Britannist

The europhile Liberal Dims seem to be more worried at losing votes to Labour than to anti-UKIP Cameron's 'green' 'liberal' Conservatives:

Clear evidence that Sir Menzies Campbell, leader of the europhile Liberal Dims, is more concerned about Labour taking votes from his party than ‘liberal Conservative’ David Cameron.

In his first annual conference speech as leader of the Liberal Dim party on 21.9.2006, Sir Menzies mentioned Labour 12 times, Blair/the Prime Minister 12 times, David Cameron 7 times, the Conservatives 5 times and Gordon Brown 5 times. He mentioned his own party 23 times.

It is clear that the Liberal Democrats have a greater fear of losing the anti-Iraq ‘war’ protest vote back to Labour (when the discredited Blair finally pushes off) than they do losing support to the Cameron-led Conservatives.

Cameron spent the first half of this year describing himself as a ‘liberal Conservative’. In April 2006 he verbally attacked the anti-EU UK Independence Party but has never made a public criticism of the europhile Liberal ‘Democrats’ (LD) nor of any other supporters of the EU. The Cameron team had been hoping to win over people who had voted for Liberal Dims last time by David Cameron playing up his own ‘liberal credentials’ – but opinion polls show that there has been no real shift of support.

Speaking on Andrew Neil’s LD Conference coverage on BBC 2 Television on 21.9.2006 at 12.52 pm, George Jones, the pro-Cameron political editor of the Daily Telegraph, said “The LD party are firmly to the left of ‘new’ Labour. All the questions about the age and abilities of Sir Menzies Campbell could well return if Gordon Brown becomes Labour leader next year when David Cameron will be more self-assured (as Conservative leader).”

Catherine McLeod of the The Herald newspaper (Glasgow) said on Andrew Neil’s LD Conference coverage at 12.53 pm on 21.9.2006 “The substance wasn’t there (in Campbell’s speech to the LD annual Conference). It didn’t light any fires. We’ve got to wait until next year for policy.”

Tom Bradby, correspondent, said on ITV 1 Television news at 1.50 pm on 21.9.2006 (of the deposed leader of the LD party) “Charles Kennedy’s speech (at the LD Conference) was not as good as people thought it was going to be.”

* The Guardian newspaper commented on 16.9.2006 on the leadership of the europhile Liberal Dims of Sir Menzies Campbell (extracts) “It has been a bruising year for the Lib Dems: a painful change of leader enlivened only by the pantomime farce of tabloid sex scandals, disappointing May local election results, a shaky poll standing and a new leader who has yet to make his mark on the public. Add in the revival in Tory support and it becomes obvious why the Lib Dems are almost grateful that Labour's internal difficulties have left them invisible over the summer. Ming Campbell is many of the things that in his bad moments his predecessor Charles Kennedy was not: hard-working, disciplined, approachable. He has the flaws of a successful lawyer. Lawyers are cautious. Dullness is a selling point. Selling a political party takes the skills of an evangelist, not an insurance salesman. After seven months, there are still more voters dissatisfied than satisfied with his leadership.”