Tim Farron was on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, putting in an other strong performance. What was unusual is that he was on the studio rather than the gorgeous Lake District countryside.
You can watch what he has to say here:
WATCH: @timfarron calls for UK to take in 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees #marr #marrshow – https://t.co/ZSa6syI6cC
— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) April 24, 2016
He talked about the “joyful challenge” of leading the party, of the party’s success in terms of seats and vote share in local government by-elections, of how Labour, “the worst opposition in history” were letting the Tories away with forced academisation of schools, an attack on junior doctors and dismantling all the good things on climate change that Lib Dems had done in Government.
He talked about his main immediate focus – the Commons vote on whether the UK should take 3000 unaccompanied child refugees already in Europe who are currently vulnerable to all sorts of horrors. His challenge to Conservative MPs and ministers was to ask what they would want another county to do if it were there children who were stuck in these camps on their own in devastating circumstances. “The answer is obvious.” he said.
“We need to earn people’s votes” he said. We “can bring a freshness and a decency to serve people in their communities to do what liberals always did but to do it better than ever before.”
It’s good stuff from Tim. My one suggestion for improvement is that he needs to have something that he brings to every interview which states our values and says who we are as a party, to emphasise our planet-saving, establishment-busting, humanitarian, internationalist heart and soul. Richard Flowers had a suggestion when I said this on Twitter.
Local to global, work hard, delivering compassion and hope @caronmlindsay @timfarron
— Millennium Elephant (@millenniumdome) April 24, 2016
There was praise for Tim’s performance from an unexpected source, too:
A rather impressive interview by @timfarron on #Marr.
— Iain Dale (@IainDale) April 24, 2016
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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9 Comments
I’ve just watched Tim Farron on playback. Putting aside the unaccompanied children issue (which, incidentally I support) I thought that his ‘performance’ was much better. At least they had him in the studio and didn’t subject him to the unpredictable british weather as in his recent al fresco appearances. What he said about the position of the Lib Dems was honest and realistic. Whether many were listening is debatable.
Tim Farron is a very fine leader of our party .A terrific man.An effective communicator.
He needs to grow his hair again and slow down a bit !
@ Lorenzo Cherin. I take that as a rather bald statement.
Lorenzo Cherin 24th Apr ’16 – 5:20pm
“He needs to grow his hair again”
I know you have taken exception to some of my own comments previously Lorenzo but that is a very hairist comment 🙂
Just watched the interview. I’d give it 6/10. Not enough on the big national issues. He should have said no when Andrew Marr asked him about going back to 1970s style liberal minority issue politics, but instead he said “they are evidence based”.
Nothing on counter-terrorism when Tim Farron has a strong record on this, nothing on private sector jobs when again Tim Farron and the Lib Dems have a strong record on this.
We had a one line mention of forced academisation, junior doctors and Green issues, but besides that and unaccompanied child refugees, it wasn’t the sort of “elevator pitch” I think the party needs to make to voters. Regards
Unlike Eddie I thought it was timely to focus on a big issue of principle without wrapping it up with “… and there’s another thing … and another …”. Tim is setting a baseline as a party of principle just before a headline vote in Parliament. Well done.
David
Hair hair ! You reveal the truth in the Raw !
Stephen
I take no exception to your views! That is a rather Heskethist comment !
Tim came over much better in the studio. When he’s doing it down the line from Cumbria he tends to stand there nodding his head like Pavlov’s dog, which distracts you from what he’s actually saying.
Tim Farron was on the BBC TV Sunday Politics on 1/5/2016, first interview.