Ten instant reactions to Ming's resignation

This was pretty much inevitable.  The combination of terrible opinion poll ratings and Brown's decision to delay an election until at least 2009 gave the LibDems the opportunity to oust a leader who had failed to connect with the public.

It's odd that Ming hasn't appeared in public.  Perhaps he hasn't resigned but the men in sandals have him tied up in the basement of Cowley Street!  As Ben Brogan says: "Show us the body"!

The FT blog is describing Ming as a "broken man".  Don't feel too sorry for him, however.  He was ruthless in ousting Charles Kennedy.  If he hadn't jumped he would have been pushed.  Hardly any MPs had come to his public defence in recent days.

Ming was a big Tory asset.  Anyone who wanted the best for David Cameron would have preferred Ming to stay.  The Tories were doing very well in southern marginals.  Guido's Save Ming campaign came too late.

The Kennedy factor. Iain Dale blogs that Charles Kennedy is the only man who can lift the LibDems up to 20%.  I don't agree with that but a Kennedy return would make the contest very interesting.

Clegg is the man.  In my opinion - the LibDems should choose Nick Clegg if they have any sense.  I've worried about him for some time.  Guess who has written this tonight: "He’s articulate, personable, simpatico and modest. He speaks five languages fluently. He’s a proper parliamentarian, equally at ease in committees and on the floor of the house. He’s temperate in his opinions, and courteous to those – like me – who find those opinions risible."?  Answer: Dan Hannan.  Dan knew Clegg when he was an MEP.  He also knew the other leading contender, Huhne.  He writes about both here.

How should Tories react?  We should watch and wait mainly but Clegg, if he was to win and he's the bookies' favourite, will probably save a lot of southern LibDem seats.  That's no reason for Tory panic but it underlines the importance of the Conservatives making progress in the north and Midlands - against Labour.

The manner of the leadership contest will be important.  Many LibDems might object to Clegg's Orange Book tendencies.  It could get ugly.  After dumping two leaders in two years the Libs are certainly looking less nice than they like to pretend.  The LibDem ruling body has already announced the timetable.  The new leader will be in place by 17th December.

This is a big opportunity for the LibDem blogs.  LabourHome failed to take off during the Blair-Brown succession and the Deputy Leadership contest.  Watch LibDemVoice, in particular, and see if it can become the place for LibDem conversation.  It has lacked bite up until now - avoiding a lot of the difficult debates.

Oaten for leader!#*?  Silliest question of the evening: BBC News 24 to Mark Oaten - "Can you rule yourself out?"  Now Oaten as leader would be a dream scenario.

Comments

[Tony Makara]

Oaten and Hughes would be like having Jeremy Thorpe back, if that were possible! Still the Liberals have always been lemmings so anything is possible.

[Realcon]

I don't care who they chose - they are all mad europhiles, just as the public are starting to wake up to the superstate con.

[Shaun Bennett]

Just goes to prove that you can't trust a Liberal Democrat! Sir Ming said that he would last the full term; he promised us faithfully that he would continue in office until the next election when the party would be massacred at the polls.
I for one feel deeply cheated and dissapointed!

[Andrw]

Jeremy Thorpe was only gay. It was only an issue because this was illegal until 1967. Hughes always insisted being straight, which is to his shame. Tatchell was right all along about that.

But Oaten, I cannot resist saying that then the shit would really hit the fan!

(Why does the media feel it cannot relay the allegations, or is it just not necessary?)

[James Burdett]

I think that in the short term the Lib Dem's will suffer for this. I am not so sure that Clegg can bring the Lib Dems ratings up, and I think that blindly assuming that Clegg will get the LD's mojo back is naive. Let us wait and see. If in a year's time the Lib Dems are in the same place in the polls or not a lot better, what do they do for an encore?

[Edison Smith]

I have a lot of respect for Nick Clegg but I simply fail to see how he will be this electoral messiah for the Lib Dems.

And the simple truth is this: If we the Tories are serious about getting into government, it should be neither here nor there who the Liberal leader is. They are the party third.

We should be concentrating on looking up at the electoral Snowdonia that is 2007-09 - as we have for the past couple of weeks - and not down.

As I have said before, Clegg is simply a fresh-faced - but boring - new leader at the head of a policyless party of little consequence.

Arrogance? Maybe, but lets keep our sights trained on Brown and Labour and everything else will take care of itself.

[Graeme Archer]

James Burdett correctly asks: If in a year's time the Lib Dems are in the same place in the polls or not a lot better, what do they do for an encore?

They finish the process that began at the start of the 20th century, and shut up shop for ever. Good.

[Old Hack]

The Lib Dem malaise is much more widespread than merely the issue of leadership.

In philosophy and purpose the Lib Dems remain confused at best.

They are weakened, having lost many Councillors, their footsoldiers.

Their most cherished enemy the Tories are now no longer considered 'nasty' and quite possibly, to the Lib Dems utter horror, their best choice of coalition partner.

The cause of expansion and 'investment' in the public sector has largely been enacted by Labour, to distinctly mixed results.

The old standby of winning by-elections is beginning to fail. Coming second is not good enough.

The Lib Dems are also an ageing party. Many of their natural activists of a younger generation have joined the Greens instead, and more sensible ones have opted for the Conservatives.

It's taken a long while, but the Lib Dems who thrived under Conservative government have lost their way and are in deep decline.

Who would lead this rag-bag and bobtail party?

[One marcus]

With David Cameron moving the Conservatives to the centre ground on many issues and stealing the Lib Dems only identifiable belief on green issues where can the Lib Dems go.

Whoever they appoint they are all as dull as dishwater look as the Young Mr Vince Cable seends me to sleep every time I hear him. After ten years of new Labour people seem to want a change people know the Lib Dems won't form a government so what change could they offer.

[Philip]

The Ed points out that “We should watch and wait mainly but Clegg, if he was to win and he's the bookies' favourite, will probably save a lot of southern LibDem seats.”

While Clegg might make things more difficult, I wonder if he might not such a problem if we:

1) Keep to the centre ‘centre ground’ on David Cameron’s environmentalism, concern for public services, addressing brokenness in society, helping marriage and families and so on. Joe James Broughton pointed out (yesterday at 2218 on the thread about us being 7 points ahead of Labour), that the Lib Dems tend to do better when one of the two main parties is unusually unpopular. If we are sufficiently on the centre ground, then the Lib Dems could be squeezed, whoever is the leader.

2) Point out that we, not the Lib-Dems, are likely to replace Labour thus giving the best chance of the past giving way to the future.

3) Point out the Lib Dems are, or have been and therefore might be, a higher tax and spending party than even Mr Brown’s Labour. Furthermore, as they are consistently EU-phile, and are always soft on crime - they hardly represent an answer to voters’ concerns.

At the same time we can continue with so-called ‘core vote’ issues shared by voters more widely: such as toughness on crime, on the EU, on reducing the size of the state and reducing tax.

[Happy Tory]

Yes, this shouldn't be about personality or leadership. The basic point is that there is no basic point to the Lib Dems anymore. But there is no room for complacency on our part. Ever. We've worked hard to take the ground we have taken, and we've got to continue to attract a broad range of people who in the past would have voted Lib Dem, particularly the floaters. This is where the work that DC has done in making our party generally a bit more soft and fluffy will prove to have been invaluable.

[Opinicus]

Ed
I agree with most of your analysis but not with your conclusions.
The real risk is Clegg. The dream candidate is that federast Huhne, (excluding Oaten who would be a completely different kind of dream and not even the LDs are that stupid).

Therefore Tory strategy in the next six weeks must be to make Clegg less likely and Huhne more likely. We need to give the LDs political space and air to breathe which has been squeezed out of them this last 3 months - or the illusion of it. That means we must move rapidly to close off space for Clegg and leave more room for Huhne.

This brings forward the need, which I have blogged elsewhere on this site, of following up the conference success with some radical right initiatives in the public services to prevent Clegg and the orange bookers offering the electorate that which it craves most - public service delivery reform and also anything tempting to the media (not of course to the public) on the constitution.
This means Education vouchers and something on direct democracy (referenda). We have only days now to outflank Clegg on this: making Huhne the "clear orange water candidate" (to borrow a phrase) and Clegg a me-too choice.

If we don't act now we will regret it over the next 18 mths as we play catch up to Clegg in the undignified way that Brown has had to play catch up to us. But Brown is the PM, whereas we were 11 points behind three weeks ago.

[Simon R]

I don't think there's as much to worry about as it seems. As someone who dips in and out of news and current affairs, I have never heard of Nick Clegg before the rumours started surrounding Campbell's leadership. He will spend the next few years just trying to get himself known. Ming at least had a profile.

[A Kennedy]

Having just watched Simon Hughes on Newsnight - there was definitely an air of "White Coats Flapping". There were times I thought he was morphing into Tony Benn.

[Tru Lib]

Although Clegg has his personal brand of Euro-fanaticism, he is not totally daft. Like Cameron, he claims to want the EU to function better and regain trust. He is against the original EU constitution and for a referendum.

According to the Times, his personal baggage is espousing an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Quite sure that the regardless of leader, LibDims will survive on their staple diet of content-free politics, with slogans such as 'Winning here', 'Making a difference' (yawn...)

[Tony Makara]

I just read the Guardian article beefing up Nick Clegg. Interesting how they are promoting him as some sort of intellectual powerhouse. Even trumpeting the fact that he can speak five languages fluently. Well, as someone who knows quite a bit about languages I can assure Conservative Home readers that what passes for fluent these days is not quite what it might seem. To become properly fluent in a foreign language takes a very long time and most people are fortunate if they have the time to develop fluency in one foreign language let alone five. The lesson is, always be sceptical when people claim to be fluent in many languages.

When I lived in Europe I came across many people who claimed to be fluent in English yet their vocabulary was clearly limited to about 300 key words. When first hearing them speak they sounded impressive but then after looking beyond the initial flurry of hearing them speaking English it was obvious that their wasn't any depth to their vocabularly. I think the same will be found of Nick Clegg, anyone digging a little deeper into his politics will find that there is nothing there, he is just another poliican without substance.

[Neil Reddin]

Not the best timing for LibDems hoping to make an impact on voters via any good media exposure: the new leader will be announced on the 17th December, just a week before Christmas.

[Letters From A Tory]

As a Conservative supporter I'm gutted that Ming has gone because he never put up any fight when Cameron starting chipping away at the Lib Dem voters. A more dynamic and savvy Lib Dem leader might start pulling a few voters back. If only Ming could have held on six months longer!

[James Maskell]

We need to campaign for Oaten. Who is this Webb guy? Never heard of him before. Im guessing ITV were looking for a third contender so picked him from a hat...

As I said on a previous thread, HUghes and Cable knew exactly what was happening. The letter was a polite gesture by Ming to try and ensure party unity. Ming could have slammed them for their comments undermining his leadership but instead he has made the right (for them, not us) decision.

[John Ionides]

It amuses me that LibDem Voice has a poll running which completely excludes the possibility that any of their own MPs had anything to do with ejecting Ming. It was all the media's fault, obviously, and nothing at all to do with the fact that a whole load of their parliamentarians risked loosing their seats ...

[David Lindsay]

There is now (indeed, there has long been) a gap in the market for a party which genuinely represents the views of people in places like the North of Scotland, the South of Scotland, Mid-Wales, the West Country, and such pockets elsewhere as Berwick, and North Norfolk.

The Eurofederalist, anti-family, pro-crime and pro-drugs Lib Dems were never that party, any more than the Eurofederalist, anti-family, pro-crime and pro-drugs Cameroons (including the Blairobite insurrectionists within New Labour) could ever be that party.

And isn't it grand how the two frontrunners to succeed Ming both went to the same public school?

[Sean Fear]

Andrew, Jeremy Thorpe was tried for conspiracy to murder, and although found Not Guilty, the trial revealed plenty of skeletons in his cupboard.

But we need to launch a campaign for the Lembit Leadership. Lembit as Leader, John Hemming as Deputy, is the dream ticket.

Perhaps someone could get a campaign up and running on Facebook.

[Andrew Bradley]

Cant we start a campaign please for Simon Hughes to become leader. Absolutely agree with A Kennedy that he reminds me of Wedgie Benn- its in the eyes - the distant look. Or perhaps Steve Webb could be championed.

I do think that Nick Clegg will be a definite electoral asset to them and anyone who doubts that is not living in the real world. It would particularly help them in the south where we could take a good number of seats from them including Huhne.

However would the beard and sandals brigade prefer the 'green' Huhne - lets hope so.

[Graham D'Amiral]

The problem for the lib dems is in my view much more than that Sir Menzies Campbell failed to connect with voters, it's that the two party system has brutally reasserted itself and squeezed the liberals out of the picture.

It has been an incredibly good last couple of weeks for David Cameron, a terrific conference, popular policy announcements, terrific opinion polls, widely credited with giving Gordon Brown the worst commons beating in 25 years as an MP, helped of course by some shockingly bad decisions from the prime minister, only yesterday Trevor Kavannah wrote in the Sun that Mr Brown was "a dead man walking", now the liberals reduced to a state of panic by their own dire poll ratings have kicked out yet another leader.

[Yet Another Anon]

The Liberal Democrats are now in a similar crisis to that of the late 1980s, they managed to hold on to most of their seats in 1992 - it's quite possible they will do so again, it's about them holding onto gains they have made mainly rather than actually advancing at all.

[Bexie]

The Dim Libs have always been the refuge for the scoundral who does not have the intellectual honesty to join the socialists outright.

Despite their claim to "liberalism" Mrs Thatcher was the true inheritor of Gladstone's mission, especially after the Liberal Party as such self destructed.

The SDP largely consisted of the old labour types who could not stand the direction that Labour was heading and that on the whole the result is that when in power the LD's are more centralising more command economy than Labour, and when out of power they just go along with what ever Labour says.

Add to this their generally reprehensible record on campaign tactics and you can see they really are an appalling lot.

Good riddence to the lot of them.

[William Norton]

Sean Fear:But we need to launch a campaign for the Lembit Leadership. Lembit as Leader, John Hemming as Deputy, is the dream ticket.

I can see the thinking, but I have this nagging fear that a Limpet strategy might backfire horribly. He could surprise us with hitherto unsuspected depths. To be absolutely safe and sure that we'd buried the swine we have to row in behind Sarah Teather.

[Jaz]

Clegg should win;

He looks and sounds seriously lightweight compared to Huhne. Cameron will bulldoze clegg with the "serious option". Huhne could cause us some issues, it could perhaps make D.C. look lightweight.

[Comstock]

Just been reading Ming's letter of resignation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7046010.stm

I wonder what he meant by "I am convinced that the internal structures of the party need radical revision if we are to compete effectively against Labour and the Conservatives."?

[William Norton]

Comstock: I think Ming means "unless we can devise a method for shutting up the beard-and-sandals lot and ditch the cloudcuckooland policies we're roadkill".

[Bridget]

I think the wey he has been treated is disgusting. Clearly he has been a victim of bullying. I think he did have charisma and that he is a genuinely nice guy. The significant members of his party that created this campaign of blatant ageist bullying should be named and shamed. I feel really sorry for the bloke.

I am also a bit annoyed with my party for not making a stance. Ok he's a LIBDEM, but he is also. in a way a colleague. Ming has been bullied and I think it is a damn shame. I would have appreciated if the other two major parties would have spoken out against the disgusting way he has been treated. But, maybe we're all just a bit too self-obsessed for such a kind gesture.

[Bridget]

I think the wey he has been treated is disgusting. Clearly he has been a victim of bullying. I think he did have charisma and that he is a genuinely nice guy. The significant members of his party that created this campaign of blatant ageist bullying should be named and shamed. I feel really sorry for the bloke.

I am also a bit annoyed with my party for not making a stance. Ok he's a LIBDEM, but he is also, in a way a colleague. Ming has been bullied and I think it is a damn shame. I would have appreciated if the other two major parties would have spoken out against the disgusting way he has been treated. But, maybe we're all just a bit too self-obsessed for such a kind gesture.

[Northernhousewife]

I do not know what to wish for. Clegg looks the part but I have never been particularly impressed by him. Can't see him hacking it at PMQs. He has a tendancy to look premanently embarrassed.
Huhne would come out with the looney-tune stuff we love from the LibDems but he can sell it better than it merits and he will keep his party happier.
Of course, everyone said Ming was a threat to the Tories because he looked and sounded like an old Tory himself, but it doesn't appear to have reassured "middle England". I know Clegg speaks with a southern accent but you are not all that shallow are you? Clegg has serious baggage -immigration/Europe/a party that likes to tax.
Just like Ming, he will have to tack to the left to keep them happy.
I think we have to get on with doing our own job, making our agenda clear and staying calmly by our man [whatever the polls say in the next few weeks] and rest in the safe knowledge that, like the Iraq war, if LibDems come up with the right answer, it will be entirely accidental.

[Richard Calhoun]

How should the Tories react??

By not becoming overly aware of the Libdems!!

What is needed is radical policies for our country that Brown will not be able to copy or match!
1/ Flat tax, taking earnings up to £15000 out of income tax
2/ Referendum on the Union
3/ Policies on direct democracy