Simon Hughes has been President of the Liberal Democrats for 21 months. I mention this because he seems to believe we should set arbitrary dates after which a politician should be assessed.
Can anyone name a single innovation that he has introduced in that time? More specifically, can anyone name a single innovation that he has introduced aimed at achieving his election pledge of the Lib Dems’ membership exceeding Labour’s by the end of his tenure this year?
Many of the problems we currently face as a party are rooted in the party’s Federal Executive, the way Hughes chairs it and the way it has ceased to be the co-ordinating body it needs to be. In that respect, the phrase “dismal failure” springs to mind when thinking of Hughes, something not exactly confounded when he gives dumb interviews like this.
Beat me to the membership point. (I wouldn’t know anything about the Federal Executive).
Oh OK. I was a big hughes defender during the leadership campaign but you are bang to rights this time.
Yes, indeed – when I saw the ‘Ming Challenge’ to double our membership announced, I thought, ‘Hmm, that sounds familiar’.
I’d love Simon to have a high-profile job; I like him, when on form he can make the case for us very well. But I’m desperately hoping that, rather than the usual habit of uncontested re-election for Party President, someone challenges him this time. Almost anyone, really, but preferably a woman.
The number of disastrous and undemocratic initiatives he’s announced is only mitigated by his complete inability to follow through on them.
Hear hear, Alex.