Word reaches the Voice that weeks before the position had been advertised in Lib Dem News, party officials in Cowley Street received a call requesting a copy of the nomination papers for party President – the caller was not acting on behalf of Simon Hughes.
Word also reaches us that one potential candidate is positioning himself to blitz Autumn Conference with an army of supporters bearing nomination papers, to seize the momentum.
A Presidential contest is no bad thing – though there is an argument that there are better ways to spend the money. The Voice has been told that a proposal is being put to the Federal Executive to double the campaign expenditure limit – to £5000 per candidate.
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11 Comments
And before anyone asks, unfortunately I’m bound to secrecy not to say who is lining up supporters for a signature-fest at Conference! Sorry.
Well it’s only a week until conference so it won’t take too long to find out.
Heavens, you’re right – it’s crept up fast.
Should’nt Lembit Opik be on this list? He gives supurb after-dinner speaches – this being a key job requirement of the post.
It’s what has disapointed me about Simon… he said he did not want to do the endless round of after dinner speaches. Sadly this is the easiest way that local parties can encourage their membership to meet and engage someone “big” from Westminster.
I would hope that if anyone does have the guts to stand against Simon, that they would reflect on the opportunity to engage the local membership on policy and party direction.
Meeting the Challenge could so easily be taken to each constituency through their annual dinner events. Instead of a speach about the wonderful things I do in Parliament, how about setting the audience into workshop mode? Discussion could follow over the working meal – and then a report back session could take place as the coffee comes round?
“Should’nt Lembit Opik be on this list?” – I felt not, given that he was roundly thrashed last time, and has faired poorly in Stephen Tall’s poll…
Well Simon did, as Rob says, trash Lembit so he’s not IMO a credible candidate this time.
Personally I’m not convinced anyone standing against the incumbent is doing anyone a favour. Implicit in it is a suggestion that the party has no better way to spend the money an election will cost.
IMO they’d be better using it advertising for better London Assembly candidates…
Simon could always save us the money by not restanding…
If people honestly think that it’s good to have an incumbant just because it’s a waste of money having an election we should instead be looking at whether we want an all-members ballot instead of asking to knobble our democratic processes so that we can deliver more focuses.
In any case, it now looks like we won’t be getting an election, so we’ll have a few more focuses to deliver, but will we get the LDYS group in every secondary school or the 300,000 new members that we were promised in the last Presidential election?
I’m gutted and have just been filling the swear box beside my desk at work on the news.
Simon will never deliver, especially as no one has called him to account.
Next time I feel like this I won’t just exhort people to stand I will go out there and get them.
I have to agree that I actaully thinka contest might have uped the game of the President somewhat.
I supported Simon 110% last time but really don’t think he has delivered against his promises – what has happened about his membership drive?
Maybe it’s time to add a “not” in that headline…