PSA: I'm alive, honest

[matgb]

Weird, I haven't posted for the best part of a week, and even then it's been link/discuss. Um, yeah, alive. Can't claim busy (although I can proclaim exhaustion I think).

Have loads of stuff I kinda-sorta want to post about, including a few damn fine books I've read or am reading (Vallance's The Glorious Revolution being top of the list, a book about events in 1688 still has many many modern echoes that nearly inspired a post or three). But, well, actual inclination to do so lacking. A bit of a meh mood really—when I'm in Yorkshire, I'm either working or wanting to spend time with SB, when I'm down here I'm recovering.

OTOH, very busy week this week—just got back in from the London leadership hustings for the Lib Dems, and, um, yeah—two damn fine candidates that I'd be happy to see as leaders, both very very good. Consensus in the pub from those who've been members longer than me is that both were better than any of the three from last year. Given that one of them was a candidate last year, well, competition + experience = bonus in this case.

Tomorrow I go, hopefully, to see/hear Iain M. Banks get interviewed at Imperial, although timing on that one is difficult, it starts at 6pm and I technically finish work at 6p. Ah well, finish early I guess.

Then Thursday I have tickets for the now_show. Friday, probably, going out somewhere, then Saturday back oop north. Memo to self: book tickets for journey. Am reading entries, just not commenting much, spending a lot of time haging out on various Lib Dem places trying to see if anyone can persuade me &c. Also, my attept to port my twitterings to Facebook has worked fine, but they're not showing up here, which is annoying.

Comments

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

As I understand it the interview will start at 7pm, so you don't need to rush too hard.

[matgb]

Excellent, thanks for letting me know, I'd have had to finish work stupid-early to get in for 6, but 7 is eminently do-able.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Saturday back oop north

YAY!

[matgb]

That's the plan, anyway—subject to any of the usual potential mess ups. But yay!

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Also, see edit on most recent LJ entry for more yay!

* smooches *

[pmoodie.livejournal.com]

Ooh, excellent, I hope you make it along to see the Banksie interview. He's one of me faves! :)

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

two dan fine candidates that I'd be happy to see as leaders, both very very good. Consensus in the pub from those who've been members longer than me is that both were better than any of the three from last year.

I'm having trouble deciding who to vote for. It goes like this:

- my instincts are very much more for Nick Clegg, who I feel is slightly stronger on issues like ID cards and decision making power being at the right level (c.f. his Orange Book entry - so Europe is a great place for some decisions, but not for others, and a lot of the power is in the wrong place (both ways))
- Chris Huhne, however, has tended to be somewhat more confident in his answers - Nick can waffle a little
- but Chris Huhne's campaign also seem to be somewhat more trigger happy with dirty tricks...
- ...which might be an electoral asset, but might backfire. And I always felt that our greatest strength under Charles Kennedy was trying to avoid what looked like squabbling, and trying to take a "tough decisions with a reasonably moral highground base" sort of position, trying to rise above being baited by the other parties
- I wonder if Nick Clegg will keep more votes from the Tories, if Huhne is painted by the other parties as some sort of green-mad eco-fascist. (He's not, I know.) "But darling! He'll price us out of three holidays a year to Tuscany! We'll have to cut back and only go to Seville five times next year. Oh, and flying to Paris. That goes without saying."

And if we're at 18-ish in the polls now, which is supposedly mostly coming from Labour, I'd rather see the Tories give some votes to us, and I think Clegg would be more likely to do that.

Bother. And blast.

Any thoughts, for a poor confused caramel_betty?

[matgb]

I think the key thing is to continue doing the headline grabbing stuff that Vince is doing and Charles sometimes did, which I think both are keen on doing and would be good at—Chris might be slightly better at getting attention, Nick might come across better when he gets attention.

I'm veering towards Chris, partially because he's older and Nick will have time to be leader later in his career and both would be good, and partially because I think we need to get attention more than we need to be liked—PAddy got us attention and 50+ seats, Charles was liked but didn't get the same seat gain (yes, Paddy's timing was good but he started from nothing).

But ultimately, I'll be happy with either and that has to be seen as a good thing.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

Hmm. So then, I can only find one key difference between Paddy and Charles which could possibly account for their prowess in seat gaining. Questions must be answered.

Which of Chris and Nick do you think would be more likely to steal your crisps (http://matgb.livejournal.com/243963.html)?

[sunflowerkits.livejournal.com]

hee hee, I went to see Iain Banks here in Cheltenham at the literature festival. He is funny and rambles on lots. Hope you enjoy it!