Streathamite
ideological dogmatist
I still have "I've been kissed by peter Tatchell" badges, as put out by the (then) Liberalsnino_savatte said:
And Kennedy is down.
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Streathamite
ideological dogmatist
HUH?stirring up homophobia to win a by-election is in his favour?tobyjug said:Surely that is something in his favour.
are you mad?
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
Red Jezza said:I still have "I've been kissed by peter Tatchell" badges, as put out by the (then) Liberals
I don't think Hughes will win, he is too shambolic and has a fair number of enemies. I think they will have Campbell as a temporary, one-election compromise and then head off rightwards as most of their marginals are against the Tories. If you look at the political compass site, the Lib Dems German equivalent, the FDP are classed as right of the German Conservatives, the CDU. (Though probably not their more socially conservative partner the CSU)
Already, in areas in Britain where the Lib Dems do not stand and Greens do, the Greens pull over a good percentage of the left liberal voters, the rest going to the Tories or Labour. The danger of the current situation for the Greens is that rightward moving lib dems may pull the whole political spectrum in Britain rightwards, including the Greens (narrow defeat of the eco-socialist principal speaker candidate Derek Wall showing the right has already a fair, though challengeable hold on leading positions in the Party). The glass half full way of looking at it is that with three main parties emphatically on the centre right there is even more space for the development of left alternatives.
Already, in areas in Britain where the Lib Dems do not stand and Greens do, the Greens pull over a good percentage of the left liberal voters, the rest going to the Tories or Labour. The danger of the current situation for the Greens is that rightward moving lib dems may pull the whole political spectrum in Britain rightwards, including the Greens (narrow defeat of the eco-socialist principal speaker candidate Derek Wall showing the right has already a fair, though challengeable hold on leading positions in the Party). The glass half full way of looking at it is that with three main parties emphatically on the centre right there is even more space for the development of left alternatives.
Streathamite
ideological dogmatist
....especially as kennedy himself first got his nomination, and then his seat, owing to a really nasty anti-abortion campaign he ran.Isambard said:
and you - a socialist - are even thinking iof voting for this lot?
I already do mate 
I vote in rural Somerset where the chances of Respect sweeping the board are thinner than Hughes's closet door. Allegedly.
If that looks too libellous, please report and get it deleted, I'm off to the gym to work of some agression and cruise the blokes.
I vote in rural Somerset where the chances of Respect sweeping the board are thinner than Hughes's closet door. Allegedly.If that looks too libellous, please report and get it deleted, I'm off to the gym to work of some agression and cruise the blokes.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
have fun! 
Streathamite
ideological dogmatist
jesus I didn't know that insider titbit hat reached as far as you!Isambard said:I already do mate
If that looks too libellous, please report and get it deleted, I'm off to the gym to work of some agression and cruise the blokes.
(btw, you can bracket m'lud Alton with him).
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
greenman said:I don't think Hughes will win, he is too shambolic and has a fair number of enemies. I think they will have Campbell as a temporary, one-election compromise and then head off rightwards as most of their marginals are against the Tories. If you look at the political compass site, the Lib Dems German equivalent, the FDP are classed as right of the German Conservatives, the CDU. (Though probably not their more socially conservative partner the CSU)
Already, in areas in Britain where the Lib Dems do not stand and Greens do, the Greens pull over a good percentage of the left liberal voters, the rest going to the Tories or Labour. The danger of the current situation for the Greens is that rightward moving lib dems may pull the whole political spectrum in Britain rightwards, including the Greens (narrow defeat of the eco-socialist principal speaker candidate Derek Wall showing the right has already a fair, though challengeable hold on leading positions in the Party). The glass half full way of looking at it is that with three main parties emphatically on the centre right there is even more space for the development of left alternatives.
Isn't Hughes known in journalistic circles as "The Late Simon Hughes" because of his notoriety for lateness?
Isambard said:
maybe he is, but he has a well deserved reputation as a constituency MP.
nino_savatte said:
among some of his constituents as well. I saw him turning up 20 minutes before the end of a 2 hours meeting.
Isambard said:I already do mate
If that looks too libellous, please report and get it deleted, I'm off to the gym to work of some agression and cruise the blokes.
I have a vague memory of it having been mentioned in the Southwark News. apparently some bloke had moved in his house because his wife had thrown him out IIRC and, as he has never married, tongues started wagging.
tell us if you meet hughes as you go cruising.
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
guinnessdrinker said:
In that case, he's the ideal leader for the Lib Dems.
Isambard said:Bermondsey.
He went straight, for Tatchell's jugular.
Wow - this is a personal record for me: Found a newspaper story on the internet which was written in 1983!!!
Anyway, I guess you are talking about this:
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/byelections/story/0,11043,1045642,00.html
Streathamite
ideological dogmatist
yup - but what that report mysteriously failed to mention was that that was the most dirty, and most homophobic by-election ever.
it was awful
the one good thing to come out of it, was that it turned a dilettante activist into one of the most courageous, principled, and (sorry) indefatigable campaigners I have ever known.
Peter tatchell is too damn good for the voters of bermondsey.
it was awful
the one good thing to come out of it, was that it turned a dilettante activist into one of the most courageous, principled, and (sorry) indefatigable campaigners I have ever known.
Peter tatchell is too damn good for the voters of bermondsey.
Zinedine*
Well-Known Member
Kid_Eternity said:
My reaction is fairly typical, although the party is a strange one. Where I live we are fairly left wing but when I went to a constiuency during the election just 20 minutes away it seemed like another party.
The media, like many of the public have never really had any interest in Liberal Democrats. Because of this lack of interest they have proved to be clueless about our party. So don't listen to what the media are saying. Because of their lack of understanding and their laziness they are prepared to swallow whatever the leadership say.
I would guess that quite a large proportion of our members were former members or supporters of the big two parties. With the ex-labour lot being the most active of the two. Remember, there was a bit of an exodus from the Lib Dem party membership to Labour when Blair became leader. The current Liberal Democrats have a very different make up to the old Liberal/SDP coallition.
The divide in the Lib Dems isnt so much old liberal and old SDP, but a clear left-right split. When accused of being left wing, Kennedy spouted loads of stuff about left and right not being of relevance in modern day britain. The media just assumed that he said this to purely to keep soft tory voters on our side(they basically wsallowed what the leadership said without questioning). The main reason, in my opinion was to try and keep the party united and not to expose the split.
Both Kennedy and Ashdown were pretty much centre ground and could unite the party. there is no one there to do this this time. I think the Lib Dem leadership are trying to portray Campbell as being this man, but I feel many party members are worried that he has been flirting with the devils a bit too much. He may not be as rabid as the Orange Book brigade but is clearly to the right of both Ashdown and Kennedy. Ashdown was seen as too right wing by many members and was probably more popular with the public than with his own members.
The leadership do not have a clue about the party members (except for Kennedy which is why he was so popular). They think Ming will walk it, but It won't be that simple. This will be a Left- Right contest to an extent, how far it goes will be interesting. The media seem to swallow the fact that campbell has it made and a left candidate cant win, but this really does depend on how the debate develops. There is a big chance that this election will seen as important to the ideological direction of our party (Kennedys election was more about personality). If this is the case, the left could easily win as its the left that is in majority (within the grassroots party, definatly not within the parliamentary party).
The only problem is Simon Hughes. He desperatly wants to be leader and is popular amongst activists. But, many are wary of him. Don't believe all this rubbish (again which the media have swallowed) about Hughes not announcing his decision yet because he has to set up the workings of the election as president. The left are trying to see if there is a more credible candidate- If Jenny Tonge was still an MP, I would expect she would be in the running.
Just a hunch but I have a feeling we could see Evan Harris standing. very unlikely, but this delay is pointing towards the fact that Hughes may not stand.
tobyjug said:Surely that is something in his favour.
what's wrong with thatchell?
Isambard said:Lefty poof and I think he was / is "foreign".
Not representative of an inner city constituency at all then!
and a conscientious objector, I believe he refused to the national service in Australia.
And of course as far as the Labour Party establishment was concerned he was "wrong" becasue he was selected by the local party rather than imposed from above.
Rather than standing fimr against the DIRTIEST EVER election campaign from Simon Huges they let it stand as a "reason" why candidates should be imposed from above: And look at the Blairite clones we now have in Westminster!
Rather than standing fimr against the DIRTIEST EVER election campaign from Simon Huges they let it stand as a "reason" why candidates should be imposed from above: And look at the Blairite clones we now have in Westminster!
tobyjug said:
in what way is he a very shite human being?
tobyjug said:
why? what has he done to you?
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
tobyjug said:
Yeah, I'd like to know why too. I'm not Tatchell's number one fan but what has this man done to deserve your hatred?
Streathamite
ideological dogmatist
I don't think you can be an effective campaigner - at the level which he operates at - without being one. regrettably, them's the rules now.Isambard said:
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