To comment on the performance of the leader of a political party – a person at the top of their game – requires gravitas, oodles of political knowledge and skill, and a good few decades experience of politics under your belt.
I have none of these things, so as I look back on Menzies Campbell’s first year as Liberal Democrat leader I can write only from the perspective of a party foot-soldier. What follows are my personal reflections on the leadership, and what it means to me – I don’t expect or consider it to have any particular weight.
First, to put this whole thing in context – how important is the leader to me personally, as a party supporter? Day to day – not very. Our paths aren’t likely to cross any time soon, and the only time I much care what he says or does is when I’m watching the TV news, or when there’s a major debate in Parliament.
Standing at the side of a conference room in Local Government House a year ago, it all seemed much more important – and personal. I’d supported one of Menzies Campbell’s rivals. A party activist sidled up to me. “Do you know who’s won?” he asked “Yep”, “And?”, “No great surprise” …… “Oh no, not MING?”.
And so it went throughout the day – ‘Ming? Really?’ Privately, never said aloud, I was expecting Chris Huhne to squeak through. On the day the result was declared I was disheartened, but I set about doing my volunteer duty on the party’s website – scrubbing out pictures of Charles Kennedy, airbrushing in Menzies Campbell. It took months for Menzies Campbell to win me, a pretty regular joe-soap supporter, around. There was no road to Damascus moment – what won it for me was the delivery of much needed stability to the party. For a short while I was grateful to him for bringing an end to a turbulent period. Now a year has passed since he was elected, and my less grateful mind is preoccupied with a different thought – “is that everything you’ve got?”
Liberal Democrats will hear two words often over the next few days – ‘Annus Horribilis.’ The general consensus is that we’ve had happier times, better years.
London free-sheet London Lite and other tabloid rags are publishing new rumours surrounding Charles Kennedy.
As the Westminster Parliament returns for business, 50% of people who answered a Liberal Democrat Voice poll said they would like to see Charles Kennedy back on the Liberal Democrat front bench within a year. A further 27% would like to see him back in the next two to five years. 24% of those polled said he should never return.
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