Norman Lamb has this evening confirmed that he will be a candidate in the leadership election.
It is widely expected that Tim Farron will also put his name forward, but he has not confirmed that yet. Nominations will not formally open until this Wednesday and will close on 3rd June.
The full timetable for the leadership election is here. Anyone who has joined the party by 3rd June may vote.
An amazing 8000 people have already joined, or rejoined, since polling day. You can join here.
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
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41 Comments
Norman Lamb stood out for me in May 2014 with this article on helping people suffering from dementia and loneliness:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/11/alzheimers-society-dementia-loneliness-elderly-help-understanding
It was compassionate, but also distinctively liberal because it was supporting the voluntary sector. I think his work as a minister has been fantastic. He has not been afraid to use the power of the state to effect change, but he has also shown that he is keen to be fiscally responsible. Pragmatic and sustainable change. That is why so far I back Norman Lamb for leader.
I simply don’t know any more about Norman than the mental illness issue.
@Phyllis you should find out more. He’s not afraid to get stuck in and get his hands dirty
I will give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe it was just collective responsibility, but as a minister he voted through every Tory bill even when not in the coalition agreement. So health service reform, judicial reform, benefit reform, all key areas for Liberal Democrats, he voted with the Tories.
Does the leader of the party have to be a MP? There is only 8 of them, they should follow the wishes of the party for a change.
The continuity candidate.
No, I think not. One May 7th was quite enough, thank you.
Bolano – exactly.
Decent enough as a man. I imagine he’s Nick and Paddy’s private choice (given their barely concealed contempt for Tim), but when you’re on 8 MP the continuity candidate isn’t what you go for….
Ah. I think there would be real difficulties in having someone who never once rebelled against the Coalition. That’s a great big hostage to fortune.
The criticism of Lamb seems to be “continuity candidate”, but it is better than being the “turn left” candidate.
Farron distances himself from such ideas, but not enough.
Regards
Norman Lamb would be a complete and utter mistake, he was one of Cleggs close advisers, He sits to the right on the party it would juts be a continuation on the Clegg era , which saw millions of people abandon the party.
And expect some pretty dismissal statistics over the coming weeks on mental health failures STILL despite all the promises made.
No Norman would be a mistake in my opinion.
Farron is the man to reunite the party, he is articulate, he looks and sounds great behind a camera and I really believe he can pull the party back together and start to repair the damage, and with an energized foot soldiers, united behind a new party with a senses of purpose and direction, winning back Councillors through each up and coming local elections, regional assembly’s etc. Spreading the message as you go.
Those on the right of the party who hold their orange book as though it is the holy grail, need stop , they had their chance they blew it and it decimated the party. That is not to say that there is no place for them in the libdems, of course there is, its a broad church, they just need to take a back seat and allow those people in the party who have the experience who have been winning the ground wars for years and know exactly what to do.
Time for the center left to be given the full support of all party members and chance to rebuild the party to what it once was,
Eddie Sammon, the thing is the Tories are turning right, so are Labour and UKIP occupy that ground already. So if the Lib Dems turn right too, well it’s a pretty crowded place to be, isn’t it?
And Tim isn’t ‘turning left ‘ as in supporting re-nationalisation of public services, putting income tax up to 60% etc is he now? So I think you need to be a bit more precise about what you find so worrying about Tim, as ‘turning left’ in the context of where ‘left’ is nowadays, is pretty meaningless without some definition of what it means to you personally.
@Eddie the impression I have is that Farron distances himself from difficult decisions
@Eddie Sammon 11th May ’15 – 11:00pm
“The criticism of Lamb seems to be “continuity candidate”, but it is better than being the “turn left” candidate.”
Actually it isn’t, Eddie. That was the lesson of May 7th. Your guy, Clegg, with those on the right had his go. He had five years. He had his turn in charge. He wrecked the party on May 7th.
Now it’s someone else’s turn, with a different attitude. You may not like him as much but, well, that’s the price you pay for your man making a mess of it. Lamb won’t get in. The members with you, and TCO, on the right will go for him, granted; the members on the left will go for Farron. And the ones in the centre, who can live with either, they’ll think about it, they’ll remember how they felt watching that exit poll, watching the events unfold – and then they’ll vote for Farron.
They’s no argument that can be made for the middle ground as powerful, as scary, as May 7th. The middle of the party don’t want to go back there.
So Tim is too ‘ left-turning’ and ‘distances himself from difficult decisions’ and Norman is ‘too much to the right’ and ‘tainted by Coalition’.
Is there someone who is untainted by Coalition and neither too much to the left nor too much to the right? Out of the remaining five MPs!
Bolano, one of the reasons we lost so badly was fear of Labour and the SNP. The zeitgeist has changed.
Interestingly, I know at least one person who is very much on the left of the party but who is going for Lamb over Farron. It may well be to do with the business around CARE/gay marriage (which puts me off Farron somewhat too), but I’m not entirely sure.
@Eddie Sammon 11th May ’15 – 11:44pm
“Bolano, one of the reasons we lost so badly was fear of Labour and the SNP. The zeitgeist has changed.”
Eddie, you can make that point as many times as you like. You’re going to support Lamb. I’m going to support Farron. But it won’t make any difference to the leadership contest. I don’t have to make an argument.
The argument is May 7th. May 7th is unstoppable in the leadership election. Lamb comes with Clegg’s disaster on his back, for years.
@Eddie: “One of the reasons we lost so badly was fear of Labour and the SNP. The zeitgeist has changed.”
But we are now looking ahead to 2020, not attempting to fight 2015 all over again. It won’t take that long for discontent to develop in reaction to a one party Conservative government. Farron is better placed than Lamb to compete with Labour, the Greens and UKIP to harness that discontent. We need someone who can express a strong liberal vision. He’ll need Lamb’s support to do that, and I would hope that Lamb is given a prominent role, but the party needs to be led by someone who is not identified so strongly with the coalition.
TCO you should take a grip of your man. On the Today programme he was rambling and unfocused. Frankly he sounded exhausted. Which he probably is.
So, we have an contest between Tigger and Eeyore.
Phil “We all know that you are a stupid trot.”
I had no idea there was a Trotsykist/ Leninist wing of the Liberal Democrats. Where can I join? Obviously I’d want to be in the intelligent Trotsykist Leninist wing, not the stupid one.
Huge admiration for Norman and his contribution during the last government, and I would want him in any top team. But some people strike you as potential leaders and some don’t; I suggest Norman would make an excellent deputy?
I really hope this doesn’t turn into a left, right thing. For what it’s worth I’m waiting to see who’s standing and what they have to say. Also, are they going to lurch our party to one wing – the answer I hope is No. Also, FWIW I’d be happy with either Tim or Norman.
Unless Tim were to make opposition to gay marriage a core campaign theme (the way David Alton did over abortion — it wasn’t Alton’s views as such that drove him into the political wilderness, but his emphasis on it as his #1 campaign issue) I see no issue. The party should not be the tool of its leader in a Leninist fashion, and if he did try to make it such then it would be a much bigger problem than his view on what remains a niche issue.
Eddie Sammon 11th May ’15 – 11:44pm
Bolano, one of the reasons we lost so badly was fear of Labour and the SNP. The zeitgeist has changed.”
Eddie I honestly don’t know if that is true. Lib Dems have been polling at 8% consistently for the last few years, give it take a few points.
Bill le Breton12th May ’15 – 7:52am
“TCO you should take a grip of your man. On the Today programme he was rambling and unfocused. Frankly he sounded exhausted. Which he probably is. ”
Bill and TCO, I heard the same interview. Norman did very much did come across as a pretty bland continuity candidate – perhaps not surprising bearing in mind his political proximity to Nick Clegg.
As Bill says he, like all our candidates, agents etc, is probably exhausted but unfortunately Norman didn’t come across as well Nick Clegg might have done under similar circumstances. We can not risk not having inspiring values and an inspiring voice at the helm.
TCO11th May ’15 – 11:35pm
“@Eddie the impression I have is that Farron distances himself from difficult decisions”
Or perhaps just wrong ones?
@Stephen Hesketh you assume I’m a Norman Lamb supporter. I have not made up my mind.
My vote will go to the candidate who does these things:
1 commissions, listens to and enacts independent research into what changes of policy and structure are required
2 seeks to bring together all strands of liberal opinion in both team and policy
3 reaches out to those of other political persuasions and none where we have common interest
I believe Norman Lamb voted for Tuition Fees. For better or worse we have to rid ourselves of the “cannot be trusted issue” and until we have a leader who inspires and who voted against we will be stuck with that. We really need a clean slate and a clean conscience. On present showing that appears Westmorland man. He has other benefits, northern, an ability to effectively communicate in simplistic terms that people quickly understand and from what I have seen and read principles. We have to virtually start again from scratch in Liverpool, Manchester, St Helens, Wigan, Warrington, Blackburn, Preston, Rochdale, Oldham, Bolton, Lancaster all places we controlled or built up firm bases, just to mention East of the Pennines. Going to Yorkshire and Durham the list gets longer and longer especially Sheffield. .
Norman Lamb? No. Just…no.
While I respect him and acknowledge he tried to do good work on the issue of mental health whilst in government, he seriously fell short. I and many others who rely on mental health services actually received increasingly worse care over the past 5 years. Waiting times between appointments increased. I’m *still* waiting, after two years, for more one to one talking therapy and CBT. He did precious little whist in government to challenge the Tory narrative of “strivers vs. shirkers” and improve the horrible, inhumane way the DWP has treated those with mental health problems.
Further, he is, for me at least, a representation of the Clegg clique and therefore “more of the same”. Even though plenty of people are still in denial, that strategy of being “nice Tories” has failed utterly and completely over the past 5 years. Lib Dems should represent and be for change and radicalism, unlike the Tories who represent regression, privilege and the staus quo.
In today’s day and age it is not nation states and governments who hold all the power. It is now global corporations. Lib Dems are nothing – nothing – if they do not exist to “disperse power” and challenge said powers. We need someone who will stand up to these entrenched, undemocratic powers who hold entire nations to ransom. We need MORE democracy in all walks of life, which these global corporations often stand against. I do not feel that Mr. Lamb will challenge these entrenched powers. I sincerely feel that he represents “more of the same” which would be a disaster not only for people such as myself, but for the party as a whole.
I truly hope Tim Farron is elected leader. If that happens, I very well may come back to the party.
As for Farron “distancing himself from difficult decisions”, let’s get real. The “difficult decisions” made in government were never difficult for the people making them. They did not have to feel or suffer the effects of these decisions. It’s easy for a healthy, able-bodied and financially comfortable person to make decisions which involve cutting services those less fortunate will rely on.
No. It actually takes bravery to stand up for those less fortunate or able to deal with austerity. It takes a stronger person to stand up to the powerful, who demand the poor pay for their mistakes and say “you caused this mess, you take the pain.”
I believe Mr. Farron is that man.
Lamb looks tired and worn out, Farron looks fit and ready for the fight. Lamb might be a talented, decent man, but there is nothing about him that inspires and the LibDems need a lot of inspiration at the moment. This really is no contest, I think Lamb has been badly advised. I’m not saying Farron will be a great leader, only time will tell, but out of the choices available he’s head and shoulders above the rest.
I’d be worried about a leader who puts his personal religious beliefs before his liberal principles.
If you guys vote for a leader who was a key, uncritical member of the coalition then you’ve not learnt anything. It is vital to understand that your vote rejected your policy platform 2010-15 as well as the behaviour of your ministers and then leader.
Anybody who was responsible for coalition policies or who thinks they are justified is not going to win back your vote. This may be unfair, you may still think that you did what was right, but your 2010 voters did not.If you don’t want them back, where else do you go?
TCO12th May ’15 – 11:23am
“My vote will go to the candidate who does these things:
1 commissions, listens to and enacts independent research into what changes of policy and structure are required
2 seeks to bring together all strands of liberal opinion in both team and policy
3 reaches out to those of other political persuasions and none where we have common interest”
In that case I can recommend Tim Farron to you. In my experience he is inclusive, honourable and conciliatory.
@Sid Cumberland
“I’d be worried about a leader who puts his personal religious beliefs before his liberal principles.”
Quite right. As a committed Christian I hold views on how I should live MY life, as someone with a liberal outlook I want people to make their own decisions and the law to restrict them only where necessary. There is no compulsion in my faith and I have no right to make others follow my belief’s or world view. I was horrified when some MP’s, of all parties, voted against equal marriage because of their own religious views.
Yes, Tim does worry me that he is so evangelical regarding his Christianity, and weak on secularism and LGBT issues. But then again, as I am assuming that the our fightback will end up being largely regionally focused, around the South West of England to be specific, I can see how his relative conservatism might stand us in good stead.
At the moment, it is Norman Lamb for me by a long way, but we are talking about the best Leader for our party moving forward, we should remain as open minded and objective as possible in deciding who should take on that massive responsibility.
Oh dear. There seem to be very good reasons for not voting for Norman and also some question marks over Tim. How to decide ?
mpg – how is Tim’s attitude towards secularism weak? Do you have something specific in mind? I’ve tried to find something online without success. Does he , for example, want to keep bishops in the Lords? Oppose disestablishment?
Although I am a firm atheist and humanist I will be voting for Farron. Clegg was an atheist and look where that got us (including an increase in faith schools). The party needs radical change or it will die.
We need someone of evident intellect who is a persuasive and engaging speaker. A leader who projects a strong image.
Unfortunately the field is very limited and we are in danger of being eclipsed by more charismatic personalities from other parties. Lamb, who was widely recognised as a competent minister, has the advantage of speaking from experience; Farron may have other advantages, but could be too readily dismissed as lightweight.
With Labour inevitably tacking to the right, to be distinctive we have to be more identifiably Liberal. This will not be too easy since out of office Labour tends to keep its authoritarian tendencies under wraps.
Both candidates have an opportunity to display their abilities to communicate and their Liberal credentials, both have a lot to prove.
One disadvantage of having only 8 MPs is that the leadership pool is very small. I think Farron has far more potential than Lamb to inspire and lead in the present circumstances, but share the concern about his putting his religiosity at the centre of his vision of a liberal Britain. In the world as it is today, this is a big disadvantage. Let’s see how he handles this in the campaign for the leadership. Perhaps he find the right balance between his own private religious beliefs and party policy. Again, given the small number of MPs, it would be important for Farron to give Lamb a significant role both behind the scenes and in public.
It has come to some point when the relatively mild morality of Christianity is seen as a block to an individual’s potential in politics.
We are at a stage when:
Porn and video game addiction leading to ‘masculinity crisis’, says Stanford psychologist
A leading psychologist has warned that young men’s brains are being ‘digitally rewired’ by unprecedented use of video games and pornography
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/porn-and-video-game-addiction-are-leading-to-masculinity-crisis-says-stanford-prison-experiment-psychologist-10238211.html
and working in the sex industry is considered as quite acceptable along with reducing welfare payments to the weakest in society allowing them to be homeless and/or starve.
I cannot believe any one who reads this forum is not aware that the early stages of the end of all great civilizations has been the decline of morality which eventually cannot be reversed and spirals downwards into its eventual destruction.