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Is it now time for Charles Kennedy to hang up his spurs?

lord henry strikes back

16:42 / 07.05.05

The election is over and it seems to be all change at the top. Blair has already stated that he will step down before the next election. Howard as jumped before being pushed and, as far as I can tell, the Tories will have a new leader in a matter of months. But what of the Lib Dems?

I like Kennedy. He appears to be a good person in of himself, and a relatively honest and hard-working politician. I also think that he's been good for the Lib Dems, increasing the number of seats election after election. However, a lot of the country, myself included, do not see him as a serious leader, of the opposition let alone the nation. So is he still the right man for the job?

This one is really cutting me up. Part of me wants to see Charles stick around for another couple of elections, take the Lib Dems through that magic 100 seat landmark, and then retire in his own time. The other part thinks that th Lib Dems are already becoming a force and need to grasp the killer instinct. They need a real political bulldog up front who can go toe-to-toe with the Blairs and Howards of this world. I just can't make my mind up.

18:51 / 07.05.05

I dunno - it seems musch of your central thesis on why Kennedy should go now is that everyone else is doing it... not really the most convincing of reasons...

If he did go now, who would replace him? Menzies Campbell is too old - Simon Hughes seems too egotistical to have the party unite behind him, Lembit Opik seems to have followed Kennedy through the 'Have I Got News' route to public awareness... How many Liberal Democrats can you name?

22:04 / 07.05.05

As I understand it, Charles Kennedy has already said that he was interested in staying with the Liberals for three elections and I suspect he won't be doing it with them after then. That gives him another four or five years to work with. And if things continue in the direction they are going, that will be the perfect time to get a new leader in to change the gear from being a small but influential party to being the country's second party. At the moment it looks like a question of when rather than if, and I think it will continue to do so until the Conservative party allows itself to burn down and be rebuilt from the ashes.

07:46 / 08.05.05

I dunno - it seems musch of your central thesis on why Kennedy should go now is that everyone else is doing it... not really the most convincing of reasons...

well, he did note that most of the country doesn't seem to take him seriously, which i think is probably a valid point. as an outsider to your political process, it's often seemed to me that the Lib Dems were the obvious choice for this election for a lot of reasons, but when i would mention this to people on your end of the pond, i would often get a sort of derisive snort followed by an explanation of exactly how useless Kennedy is.

obviously, that's totally anecdotal, and the party has done well in the last few years, but it seems to me like it's done so despite a pretty weak roster at the top.

08:10 / 08.05.05

Does anyone have any info on the candidates to replace him?

Only one that springs to mind is Simon Hughes. their candidate for London Mayor.

Who are the heavyweights in the Lim Dems at the moment?

09:59 / 08.05.05

Oh yes and there is Vince Cable another MP who will provoke a derisive 'who?' from members of the general public...

lord henry strikes back

11:10 / 08.05.05

Simon Hughes was the man I had in mind when I raised this question. During the Mayor of London campaign he came across as a harder hitting politician than Kennedy, but he still seems to be just a half-way house.

If Tom Coates is right about Kennedy's three election plan then maybe now is time for the party to start building the profiles of a few solid replacements.

15:51 / 08.05.05

I hope he doesn't go. It's a sad state of affairs that he's not taken seriously. He may not jump out at you, but when you listen to the guy talk, he's got a head on his shoulders, and he's clearly a lot more intelligent (and likeable) than the other candidates who are only prepared to speak in soundbites. He (and the party) have made a principled decision to make a stand and not get involved in the mud-slinging, even if it means their profile is less obvious. And the British public (or much of it at least) doesn't take him seriously as a result. Well, you get the government you deserve, don't you?

03:53 / 11.05.05

I hope he doesn't go. It's a sad state of affairs that he's not taken seriously.

that may be, but at some point you just have to play the hand you're dealt. it's very hard for prominent politicians to shake off a bad impression once it's lodged in the minds of the electorate. it may not be fair, but if no one takes him seriously as a potential opposition leader, much less in some theoretical sense Prime Minister material, there's no reason to believe that that feeling is going to change, and he may be doing the party a disservice by staying on.

however, i have no idea who could replace him.