Thursday, September 21, 2006

Kennedy Refuses Ming's Handshake

The LibDems must be really thanking Paddy Ashdown for needlessly revealing that Charles Kennedy refused to shake Ming Campbell's hand after his speech on Tuesday. At a stroke, Ashdown demonstrated to us all that the wounds from Kennedy's overthrow are well and truly gaping open. I suppose Kennedy thought that if he shook Ming's right hand, his left might be used to stab him in the back again. Actually, what the refusal did was to display a petulance entirely lacking in his speech. If he truly does still harbour hopes of a leadership comeback he would do well to dispose of such things.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also liked Paddy's description of Kennedy's speech:

"The perfect ex-leader's speech says goodbye to the party and doesn't take the spotlight off his successor.

"I think Charles Kennedy succeeded in doing that yesterday."

Anonymous said...

It's hard to shake hands when holding a bottle!

Anonymous said...

I actually think this is a manufactured non-story created because there was and is nothing of note in the whole LibDum conference...it is actually quite frightening hiw soarse any item of news was from the whole thing.

Some news is better than no news, and I suppose a useless piss artist refusing to shake the hand of his betters is something.

AnyonebutBlair said...

The LibDum conference was like watching as Labour conference in the mid-80s. Lots of "worthies" discussing how great it would be to squeeze the "rich". At least I used to think the LibDums had some integrity that the other parties lacked. No more. Kennedy was permanently pissed and his "shadow cabinet" (hehe) covered up and lied about it. Their president was confused about his sexuality (he wasn't then was gay) and their shadow home secretary indulged in bizarre sexual antics, blaming his baldness for his weakness for rent boys. Integrity gone forever.

Anonymous said...

Now, don't dismiss them. They're probably just doing it because their advisors said to watch what Labour has been doing and follow suit.

Accessory of the year: the Nemesis. When will Cameron get one?

Paul Evans said...

It’s fun to be splenetic – but the foibles of a couple of MPs doesn’t say anything either way about the party or liberalism in this country. No more than all Conservatives take bungs in brown paper bags or enjoy munching on amyl nitrate laced oranges whilst wearing tights.

Dr.Doom said...

I dare bet he would have shook it if it had a double grousse in it!

Doom.

Anonymous said...

And these so called political giants (not by me I hasten to add) Think they could actually run the country. There are sadly deluded/ There actions are childish.

Anonymous said...

Today's Daily Mirror (p14) has devoted a whole page to an interview with Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell. He "talks frankly of his family" boasts the exclusive piece by the paper's political reporter Rosa Prince. Pity that she can't even spell his wife's name correctly. It's Elspeth -not Elsbeth!

The Hitch said...

what's that old saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer?
just goes to show what a heap of compost Kennedy really is, not only does it show him to be emotionally retarded but it also proves his lack of guile.
Total w***** who should get back to scratching a living on 20 acres of barren hillside, getting bitter and pissed every night in his turf roofed one room hovel (all scotsmen do it).
In fact I wouldn't trust him to lead a paddy to a bucket of Guinness let alone a major political party.

Etzel Pangloss said...

"getting bitter and pissed every night in his turf roofed one room hovel (all scotsmen do it)."

Don't pick on the scotch, Paddy was as bad (if slightly more subtle).

Besides the paddy-kennedy-ming backstabbing daisy chain made me giggle.

Anonymous said...

There's never anything of note from any conference these days, as far as the media is concerned, as what the media wants is scandal and acrimoniousness. Given that the other two parties have an even greater tendency for control freakery at their conferences, they'll be even duller.

Tapestry said...

Blair and Brown had better watch out. The Lib Dems also know how to throw their toys out of the pram. Come to that, Gordon Brown's gone very quiet...