Are the Lib Dems still delivering or should they change course?
As the Liberal Democrats approach their seventh conference under Ed Davey's leadership, whispers of discontent are growing. Is Davey still delivering, or does the party need to change course?
Sir Keir Starmer's departure means Sir Ed Davey, in post since early 2020, is now the longest-serving national party leader.
The headline polling numbers give one cause for concern.
The Liberal Democrats are polling lower now than a year ago with every pollster. On average, the party are down over two percentage points from 12.7% to just over 10.3%, substantially below their vote share in the last general election (12.6% GB wide).
A chap is bound to wonder what it is that the Lib Dems may be failing to deliver other than twaddle. Without wishing to be too crudely sarcastic, the answer may be obvious, there has been no obvious upgrade to Lib Dem twaddle, while Zack Polanski's Greens are offering serious competition.
Greens have their distinctive, own-brand twaddle fronted by images of Zack and that goofy, gap-toothed grin, but what do Ed Davey's Lib Dems have?
In other words, supply and demand may apply to the political twaddle market. Zack's Greens have made significant gains here, possibly at the expense of Ed's Lib Dems and their old grey cardigan brand of twaddle.
5 comments:
Who was the last Lib leader of any weight? Jo Grimond?
Ed who? I know nothing of this chap but if he is a modern lib, I would probably want to punch his face a few times.
Try and think like a young voter for a moment. It's unpleasant to try but it is apparently beyond the majority of political pundits.
Older people might think of Labour and the Conservatives as part of the political furniture... but to the young voter both main parties are beyond their best before date. The are unfashionable. The LibDems even more so.
Reform are 'modern' but are not fashionable since they still observe traditional politics. The Greens may be part of a scam. And of course anyone who tries to 'get down with the youth' (e.g. the Church of England) is immediately suspected of hypocrisy.
I don't know what the answer is - which suggests political parties have some way to go.
dearieme - he's the last one I can remember, although the party itself seemed to drift towards nutcase politics such that any leader would have to lean that way.
Mike - the temptation is there, but he's pretty good at making a fool of himself anyway.
DJ - to my mind, voters have some way to go too. Older voters have no excuse, they have seen the failures, but younger voters have a vast amount of propaganda to see through and not much in the way of worthwhile political options.
It may be that many capable younger voters will simply go elsewhere and considering that as an option is a sound idea. Maybe UK party politics will become irrelevant and fade away to be replaced by something else.
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