Wednesday, August 01, 2007

And the Next Leadership Crisis Award Goes To...Ming!

The media have been obsessing about David Cameron's leadership all this week, so it was a welcome relief to listen to the feature on the LibDems on the World at One today. Listen HERE. The analysis of the LibDems' prospects by the BBC Head of Research, David Cowling, will not have made happy listening for Cowley Street strategists.

It seems that the LibDems have found their very own Ali Miraj in a lady called Linda Jack, who sits on their Federal Policy Committee. She said on the World at One..

I think Ming was a brilliant shadow foreign secretary, but in terms of his leadership style he hasn't captured the imagination of the party or the country. Unfortunately it's the case where he has perhaps been overpromoted. Someone can be a brilliant man and have incredible intellectual powers and all the rest of it but if that doesn't translate in to leadership skills then whoever your leader is you've got a problem with them.

Vince Cable defended Sir Menzies and talked about the possibility of a hung parliament saying that the prospect of coalition with either the Conservatives or Labour was "very unlikely" but he couldn't "absolutely rule out any option." I think that's called having your cake and eating it.
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6 comments:

  1. Bob PiperAugust 01, 2007 5:18 pm

    Hold your foot up!!! Before we move on... we haven't finished taking the piss out of your bloke yet!

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  2. jailhouselawyerAugust 01, 2007 6:14 pm

    Distractions are ok but not a good idea when you are supposed to keep your eye on the political football.

    Its odds on that David Cameron will not be the Tory Leader at the next General Election.

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  3. bgpriorAugust 01, 2007 6:15 pm

    Linda Jack and the BBC talking about a LibDem leadership challenge. Where have I heard that before? The presumed beneficiary is Nick Clegg. Would that be the same Clegg who was Ming's right-hand man in the assassination of Charlie Kennedy? Strange how LibDem leaders, who used to get a good, long run for their money, haven't been lasting too long since Clegg arrived in parliament in 2005...

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  4. chatterboxAugust 01, 2007 6:29 pm

    Right we have now got a Libdem criticising Ming so where is the big headline splash on the Beeb?
    Oh, if its not someone slagging off Cameron then it is not news?
    Balance is all I ask, if it was important to highlight this sort of thing in the Tory ranks yesterday despite real concerns about the grounds for the criticism, why is it a non story for the Libdems today?

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  5. TapestryAugust 01, 2007 6:56 pm

    Jack's description describes Gordon Brown to a tee. Substitute Chancellor, and it's Gordon.

    The funny thing is that with Cameron brushing off the 1922 challenge to his leadership with relative ease, it puts all the pressure on to the other two. The more media they give Brown, the more obvious it is that he hasn't got it. No wonder he always preferred his bunker. Even Ming looks good in Parliament now. I think he's lovely.

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  6. Paul WalterAugust 02, 2007 9:21 am

    Chatterbox - it was on BBC Newsonline. The reason it was a non-story is because Vince Cable handled it correctly and metaphorically applied the fire extinguisher to the story. Iain has compared Linda Jack to Ali Miraj. There's a crucial difference. While Vince Cable very skilfully killed the story by playing it down and refusing to accept the assumptions presented to him, Cameron poured petrol on the fire, accepted the assumptions presented to him on Today and attacked Ali Miraj, Lord Kalms and Graham Brady - thus giving the story oxygen.

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