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Lib Dems : All process, but no real plan

By Editor
March 23rd, 2015 at 2:03 pm | Comments Off on Lib Dems : All process, but no real plan | Posted in Uncategorized

HAT TIP: Dan Hodges has written an interesting article in the Telegraph, identifying that Lib Dem HQ is throwing many Lib Dem seats to the wolves in an effort to “survive” – funneling central money into only those constituencies it deems “winnable”.

The Telegraph article states that hard-headed Lib Dem HQ has ceased funding to a vast raft of seats, employed a US based analytics company to develop a system for micro-targeting key constituencies, and plan to ramp up Nick’s profile massively in the coming weeks. The Lib Dem leader will be “asked to “walk through the flames” one MP apparently warns (not literally, we hope, but who can tell?).

So far so good – although who knows the cost of the US company – in our collective experience they never come cheap. The Lib Dems did need a more rational system to dispersal of the, comparatively, limited money it raises. The old “system” (wide-spread flinging of money across the board) witnessed in previous campaigns was clearly not working. So that is a clear improvement on the past. And putting Nick out front is clearly the right choice. With a lame set of policies he is one of the few assets the party has remaining.

Also to be welcomed is the eventual acknowledgement that the perennial Lib Dem mantra ” It feels good on the doorstep”… is about as reliable as a support bra without the wires.

“A few will try to argue ‘But it feels really good on the doorstep’. We have to explain to them that it may feel like that, but it isn’t like that.”

Shame then, with all this marketing magnificence brought into play, no one thought to spend some time and thought on the actual product. Lame policies, contradictory values and dull assertions that “we are nicer than that lot but more responsible than the other lot” is hardly going to set the world on fire – or win votes for that matter.

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Liberal Democrats “aren’t especially liberal – or even democratic”

By Angela Harbutt
September 9th, 2011 at 9:58 pm | 16 Comments | Posted in Liberal Democrats

So says Graeme Archer at the Telegraph..

“If the Liberal Democrats didn’t exist, under what circumstances would you choose to create them? I’ll assume that it’s the “Liberal” bit of their historical accident of a name that matters (not many anti-democrats run for election these days). If we did feel the need for a Liberal Party, I guess it would be because neither the Labour nor Tory organisations were being sufficiently, well, liberal in their policy-making….”

I recommend you go read it. I don’t agree with everything he says… you probably won’t either. But my god he has a point……

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Friday Fright Live?

By Angela Harbutt
May 14th, 2009 at 7:47 pm | 2 Comments | Posted in UK Politics

Blinky Balls

Can it be true ? There are suggestions that Ed Balls and Ms Cooper may be the Telegraph’s headliners tomorrow.

But they will surely sleep soundly. As New Labour have told us a million times “nothing to hide, nothing to fear” .

Update. Clare Short on front page of Telegraph website…… how long can this strip tease go on – and just what is the finale ?

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Hubble Bubble Double Trouble…

By Angela Harbutt
May 13th, 2009 at 4:31 pm | 2 Comments | Posted in UK Politics

balls-and-cooper

What will Thursday Telegraph bring us? Rumours abound that it’s the dynamic duo up in the firing line. But we shall have to wait and see…

Just in case they have accidently double-claimed on the odd lightbulb….I remind you of  a quote from Niccolo Machiavelli (nice fellow):

He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must thereafter fall with the greatest loss.”

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LibDem leader must grasp opportunity to become “clean up” Clegg

By Angela Harbutt
May 13th, 2009 at 1:21 pm | 7 Comments | Posted in UK Politics

POLITICS LibDems 7

It is immediately clear why the Telegraph decided to run this story after revelations surrounding the other two parties (and ahead of any grand finale the paper may have planned). It doesn’t have a huge amount of punch.

Nick needs to be certain that any claim made by any Liberal Democrat MP was within both the spirit and letter of the law AND would withstand public scrutiny. Technical, minor errors should be repaid – and this process has begun.

But if -after a full assessment of the facts which have been brought to light – any LibDem Parliamentarian has breached this code, serious disciplinary action must follow.

But, it’s not just Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons. The reputation of the party rests on the behaviour of all our parliamentary representatives.

Largely overlooked as the wider “Fiddlegate” story was leading every news cycle, Sunday’s News of the World made assertions about Chris Rennard’s expenses claims as a member of the House of Lords.  The allegations should be relatively easy to investigate and rebut.

The issue hinges on the newspaper’s claim that Lord Rennard’s Eastbourne property is not his “main residence”. It needs to be shown that it is. In a clear, complete and unambiguous fashion.

Lord Rennard, of course, is not just a Lib Dem peer, he is the party’s chief executive -and so also accountable for his conduct as an employee. The Federal Executive next meets on 18th May. But Nick will surely have put this issue to bed by then.

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