BBC online's Nick Assinder has become the latest pundit to question whether Ming Campbell - 65 today - is up to the job of Lib Dem leader.
"Some have started re-examining the way former leader Charles Kennedy was ousted. Mr Kennedy, remember, took the Lib Dems to historic electoral heights only last year, and appeared to have a rapport with ordinary voters," he writes.
"The question that some are asking is whether the fact that there has been a successful Lib Dem leadership coup once this Parliament means there is more, or less, appetite for more leadership turmoil before the next election."
I think I know the answer to the last question....
1 comment:
Kennedy took the party to new heights? Yes, but they wanted more, particularly when the LDs were the only one of the three main parties to oppose a war which heavily divided public opinion (and then, after the chaos of post-war Iraq, became unpopular), and the two main party leaders were so unpopular.
They also made a net loss of two seats against the Tories (whereas 97 and 01 saw net gains for the LDs against the Tories).
If they're having buyer's remorse, it's not so much 'if only we'd not given up Charlie', but regret that they didn't choose Clegg (or even Huhne) to succeed him.
With Ming, it's 'Worthy of Empire had he not become Emperor' (certainly in his PMQs performances, though he made a better job of putting together a new team after being elected leader than did Cameron).
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