political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Clegg May Prove to be a LibDem Calamity
I should have linked to Danny Finkelstein's eye-watering demolition of Nick Clegg much earlier. HERE IT IS. I reckon he's bang on the money. The last few weeks have not been good for Nick Clegg. I don't mind admitting, I wondered whether Clegg would be a real threat to the Conservatives. I'm no longer so sure. He's shown himself to be impetuous, inconsistent, flouncy and entirely without a coherent narrative. I still think he's likely to win, but he no longer fills me with any sense of trepidation.
Shesh Iain. How could you? I agree 100%
ReplyDeleteCleggy is a twat.
ReplyDeleteHe is a calamity - according to his bessie mate.
ReplyDeleteFink has his personal reasons for having the daggers out for Clegg. The man is the intellectual better of Cameron, and crucially, doesn't come across as a smarmy bully.
ReplyDeleteBut I understand that the pre-emptive "trashing" is required.
Good analysis of the "race" on the John Redwood blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/11/22/the-clegg-and-huhne-race/
(Sorry, haven't learnt how to do links yet!)
It really doesn't make much difference which of them wins the LibDem leadership because in the real world the party itself still stands no chance. Their increasingly loony membership and activist base will ensure that they continue to develop policies that are unattractive to the voters and their feeble attempts to be all thing to all men will result, as always, in them ending up meaning nothing to anybody.
ReplyDeleteHuhne or Clegg - Who Cares!
I first saw Clegg on BBC's Question Time a year or so ago and I wasn't impressed. I remember he got annoyed with the historian Andrew Roberts and accused him of not thinking "correctly" on some issue or other.
ReplyDeleteSorry to be vague, but he came across as a rather shrill, self-righteous individual. He looked good - youthful, nice haircut, but there was a shrill, intemperate side that, for me, was offputting.
I'll be honest: I thought: here was a Tory problem, no longer a problem.
Given that my bullshit meter blew up when reading this post, I can only assume the Tories are cr*pping themselves in case Clegg wins.
ReplyDelete"Flouncy" ??? I haven't had anything flouncy since 1932! Got any pics?
ReplyDeleteIain, WHY? give this group more publicity. NOW if the acting leader was to be the leader there would be a need to worry.
ReplyDeleteI never understood the previous high regard you had for him, but it seems it was shared amongst insiders. Congrats on re-evaluating. Say hi to Pete from me today. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe reason he has been so flouncy is that he just assumed the leadership was his by right. If he loses, Huhne will not be forgiven by the party establishment for daring to challenge this assumption.
ReplyDeleteIn 2005 the LibDems "profited" from the anti-war vote and an "Official Opposition" considered unelectable by the electorate - they won't have that "luxury" in 2009/2010(whenever Gordon eventually "runs out of time" and has to call an election) so I don't think the Conservatives are cr*pp**ng themselves over Clegg's possible victory ,to quote "Iain Dales Rabbit 2.36am)Both Clegg and Huhne could be unelected at the next election anyway if the opinion polls stay at their present level - Huhne's majority at Eastleigh is the more shakier than Cleggs at Sheffield Hallam although that isn't great by any means. So the LibDems(what's left of them) could be going through this whole exercise again in a couple of years. -
ReplyDeleteNorthern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault Northern Rock is not labour's fault and neither is the CD issue either. The conspiracy is destroying new labour.
ReplyDeleteIain and Yorky are right.
ReplyDeletethis is the same man who opts to campaign rather than carry out official duties in the House of Commons.
Yep, Cleggers would be a disaster for the Libbies (so i hope they go for him). There's something oily and snide about him which has become even more apparent as the leadership election has dragged on. Huhne has gone up in my estimation. I may have taken the pi** out of him before, but he is coming across as more credible. He is coming across as being more of the LD-ilk than Clegg; more 'human' than Clegg; and seems to have thought about things more than Clegg. He may have the touch of the Vulcan about him, but if i were a Libbie- Huhne would get my vote.
ReplyDeleteClegg might be a good leader, time will tell (if elected). I didnt rate Cameroon at all and felt the Tories had made a bigger mistake than IDS. Then at this year's Tory conference Dave showed his was a Tory afterall and is now doing quite well.
ReplyDeleteMany leaders grow-into their role. Thatcher was awful at the beginning but developed into the role.
Might mean there is less to write, but would might as well wait and see.
Iain Dales rabbit -no the Tories are not crapping themselves over Nick Clegg, but it would seem the writer of this blog obviously is, as you've astutely noticed. Iain's idea of a smokescreen is, it has to be said, unlikely to have Machiavelli running for the hills any time soon.
ReplyDeleteI am not, however, purely for the reason that both candidates are pathetic. Calamity Clegg has neither the lucidity or the charm of Cameron (and I am not a Cameron fan), and comes over surprisingly poorly (as the Lib Dem's 'telegenic' candidate) on the small screen. Huhne is simply a slimy troll, with all the charisma of a box of paperclips.
And the reason for this lack of options is that any candidate with any potential has ruled themselves out for one reason or another, whether by being too old and bald, scatalogical activities with rent-boys, or simply waiting to pounce because the time is not ripe.
And we all (including him)know who the right person is -it's Charles Kennedy, who has decided to wait and see which one of these muppets messes things up so he can march over the hill on a white steed. I don't like him, but the country clearly does, and he's the Lib Dem's only long term chance of survival as a political force.
"impetuous, inconsistent, flouncy and entirely without a coherent narrative"
ReplyDeleteHmm - pot/kettle?
I am labour supporter but I think you are more suited to the Lib Dems. Do you really like to spend your time in party full of homophobic racist, nationalistic bigots? Why not join the progressive lib dems. They will have a young fresh English well educated charismatic leader. It is like the tories excpet without all those horrible nasty people.
ReplyDeleteFinkelstein used to be in the SDP, as was Huhne
ReplyDeleteRant all you like, I enjoyed this:
ReplyDelete'The ICM poll in The Guardian newspaper today put support for the main opposition Conservatives down on 37 percent, Brown's governing Labour Party down on 31 percent and the Liberal Democrats on7 on 21 percent.'
I seem to recall you making similar comments about Norman Lamb in North Norfolk. We'll see if history repeats Iain.
ReplyDelete