The Lib-Dems have long sought to portray themselves as somehow different and superior to the Conservatives and Labour. However when it comes to dispatching leaders they are just as cold blooded and ruthless as Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell will testify.
With the Conservative revival under David Cameron it was inevitable that the Lib-Dem vote would be squeezed. Certainly 11% in the polls bodes ill for the party in the next election. Lib Dem problems go deeper than the leadership issue. There is tension between the Left Wing and Right Wing. There is a lack of a clear cut identity. The party is usually a temporary abode for disaffected Conservative and Labour voters. Efforts to replace Charles Kennedy were clouded in controversy and farce as some leadership campaigns imploded. This was grist to the mill of party enemies who have long argued that the Lib-Dems are amateurish and out of touch with the main stream. The party has not recovered from the loss of Charles Kennedy. The ugly whispering campaign against Sir Menzies Campbell has further damaged the organisation. The reality is that he was dispatched by the men in white coats. It is nauseating to listen to the tributes paid to him by some Liberals. It smacks of hypocrisy.
The new leader will probably come from one of the following four MPs: Vincent Cable, Nick Clegg, Edward Davey and Chris Huhne. The Lib-Dems need a clear cut identity and an end to bloodletting.
No comments:
Post a Comment