More on the BBC.
Nice winnable seat there, but there’ll be lots of competition – selection contest in the neigbouring new constituency has been very active.
I’d say something nice about his years of service, but the only time I encountered him in person he was a complete arse. Oh, and he sneered at me on the World at One once. So someone else can lead a tribute in the comments.
Update: Apparently the announcement may have come today because a journalist spotted that on 4 January someone working for Canongate Properties Ltd announced his resignation on Wikipedia.
Update 2: Paul Walter has been kinder.
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11 Comments
Happy to lead the tributes, although this decision has come as a surprise to both party members and local residents, I know that everyone down here will wish Matthew, Vicky and Arthur the very best for the future.
In many ways, not least in his role as Chair of Campaigns, Matthew has made a significant contribution to the success of the party nationally and most people on the ground feel he has been an outstanding constituency MP.
Of course you are, Stephen. There were two reasons why you moved back to Cornwall: you’re father wasn’t well (I hope he’s better!) and that you have your eye on Cornish seats. Declare your interest, as Eric Forth would say!
Everyone knows that I’m not a Lib Dem, but I really do think Taylor believes he can’t be re-elected as his majority has been sliding election after election. The Tories are likely to make gains in this part of the world next time round.
Crikey, the knives out already. Matthew has a very good name as an excellent MP and I applaud someone making this sort of his decision to see his son growing up. Being MP for Truro or other Conrish constituencies, is particularly time-consuming in terms of train travel. And he has been an MP for 20 years, which I think was longer than Paddy, for example, wasn’t it.
I really don’t see the Tories making gains in Cornwall next time, pseaking as a Cornishman. They are completely irrelevant to Cornwall.
Oh Rob he didn’t did he ….. “but the only time I encountered him in person he was a complete arse. Oh, and he sneered at me on the World at One once”. You are not going to forget that are you?
I’m just saying, I take people as I find them – two occasions I had any dealings with him, on both occasions he was an arse. 🙂
He was rude to me, in a short, rather off way, when I picked him up from the railway station one grotty cold day in Romsey during the by-election. He was the complete opposite of Nick Harvey who was charming, curteous and had a word for everyone.
Just to comment on the statement made by this person who goes by the title of “It’s a two-horse race – the Lib Dems can’t win here.”
At the last General Election Matthew Taylor was elected with a majority of 7,403, which was 46.7% of the vote. The Tories quite frankly would need a significant swing to win this seat. Indeed, at the last General Election they got 32.4% of the vote and their increase of the vote was….. a staggering 0.1% and the swing from Liberal Democrats to Conservatives was 0.8%. Quite frankly the Liberal Democrat vote was hardly touched in 2005.
I would also suggest that the abusive comments that some Tories have recently been making about Cornish people on some blogs makes me think they are doing everything possible to ensure that they continue to be wiped out throughout the whole of Cornwall, as they have been since 1997. As for the actual seat it has been held by the Liberal Party and Liberal Democrats since the early 1970s.
It’s a bit rich for a Tory to call on someone to declare his interest! How many interests did Reginald Maudling declare? And what about Ernest Marples, the Transport Minister who handed out motorway construction contracts to his own company? Not to mention our old friend, Mr Neil Hamilton – rather coy about his relationship with Mohammad Al-Fayed, if I remember rightly.
The Tories have been given the boot from Cornwall, and they won’t be back. The fate they have suffered in Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle, all cities they once controlled. The trollite denunciations of Cornish people as “obscure” yokels is eerily reminiscent of the Thatcherite dismissal of Liverpudlians as feckless, unemployable parasites (Michael Heseltine excepted). In the latter case, punishment through the ballot-box followed.
Only Andrew George took more than 50% of the vote in 2005 (as he did in 2001). Paul Tyler got more than 50% in 2001, but not all his personal vote transferred to his successor. That may be recovered next time. Matthew only broke the 50% barrier once (in the 1984 byelection). In the new St Austell constituency, the Tories should be trounced very heavily indeed, and the Labour vote will be squeezed. Colin Breed is likely to push his vote up too, as more and more people meet him.
So, no hope for the blues in Cornwall. It’s all that fish, and the clean air coming in off the Atlantic. Not a productive environment for trollery. (Piskies don’t like trolls, eh?)
Most of my experience of Matthew was when he was Chair of the Campaigns & Communications Committee when it was originally formed. I was on the committee as Youth & Student Officer. He did a good job on that committee and was enormously helpful both to me personally and in supporting additional resources for LDYS so that we could participate in the party’s campaigning.
After 20 years commuting from Cornwall, and starting a fmaily, I’m not surprised he wants to change career while he is still young enough to do so.
“It’s a two-horse race – the Lib Dems can’t win here” – by all means have a pop at me for whatever reason you choose, but please don’t sling innuendo around about my father.
He’s been fighting Chronic Lymnphatic Leaukemia for over two years now. I’m sure you know that CLL is incurable. It would have been easier for me (in many ways) to deal with it from London, but moving back home meant that, I hope, I’ve been able to be much more of a support to him.
Is it rocket-science that people might want to represent the places they have most affection for? Like the place they grew-up, their family live, they went to school and college, moved back to after University, sat on the local Council, and worked for the local MEP…….?
Just a quick comment regarding this – I don’t know the man at all, never met him – probably never will. However, in discussion with Cyril Smith today – He tells me that he is most upset that Matthew is standing down. That said he understands his personal reasons and wishes him well. Cyril remembers him fondly and says he is one of our gentleman MP’s and he still keeps in touch. Now if Cyril Smith speaks like that – Matthew Taylor must be alright as Cyril hardly ever says things like this about MP’s – usually the opposite!