Lib Dem Leadership Contest- No Other Takers?
Ok, I like to kepoh over things happening elsewhere… including (of course) politics…
One of the ‘it has been coming’ events happened just a couple of days ago- Well, not the call for early elections in Britain, which is ruled out by Gordon Brown, but the resignation of Liberal Democrats Leader Sir Menzies Campbell. And most commentators have linked his departure to Brown’s decision.
While it’s sad to see Sir Ming leave the post after holding it for less than two years, I do think that the Lib Dems need someone radical, someone fresh, and most importantly someone with a clear sense of direction for the party to assume leadership and battle Cameron and Brown (hopefully it’s firmly towards social liberalization, the Lib Dems are the only mainsteam ‘big enough’ liberal party in Britain now and the progressives of this world can’t lose another forward thinking party to the seduction of neo-conservatism, a-la New Labour). The Liberal Democrats are barely registering double digits in opinion polls while the Tories are strongly challenging New Labour, the party that has been tory-ized over the past decade. While two major parties are increasingly ideologically similar, the miserable poll ratings of the Lib Dems could mean a massive silencing of a truly alternative, progressive voice in parliament.
So we’re buzzing with excitement over who’s gonna be the next leader of the Lib Dems, but more people have ruled themselves out instead of throwing themselves in the ring. Only two of the predicted favourites- Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne, have declared their intentions to run. Only two! Oh C’mon.
I thought Huhne was the better choice among the few candidates when he ran for leadership in 2006 (eventually losing to Campbell), but Clegg has received support from well-respected former leader Paddy Ashdown. There’s still alot to be known about Clegg. We’ll wait and see.
Watch out, David Cameron.
