Monday, November 19, 2007

Lib Dem leadership update - Whoops! I spoke too soon.

It's all gone a bit pear shaped for the Lib Dems.

Following a very bad-tempered exchange between the two leadership contenders on Sunday we learn this morning that Clegg is contemplating a formal complaint to the BBC about the Politics Show.

The BBC reports "Senior Liberal Democrat officials are to consider a complaint by leadership contender Nick Clegg over a document describing him as a "calamity". That paper was issued from the camp of leadership rival Chris Huhne".

In the space of a few hours the contest which I had described as being 'civilised' and 'respectful' just a few days ago has dissolved into the worst kind of personality politics that the Lib Dems specialise in, yet berate everyone else for.

Instead of having a proper constructive debate about the direction they want to take their Party and the country in; they have resorted to a bitter round of slagging each other off.

Given our experiences in Torbay over the last twenty or so years I suppose we shouldn't be that surprised.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

They will be suing each other next, what a feast!

Anonymous said...

It's a shambles brought on by the naked ambition of a few people determined to topple first Kennedy and then Ming at whatever cost.

Anonymous said...

...last twenty years! So you came to Torbay in 1987?

Anonymous said...

Your jaundiced view of the last 6-7 years more like...BTW Tories ran the Council from 2000-2003 and the mayor has had control since October 2005 and been backed up by a majority of councillors since May. So it's the Tory 'malaise' you should be writing about.

Marcus Wood said...

Look at the opinion polls nationally and recent election results locally (to say nothing of our current polling returns) -or better still ask on the streets of Torbay which party the public have a jaundiced view about and it certainly isn't mine.

What Torbay has been crying out for is decent leadership and whether you like it or not, that is what we are getting at long last.

The public have had the debate about who was at the wheel of the ship when it hit the rocks, considered who was in charge when we became a national laughing stock, and reached their conclusion in May when they chucked you out.

Anonymous said...

Still winning two council seats off the Tories in by elections on Thursday isn't bad for a shambles.