The race for the leadership: who’s in, who’s not

Here’s the current position as I understand it, with links where I have them.

Declared:

Chris Huhne
John Hemming

Actively considering:

Nick Clegg
Steve Webb

Unlikely:

Charles Kennedy

Ruled out:

Vince Cable
Ed Davey
Lynne Featherstone
Julia Goldsworthy
Simon Hughes
Susan Kramer
David Laws

(For those interested, the current betting prices can be found here.)

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34 Comments

  • Hemming for Leader? Well, lets see how far below 11% we can go…

  • If John gets it we don’t need to guess how far downwe can go. Just place a big fat 0% in the Lib Dem coloumn and that won’t be far off…God save us from people like this, what is he thinking and why is anyone listening to him??!!

  • Winning Here 17th Oct '07 - 6:24pm

    Having just written by blog on this situation, I then find almost all my “hopefuls” have rules themselves out!

    I’d prefer a race, not a coronation, and I trust that if we have to have this contest (and I would have preferred Ming to have stayed), let us hope and pray it is not John Hemming!

  • Well, I posted this to the previous thread, but it seems that nobody is reading it, anymore.

    http://bloggers4steve.blogspot.com/

    http://libdems4chris.wordpress.com/

    – Where’s the site for bloggers supporting Nick Clegg?

  • I genuinely cannot believe that John Hemming will secure the seven (is that correct?) MPs he needs to back his candidature. Didn’t he do this last time, and no-one ended up backing him? Shame about Julia not standing. I guess it’s a straight Huhne v Clegg battle.

  • BTW, I wonder which five MPs (so far) have supported Hemming?

  • I just heard on the Channel four news that Nick Clegg will “launch his campaign on Friday”, which seems to imply that it is near certain that he will announce his candidacy. All I can say to that, is thank goodness! If it was just the other two, I would just jump the sinking ship and leave the Lib Dems.

  • I am not a member of Liberal Democrat Party and therefore you are perfectly entitled ignore anything I write but as someone who is stuck at home/has broadband/is interested in history and politics, I spend alot of time surfing the webb. I read recently that the LibDems were the party least likely to blog. Perhaps you should change that? I have spent the day looking at the blogs of ordinary people [not the great and those that think they are good who are frequently full of rubbish that they later disown] and have been struck by the same theme that comes up again and again [NOT the one that says that you are dead in the water – which I do not accept] but the one where countless people are crying out for a clearly defined left of centre party which will hold Labour to account and in the event of a hung Parliament keep them in line. However I gather your favoured candidate is a right leaning Tory lookie-likie. I don’t get it. The cry on the webb is “that is all we need, another right of centre of party. If you don’t believe me, get blogging.

  • Hmm, of the possible female candidates only Sarah Teather hasn’t ruled herself out yet.

  • Is Evan Harris ruled out?

  • It’s official now, Clegg will be running for leadership.

    “The battle for the Liberal Democrat succession was shaping up as home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg announced he would launch his campaign on Friday.”

    source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20071017/tuk-clegg-and-huhne-enter-lib-dem-race-6323e80_1.html

  • 14. Sarah Teather has signed up to Nicks facebook Leadersgip page so probably not.

    15. yes he did live on Sky yesterday afternoon.

    18. If so anyone know where I can get a gun….for myself that is!

  • Re 12 et seq, and all this left/right business.

    Newsnight the other night ran two possible Lib Dem adverts, supposedly one leftie and one rightie. Strange thing, I would have been quite happy with both!

    Because – in my view – it is quite possible to support social equality, financial moderation (cannot bring myself to use prudence), social responsibility, human rights, peace, etc etc and be a totally consistent Liberal.

    I have ALWAYS described myself as “socially liberal and fiscally conservative”.

    Not left, nor right, but forward with Liberalism.

  • Cheltenham Robin 17th Oct '07 - 10:08pm

    Have just listened to John Hemming on Doughty street.

    Conclusion – It’s a two horse race around here – a vote for Hemming is a wasted vote.

  • Geoffrey Payne 17th Oct '07 - 10:40pm

    Sal, there is a left wing of the Liberal Democrats and we need people like you to join us.
    In fact if you join the party now, you can have a vote for the leadership.
    From a left of centre perspective I would say there is a lot to be said for the Liberal Democrats, and that will continue even under Clegg’s leadership.
    The best thing to do to find out is to go to Lib Dem conference, which I appreciate is a big step for a non-member. However I was very impressed when I went and someone explained to me how the “Pupil Premium” works, a very progressive policy that rebalances the education system more in favour of children from poorer backgrounds.
    There are right wing “Lib Dem” bloggers who go on about Freidman and Hayek, but I doubt that Clegg will want to encourage that kind of extreme thinking.

  • crewegwyn: I have ALWAYS described myself as “socially liberal and fiscally conservative”.

    What you described, sounded to me more like “socially and economically liberal”. 🙂

  • Big mak, it would seem that for angus penetrating the electorate is much like positioning the lib dems firmly up a cows butt hoping the wind that passes will blow voters our way !

  • derrick chester 18th Oct '07 - 6:27am

    John Hemming says on his web-blog ‘I do have one person other than myself willing to sign my own paper. However, I can see that there is going to be a challenge getting nominated.’ I also learnt from his web-blog that he likes pictures of kittens.
    On a another small matter the Party should still be able to operate effectively during this time and it was a little concerning not to have a speaker at a Westminster Hall debate on arms exports yesterday given that the Party has had lot of distinctive things to say on this topic recently.

  • I have read all your comments with interest and can accept my perspective may be misinformed. Howerver I am rather glad I was wrong about the LibDem tendacy to blog. Political bloggers can be a ferocious breed and any attempt at a discussion seems to decend into insults all too quickly. Had it not been for my ill-informed assumption I

  • ….Sorry pressed the wrong button with my arm!!!….
    I might not have ventured onto your site.
    I will think about all you have kindly taken the time to say. However I believe I read very widely in comparison with most and cannot help feeling that a simpler narrative is already set out and is ready to print.
    You must be aware of what it is and I am really not sure how you can shift it.
    But I wish you well.

  • Poor Ian. I sympathise. I thought I might join up order to vote, but then, I’d have to vote!
    Take consolation in the fact that the big “Whigs” in the party don’t seem to be endowed with any special gifts of forsight on the basis of their past choices.
    Maybe you should just vote the opposite way from them? Aren’t the Lib Dems quite an anti-authoritarian lot! I thought Mr Clegg might have been better not to mention that at his launch, given his apparent annointment.

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