Politics and life

[matgb]

First up, the Lib Dem leadership thing. Ming's resigned, so be it, spilt milk, my opinion had been hardening against him the more crappy media coverage he got, yes, they were OTT, but a decent press team could've turned some of it around, I can only conclude he didn't know what image he wanted to present and thus came across as dithering. As to who to back? No clue at all, soft Huhne, remain to be persuaded. However, my former MP has stated his opinion on a possible candidacy rather clearly:

Someone asked if my question today had been my bid for the leadership of the Lib Dems. My answer to anyone who asks me if I'm going to stand is that I would rather roll around naked in a field of stinging nettles. In other words the answer is a big resounding no.

Not an image I particularly wanted there Adrian.

In other news, our post appears to be coming back to normal. Jennie? Mah T-shirt has arrived.

I likes it. Rather a lot. Fankoo.

Comments

[eccles.livejournal.com]

The fact he has a Myspace page is a bad enough start as it is! Or is he trying to be down with the youth and stuff innit!

[matgb]

Demographically, it makes sense, a huge chunk of his friends are people living in his area. He's planning on transporting it all to his main site and updating that, but that's been delayed due to personal circumstances of the person supposed to be doing it (ie: I'm a lazy bastiche and haven't done it yet).

I thought a MySpace page was the worst idea ever when he started it. I was so, very, wrong.

[raggedhalo.livejournal.com]

A Councillor I know from Lichfield is salivating to get Loreley Burt to stand. What do you reckon?

[matgb]

I know very little about her. She's been mentioned in a few places as a possible, but I doubt it—hyper marginal seat and new MP.

We'll see I guess.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

She's my brother's MP. He calls her Lovely Butt

[matgb]

Why doesn't that surprise me in the slightest?

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Because you're really really brainy?

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Picking Huhne would be the most blatant electoral suicide note since the 1983 Labour Party manifesto. Yes, he's clever. Yes, he's closer to me ideologically than Clegg. Unfortunately, we don't live in times where the electability of political leaders and their parties is based on substance, and out there in the Big Wide World Huhne makes Ming look like John F. Kennedy in the charisma stakes. I'm backing Charlie, but am resigned to settling for Clegg.

Any chance of getting Julia Goldsworthy to roll around naked in a field, by the way?

[matgb]

Any chance of getting Julia Goldsworthy to roll around naked in a field, by the way?

Chance, yes. Odds? Not really in our favour.

I actually liked Chris when I met him, and I like him when he speaks, although SB was less impressed. Like I said, I'll watch and vote in December.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

I do like him. (I went 1 Huhne, 2 Campbell, but it was a difficult decision.)

I remember when he lost, though, that at least one sketch writer was there wishing he'd won, so that they could be vicious with some of his soundbite-y answers.

My slight worry about Clegg is that he can come across as a bit foppish and, dare I say it, Cameron-ish, occasionally. Not on substance, just on style.

[matgb]

The public school/posh thing is my biggest problem, I'd be happy with either as leader I think, but I'm not sure they're great electorally simply by background and demeanor.

OTOH, it'll definitely play well with the media, which ight be what is needed.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

I liked him well enough as a person, I just thought some of the proposals he outlined would be electoral suicide. As a leader I think he'd be the wrong move because he's too Cameronish.

[matgb]

As, unfortunately, is Clegg.

But the policy itself, while something he backs, is very strongly supported in the party, so it's not just him—I think it could be sold, and sold well, but there is a worrying sign of group think amongst some when it coes down to green policies, the perception is the argument is won and it's just a question of implementation, I don't think that's the case with a lot of potential voters.

But I do think he could, if given the chance, sell the policies well. OTOH, he's been horribly horribly wrong on some issues as well, have a look at devils_kitchen's last few posts on him, some of the stuff he said 15 years ago was so horribly horribly wrong.

Ah well.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

I don't have a problem with the idea of green taxation in principle, but some of the implementation ideas he had were just BAD.

[matgb]

IIRC it was on the freight costs thing? Which I'll admit I zoned out for and didn't here.

Pigouvian taxes can be done well, and they can be done very very badly, finding the balance can be hard. but at times general improvements to other options can help. Liek I said, I'm not sure.

But, the basic thing is that the leader needs to be able to enunciate policy, and 'sell' it, not make it, the Tories do the top down thing, soetimes our leaders get stuck with polcies we know they don't actually like, but they respect the process that created them.

I think Huhne can sell policy well, and I think better than Clegg. Shame Lynne's ruled herself out of running though.

[andrewhickey.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I think the party have already committed electoral suicide. Having three leaders between elections without one of them dying is ridiculous, as it was for the Tories between 2001 and 2005...

[paulatpingu.livejournal.com]

"I would rather roll around naked in a field of stinging nettles."

Does that count as a Shermanesque Statement or not?

Either way, I think it's safe to say we know what his answer is...

[paulrattew.livejournal.com]

Ming stepping down was boringly predictable. People keep mentioning his age, but in way i think that is only because he gave them so little else to talk about. I have a huge amount of respect for him but he lacked the leadership ability, both in terms of clear ideas for the future and in terms of personality, and this is what caused his leadership to fizzle out.

It also didn't help that we are increasingly in a period where the two big parties are neck and neck. This sort of situation does tend to push out third parties. When the second party is struggling it allows more room for the third (eg the LibDems did well while the tories were dead men walking for most of Blair's premiership and then SDP-lib alliance did well while labour were trying to commit suicide during the early eighties).

Naked in nettles - lovely. *shudder*

[matgb]

This is all true—I think the worst thing to come out of all the speculation is that Brown re-united the Tories around Cameron just as the wheels were coming off.

I was actually predicting a split there, that isn't happening now. We shall see. Interesting times though.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

My pleasure, sweetie *smooch*

[doccy.livejournal.com]

Oh, just to let ya know - made a new icon as soon as I could after the news about Sir Menzies Campbell broke... *points up, tries looking innocent*