By Angela Harbutt
Where ever I go, people, not normally involved in politics, tell me that they DO want change. That Nick IS the agent of change. A hung parliament WOULD be great. Political reform WILL give people a vote that counts. It will make politicians listen more, talk less.
I came back on the tube today from the Trafalgar Square Lib Dem flashmob wearing my ” I Agree with Nick” T-shirt. It was amazing (and not to say a tad disconserting) at how many people beamed great big smiles at me. A couple even winked at me (no that does not normally happen). On a personal level, my experience is that Nick, and the Liberals, have captured the zeitgeist. No to the old politics. Yes to something new.
At the moment it looks (very roughly) from the current vote share that the Tories will have around 280 seats, Labour 260, Liberals 80 (based on BBC poll of polls and a very rough conversion to seats). What a frankly ludicrous electoral system when we are talking about Liberals and Labour being neck and neck in the vote share btw.
So, do we think have we done enougth to hang parliament? I dont know….I dont think anyone knows..Margins of error, success in the marginals, the undecideds, the last 72 hours or so of campaigning….
The question I find myself asking is have the Liberal high command (the election campaign strategists behind the scenes) done enough to capitalise on Nick’s brilliant TV performances?
The leaders debates are done now. Indeed it’s been 3 weeks since the first debate when the good ship Lib Dem blasted itself into the heart of politics, bringing a swathe of people and donations flooding to the Lib Dem cause (as surely never before?).
So here is where we look for the sweat, the toil, the genius of the election campaign planners. Clegg delivered. Will the men (/women) behind him?
I would hope that there is a Lib Dem answer to the the last ditch Tory stunts…. The so-called “contracts” … phoney…..but news-worthy. (And kind of catchy it didn’t feel like some huge great big con) and the “Mr Duracell Man” doing the “never-been-done-before” 24 hour stint on the road. But I guess I will forgive no “one last big idea” to the nation, if they have, in fact, been pulling off minor miracles in the marginals…
So here I sit…waiting, hoping, yes praying, that the backroom boys have earned their place on the team. Nick certainly has. Miriam has. Chris Huhne, Ed Davey, Norman Lamb, Paddy Ashdown et al ….they’ve all done their bit…magnificently…..
And, I think it can be said that the people have…the volunteers, the supporters, the bloggers…and yes all those mad flashmobbers today have….
How frustrating it is to sit here wondering if those in charge of the Lib Dem campaign have. Have they got the resources into the marginals? Have they converted Nicks perfomance into sustained vote share? Have they got one last big idea up their sleeves? This is on a knife’s edge. We need the boys in the backroom to come good now. No pressure guys!
Tags:
general election,
last 72 hours,
lib dems