Could Huhne do it?

Christopher Huhne's insurgent campaign to succeed Charles Kennedy looks increasingly powerful (he's now at less than 2/1 according to PoliticalBetting.com.

Today's Telegraph notes how Mr Huhne is making barely cloaked attacks on Ming Campbell's 64 years of age (PoliticalBetting appear to be doing the same with its choice of images - right)...

"One of the things which clearly Menzies has to answer in this is what happens, for example, at the next election if, as people very widely expect, we have a balanced parliament.  Are we going to lose a leader almost immediately? I hope Menzies makes it clear that he would be prepared to lead us into a second general election if that is the case because I think that is crucial."

The Guardian: "Sir Menzies dismissed speculation that he would resign after an initial contest, insisting that - as per Lib Dem rules - he would offer himself for re-election immediately after an expected 2009 poll."

The Times' Tim Hames is unimpressed with the young pretender, however, and his recent repositionings:

"At the start of this year he was widely seen as one of the “Orange Book” brigade — a dedicated party moderniser. Since then he has had more flip-flops than Bournemouth beach at the height of summer.  He has called for a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, a stance which is risky to the threshold of reckless, and implicitly criticised Sir Menzies for advising Charles Kennedy against speaking alongside Tariq Ali, Tony Benn and George Galloway at an anti-war rally. He was a supporter of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, but now that such notable pacific nations as Iran and North Korea are after the bomb he suggests it would be safe to downgrade to the military equivalent of a peashooter. He is a serious authority on economics, yet has suddenly obtained a passion for taxing numerous unenvironmental activities and today seems content to “soak the rich” with a new top rate of income tax. For some reason, many of his colleagues detect a whiff of opportunism about his repositioning. A person is, of course, entitled to a “road to Damascus” experience. It should not involve a bypass from political realism. It would not be hard for Tories and Labour to contend that he lacked credibility."

Comments

[Matthew Oxley]

Agree wholehartedly with Tim Hames in what he says. I've noticed Hunhe to very keen to shake off any 'tags' to the point he appears entirely unprincipled. I'm quite dissapointed at somebody who I initially saw as a good orange booker seems to be suffering from the problem of being a Liberal Democrat. Why oh why didn't Nick Clegg stand.

[Graeme Archer]

he does appear to like cats, which apart from making me fonder of him, is bound to appeal to other lib dem voters.

[Graeme Archer]

PS FWIW, I think Huhne's going to walk it. With or without that fat cat.

[Rob Largan]

Yes, look at Huhne, the young go getter, the epitome of modern Britain with his cat.

[William Norton]

Huhne would present us with a major strategic dilemma: do we try to corner the dog vote, or out-bid him for the cat vote?

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

"Huhne would present us with a major strategic dilemma: do we try to corner the dog vote, or out-bid him for the cat vote?"

Adam Rickitt should secure us the bird vote.

[John Hustings]

"Adam Rickitt should secure us the bird vote."

Unfortunately, the majority of "birds" who would like him are too young to vote.

[Graeme Archer]

This is awful - and probably homophobic - but I'm afraid I'd assumed that Adam was gay. Oh lord now I realise that only speaks volumes about me.

[Ted]

DVA

Unfair ...though in a constituency with a high proportion of gay, Coronation Street addicts :-)

[Graeme Archer]

I checked with my cat:

First of all she says that Huhne's cat is a plant -- look how he's yearning to break free - and jump to the right! And the cat's definitely orange; with Chris's verve to the left, that cat needs a new home. (This is her response to William's quandary).

Secondly: she says I should get out more, and not pretend that I know who the Arctic Monkeys are or who Adam Rickets is.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

"This is awful - and probably homophobic - but I'm afraid I'd assumed that Adam was gay. Oh lord now I realise that only speaks volumes about me."

Not really Graeme - he is unmarried and the tabloids have dropped some heavy hints about it. Personally, I don't think it's relevant.

[RobC]

I fear the campaign is sinking to new lows. I hear the News of the World is planning to 'out' the cat. ;-)

[Graeme Archer]

News flash from NOTW:

(*) Adam Rickets says "I'm a popstar, not a childhood disease caused by poor nutrition"

(*) Chris Huhne's cat says: "I've never had a political relationship with THAT candidate"

(*) Graeme's cat says: he's not a popstar, Graeme, he's an actor. Typing "Arctic Monkeys" into google does NOT make you hip enough to comment. On anything.

[Ted]

Graeme - not too far out though an actor Rickets was a wannabe popstar before he decided Parliament was the new BB House.

There is quite a selection of interesting images for his election posters on the net.

Though lightwieght, and definitely not given respect by his fellow panelists, he wasn't as bad as either the Labour or Plaid Cymru people on last weeks QT - a bit of experience fighting a seat in central Newcastle or similiar and he could be a reasonable candidate.

[Richard]

Who is this person again?

[Matthew Oxley]

I'm not too sure the cat is overweight Graeme, I think it's just the way it's sitting.

[Elena]

My opinion of Huhne is that of a "grey" man, with very little personal charisma or appeal. Have you heard him speak? That voice is enough to send anyone off to sleep (in my opinion, anyway). That might be a good thing for the Lib Dems though, as sleeping people can't hear the vote-losing rabid pro-European views of Chris Huhne.

Inexperienced, dull and holding a seat with an exceptionally slim majority, Huhne would be a big mistake for the Lib Dems to make, in my opinion. Then again, I think they're in a bit of a lose-lose situation anyway. Whoever they choose has a mountain to climb.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

"I'm not too sure the cat is overweight Graeme, I think it's just the way it's sitting."

At least we know the cat isn't a lightweight though. Unlike Adam Rickitt.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

"Inexperienced, dull and holding a seat with an exceptionally slim majority, Huhne would be a big mistake for the Lib Dems to make, in my opinion."

I disagree.

Compared with the frail, old, discredited, Scottish Sir Menzies Campbell (with question marks over his health hanging over him) and the shifty, discredited, neosocialist Simon Hughes, Chris Huhne is, electorally speaking, the most dangerous of their leadership candidates.

Paradoxically, Nick Clegg would possibly be the main beneficiary of this, given the likelihood of Huhne losing his seat, unless there are any Liberal Demoprat MPs in safer seats due to be booted upstairs to a cushy seat in the Lords (did somebody say Oaten?), sorry I mean due to retire, who could make way for a chicken-run from Huhne.

[Elena]

When you put it that way, Daniel, I agree with you. I suppose what I was trying to get at in my last post was that the Lib Dems don't have ANY leadership contenders with the same level of popularity or (in my opinion) the vote-winning fortunes of Charles Kennedy. The only one with a bit of life clinging to him is Simon Hughes, and that's only because there's always been a hint of scandal. Hughes would be unlikely to have much impact on the electorate. He may steal some disillusioned Labour voters, but the Tory vote should stay firm. He would be good for us, but I doubt he'll become leader now in light of recent events.

The other two are so mind-numbingly middle of the road that they make Major (as much as I respect his abilities as a politician) seem like a pretty exciting guy. No-one would want to listen to them for longer than a few seconds.

I just think that whoever the Lib Dems choose for leader, they're going to end up losing a fair amount of seats come 2009/10. Clegg is probably the only person in the party at the moment who could achieve success. Thankfully, they haven't chosen him - yet.

[Annabel Herriott]

My cat has just left the computer in disgust. Of course, she is a siamese, and feels that huhns cat is a minging ginger tom.Funny, that, she usually likes watchimg the blogs go up and down. I guess it was the moggy wot dun it.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

The latest YouGov poll shows Chris Huhne well on course to win - he's ahead on first preferences, and second preferences once Simon Hughes is removed.

He's actually going to do it - I have to say, even at this early stage, Huhne's rise from obscurity to the Liberal Demoprat leadership has to be the political story of the year.

Time to start working on our beastly Eastleigh decapitation strategy methinks.

[Mark Fulford]

It's time to start filling his inbox with local constituency problems!