offset a decline in the CDU/CSU's vote compared to 2005, to create a CDU-FDP governing coalition in the Bundestag with a 53% majority of seats.

Since then however the FDP have had a drubing in a nuber of State Elections this year 

In Hamburg they did manane to gain 9 seats but

In Saxony-Anhalt they lost all their 7 seats

In Rhineland-Palaaden-Württembergtinate They lost all their 10 seats

In Baden-Württemberg election 2011 they lost 8 of their 15 seats .

In Bremen they lost al thier five seats

In the latest poll in Berlin they filled to win a seat.


In comparison The FDP partners the CDU/CSU have fared better and it is the junior partner that the voters appear to be deserting in droves

Though  its not something Labour should look at with relish.For the Opposition SPD have not been doing very well either .

The big winners in all these Elections have been the Greens and they now have ea seat in every Landtag and now lead tjhe administration in Baden-Württemberg. and it is of interest that Germany has not turned to right wing parties . In Berlin  the Pirate party a libertarian group concerned with civil rights  on the internet  for example won 15 seats.

Only in Scotland perhaps  so far has any Party appeared to have gained overwhelmingly from voters disillusionment with the Libdems in the Westminster coalition where the SNP seemed to have had almost total gain in these votes. 

Why didn't this happen in Wales? Well here La Pasionaria may be right in her analysis  but I very much doubt that knowledge of the problem facing her party will help her or the LibDems in the rest of the UKin the long run.