As trailed by Lib Dem Voice last week (but missed by us yesterday: sorry) the I’m4Ros site has gone live today – you can find it here. We will, of course, cover the party president campaign launches of any other candidates as they occur. Or should that be if they occur. As yet, there’s no sign of a campaign from other touted candidates.
If there is no contest, and Ros wins nem con, it will see the continuation of a relatively recent tradition of acclaiming rather than electing our party presidents. In each of the first four presidential ballots of the post-merger Lib Dems, in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994, there was a contested election: the winners were, respectivaly, Ian Wrigglesworth, Charles Kennedy twice, and Bob Maclennan. But since then the post has been contested only once, in 2004, when Simon Hughes bested Lembit Opik.
Nominations of course opened only yesterday, 1st September, so there’s still plenty of time for other candidates to step forward.
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20 Comments
If there actually is an election for the Lib Dem presidency, does anyone know when the contest and voting would take place?
Lots of people seem very keen on Ros. Why is this? I couldn’t find much on her website (although it does look good). Is she just a lovely person, a hard worker, or what? Why is she great?
I don’t know James – a lot of people seeme to be supporting her without any real idea what she stands for. I’ve a fairly high opinion of her having come across her a few times when working for ALDC so I probably wouldn’t take much persuading.
I think she is well supported because she has spent quite alot of time over recent months, going around local parties and talking to ordinary members.
She comes across as very genuine and easily approachable.
She’s probably well supported because many people think a) She’d be good at the job, with the time and energy to do it well
b) we don’t need an MP in this role c) we need more high profile women spokepeople and d) one of the other rumoured candidates is a certain Welsh MP.
Eldoc,
Nominations close on 24 September, ballot papers are expected to be issued on 13 October, close of ballot on 7 November…
James/Hywel,
I’m not going to add to the comments above, tempting though it may be :-), except to indicate that her recent Liberator article is available if you’re interested (there’s a link from the website), and to confirm that a manifesto will be launched later in the campaign…
There was a lot of speculation that Lembit Opik might stand. However I suspect Ros will walk all over him.
I suspect that the kind of campaign Ros has run up until now may have scared other potential candidates off, and she is likely to be elected unopposed.
There doesn’t seem to be any reason why an ABR ( anyone but Ros ) candidate would stand just for the sake of it knowing that they had no chance of winning, as she doesn’t seem to have any real enemies if you like, and a serious candidate would need to have been running a decent campaign for the last year the way Ros has in order to have any chance of beating her and that ain’t happened.
Does anybody know if John Smithson is planning to stand?
She is a Woman, she isn’t an MP and has clearly done industrial quantities of ground work at the grass roots. Thats why I intend to ote for her despite never having met her.
Hey – she’s got a Welsh version of her website – that’s good enough for me!
Da iawn wir, Ros!!
Yes, she came to Tunbridge Wells and went down very well indeed.
“except to indicate that her recent Liberator article is available if you’re interested (there’s a link from the website)”
Probably done enough to convince me 🙂
Has anyone asked Lembit if he is actually going to stand?
I continue to believe that the Party President should be the voice of the membership and see little virtue in a Baroness over an MP. It should be a jobbing activist.
Martin Land says a jobbing activist should be the President.
Firstly this is how Ros rose from ordinary member of the public, to a member, Cllr Leader and peer in 10 years!
Second point most jobbing activist either have work or are retired and may not have the energy to run a large federal political party. While Ming done a great job, he was in very good shape for any age group and that is why he represented the country at the Olympics.
I will end with this last point. The jobbing activist, who is this person? You may not agree with the roles of the current candidates, but you can’t vote for someone who isn’t their. Though, if asked I could make the time…
Lembit will stand. I’ve heard it on good authority.
Me too. He said he’d stand.
Ah, same source. Must be true then!