Be Careful What You Wish For

Emerging from an interesting contest with the Tory Party's "pinup" (?) Nadine Dorries I am only just getting my thoughts together on what happened. In Mid Beds even Nadine was worried we would halve her majority (I heard this from two independent sources) and we really thought it was possible. I was even invited to meetings with ex Tory activists who were so disgusted with her they wanted to help me. Everyone was impressed with Nick's performance, everyone seemed up for something different, the polls, even at the last minute seemed to be in our favour. I fully expected to see Bridget Fox, Ed Fordham, Sal Brinton et al, easily elected on Friday morning. I certainly did not expect the shock of Evan Harris, Susan Kramer, Lembit Opik, losing their seats.

So, at some point there will be a post mortem, but not yet. Locally we did at least increase our share of the vote and open up the gap between us and Labour. Right now we have what we wished for, a hung parliament. Interestingly Cameron's dire warnings didn't work, we have what the public wished for, a hung parliament. But now, having had a very idealistic perspective until the early hours of Friday morning, I find myself feeling rather queasy. As others have commented, if we believe in PR we have to believe in coalition governments - so we have to be prepared to work with others.

In principle there are issues I think we could work with the Tories on, in practice I wonder how possible that would be. Cameron has exhibited his characteristic arrogance on the issue of a referendum on PR. He has a place for us all in government, so long as we do as we are told! He will listen to us, so long as we are saying what he wants to hear, as soon as we say we want to make the electoral system fairer - he puts his fingers in his ears and turns his back. He is the Daddy (sorry Richard and Alex!) and we will do as we are told - however much we whine, don't we know that STV cookie is not good for us and we can't have it! Cameron also displayed his approach to partnership working by pulling the eminently reasonable Andrew Lansley out of the cross party talks Norman Lamb instigated on tackling the huge problem of how we pay for care for the elderly. And there is the little matter of the commitment to clean up politics, interestingly he was quick to call for the whip to be taken away from Labour MPs accused of false accounting, but not a murmur about Nadine Dorries?

So do I think we can really do any kind of deal with the Tories? I absolutely accept that Nick has had to talk to them as they do have the biggest share of the vote, but lets not forget, more people voted against them than for them. I accept that there has to be compromise on both sides, but if we are genuinely putting the country first can we really sign up to an approach to tackling the deficit that flies in the face of our policy, that we believe will threaten the future security of the country, not secure it. And the problem, even if we get support on everything except electoral reform (which 62% of us want), we run the risk of being part of what can only be a decidedly insecure government.

So what of the alternative, the "Rainbow" alliance? Clearly with Brown in the loop this is likely to be strangled at birth, and even if he wasn't there it would still be a risky strategy, to be seen to be propping up a Labour government. And would Labour be prepared to curtail and row back their attack on civil liberties? Could we ever sign up to their unenlightened approach to tackling crime and dealing fairly with asylum seekers? What would it look like if we ignored the verdict of the country on this moribund and clapped out government?

Yes, indeed, be careful what you wish for!

So what would I do? You shouldn't have to ask :-)

A Fresh Start 4 You(th)

Last week I took over from Laura Willoughby as chair of the Youth Policy Working Group. Laura has been fantastic, and I feel a bit of an impostor, coming in at the 11th hour to take the work of the group forward, it is a bit like putting the roof on the house and then being able to take credit for the whole house! So big thanks to Laura for everything she has already done, and I hope I will finish the work in a way that she will be proud of.

We had a consultation at Harrogate, but we have also been keen to involve a wider audience than just party activists. As a result we have launched a Facebook site, where anyone can have their say - A Fresh Start 4 You(th). This site will also be advertised in next week's Children and Young People Now so that we get some input from those who work with young people as well as the young people themselves.

One of the highlights of conference for me was the launch of the Coalition for Young People's manifesto (which Simon Hughes drew attention to in the Fresh Start debate). What was particularly gratifying was that so much of what they were calling for was already part of our thinking. Everyone there was delighted to hear from Lembit Opik and Simon Hughes about their personal commitment to support the campaign and I was happy to report that both David Howarth and David Heath had publicly supported the raising of the age of criminal responsibility to 14 (see powerful argument for why we should by Richard Garside here).







We have a lot of Fresh ideas from young people, those who work with them and Lib Dem activists - some will be easy and cost effective to implement, others will need a financial commitment. My argument is, and will always be, we invest to save! If that fails I will have to drop my objection to the idea of talking about "aspirations", after all, we can surely all aspire to all sorts of things now I guess?

So this is your last chance to put in your ten penneth - we need your response asap and at least before the end of October. Even if you have nothing to say, please pass on to those you think may have something to say, particularly young people.

Nick Clegg made it clear in his speech yesterday that the future of our children and young people will remain one of our most important priorities - let's ensure that we take this opportunity to ensure our youth policies have the potential to undo 30 years of Tory and Labour neglect and cynicism.

I look forward to hearing from you!

"What next for Lembit"...........Big Brother?

Having been away for a few days I caught up with the Lib Dem Blogosphere this evening and noticed the speculation about what next for Lembit. This following the day that I awoke to the news that Brian Paddick was to star in I'm a Celebrity. I scoured the posts, expecting them to be full of the news, but very few picked it up and with none of the vitriol clearly reserved for Lembit.

Given the fuss about Lembit's alleged appearance in Big Brother and the concerns that his celebrity status somehow made him a joke, I had, it has to be said, expected more comment about Brian's decision.

Actually, my view is that the success or failure of Brian's decision rests entirely with him. As an ardent anti-war campaigner I had really hoped that George Galloway's appearance on Big Brother may have resulted in opportunities for him to get a powerful anti-war message across. Instead, sadly, he totally punctured his credibility and will forever be remembered not for his anti war stance, or incredible oration.........no, he will be remembered for making a complete **** of himself. So Brian is taking a huge risk. Maybe the money is reward enough for that risk. Maybe he is banking on being elevated to the Lords where he no longer has to run the gauntlet of having to persuade the great unwashed of his worth. Maybe he doesn't really care. Whatever. Despite his infuriating statements about not being a politician et al, I wish him well and hope he will take the opportunity to get across at least something about why he is a Lib Dem and why he believes it is our policies that can ultimately really make a difference to people's lives.

So what about Lembit? Well, the same surely applies? Frankly, given the kick in the teeth he has been given by the party, I wouldn't blame him if he decided to take up the offer on Big Brother. At least then he would have the chance to talk directly to the electorate, rather than spend his time talking to the converted like most of the rest of us.

Lembit's support for Ros

In between house hunting (North Herts fell through) babysitting and charging down to Portsmouth for a meeting, I am late to the post presidential debate. Well done to Ros, regular readers will know that I had a difficult decision about who to back and I have no doubt she will do a great job of representing the activists and implementing the recommendations of the Bones commission. Also it is great to see a little more gender balance within the hierarchy in the party!

For those who missed it I wanted to reproduce Lembit's statement following Ros's victory -


"I congratulate Ros for her clear victory. If Barack Obama had employed Ros Scott as his campaign manager, he'd have won by even more than he did!

As a seasoned local government campaigner Ros has reflected and represented the needs of the Party. Her insights are things which she can now put into practice. I know she will do her absolute best to achieve exactly this.

Chandila Fernando ' the Troubleshooter! ' has impressed a huge number of people with his strategic look at what the Party does well and how it could do better. His outspoken mission to introduce a more professional and externally orientated approach is tremendously valuable and we need to see how best to implement his suggestions.

I thank my team for a clear, honest and genuine campaign. We got on with the job of putting forward our proposition, and what we intend to do for the Lib Dems. We kept it positive and we 'kept it real.' The best way I can pay you back is by living up to your political expectations as we pursue our inspiring agenda within the Party.

As Ros embarks on her role, she can be assured of one thing: my absolute and unconditional support. She will be President and let me make this clear: I'm in her team now.

Personally, it's been a hard year, not least because of the death of a very close friend, David Hamer in August. It knocked me back a lot, especially over summer and there's no point pretending it didnt. It's also made me stronger. I feel more centred, more focussed, more ready to contribute in the public square than ever before. So for me this result is a knock back, but its not a knock out. I will continue to use my skills to my best ability to push the boundaries, and do what I try to do best - taking politics to people who aren't political but who do care.

And in this spirit I'll be working on four areas of policy I feel I have something unique and distinctive to contribute, and on which, since I am not President, I am now free to campaign. These are: promoting serious political engagement in the field of international terrorism, the prescription of hard drugs to recorded addicts, a reassessment of our attitude towards nuclear power and a commitment to positive campaigning. I will also use my profile to engage people in civic society. But no more of this today, because today is not my day. It is the day for the President-elect.

Till January 1st we continue to be guided by President Simon Hughes. He's a great inspiration to the membership, and a great friend to me personally. You've done good mate, and I'm proud to have been your Second in Command.

So now we've got President Obama in America, and President Scott in Britain! Democrats are on the move. He'll make it happen over there. She'll make it happen over here. And as you do Ros, I'm with you all the way."

The Opik Obama Connection.................

Responding to claims in the weekend papers that the campaign to stop MP Lembit Öpik becoming President of the Liberal Democrats “has turned nasty,” Lembit said: “I think we need to calm down a bit here. It seems some fellow Lib Dems have mixed up which Presidential election this is. Well, I’m not running for the Whitehouse! We’re talking about the Presidency of the Liberal Democrats which is important, but it’s not about the leadership of the free world. In that spirit, I wish Mr Obama every success, and I’d like to think that, if he wasn’t so busy at the moment, he’d do the same for me!”

So, what is the connection? Both running for President, both with unusual names beginning with O, and elected, both will be the first Presidents of their respective country/party with a surname beginning with O........something quite symmetrical about that don't you think!!!!

Lembit...........Winning Here!

Greetings from a very wet and cold, but beautiful Stockholm.

Well, the nights are closing in (faster here where it starts getting dark about 3), there are only 54 shopping days to Christmas and only 8 days until we know who will be taking us into 2009 as party President.

Today current party President Simon Hughes made his usual superhuman effort to attend ELDR Congress, having flown over this morning to arrive before 9 and returning this evening. In my time on IRC I have seen him make similar efforts to ensure the party is formally represented both at ELDR and LI congresses. He joined two MEPs but no MPs, a point well observed by Jonathan Fryer.

SImon has taken his term of office extremely seriously. Despite the moans about party membership (an issue I have touched on before and one which we all have a responsibility to own), Simon has, in my view, done a brilliant job. Encouraging the least to the greatest, always giving people time and tirelessly fighting to make our party more representative of the people we seek to represent, calling candidates in by elections to wish them well. No one can and should overlook the importance of those little acts in building and strengthening the party faithful.

So what of Lembit? When he wins next week (and there can be little doubt now that he will), what will he bring to the "party"?

I personally believe he will build successfully on the foundations Simon will leave him. He has the same extraordinary ability to engage with anyone, whether the great and the good, the not quite so great and the not quite so good.......and those who most of us are happier to walk past and ignore. I have seen this in action, out campaigning for Stephen Kearney and out on the streets of London where he dealt with a homeless young woman with such skill and compassion it was an education to observe. That ability to communicate I believe will mean he will be a lynchpin in our future campaigns. He will be the one who "speaks human" who communicates our message in a language those outside our party can understand, who will offer a real prospect of increasing our membership.......a prerequisite to us really "making it happen" and making a reality of our favourite slogan "Winning Here"!!!!!

101 things you never knew about Lembit .........the end!

92 Lembit believes the President’s primary duty is to the Membership.
93 Lembit believes flooding will be the greatest single environmental threat to the UK over the next 10 years.
94 Lembit is a common first name in Estonia.
95 Lembit has no middle name.
96 Lembit’s longest speech in Parliament has been 56 minutes.
97 Lembit had 14 fringe meetings and other speeches in the 2008 Bournemouth Conference – believed to be the second most of any MP.
98 Lembit wants to reduce the voting age to 16.
99 Lembit’s highest break on a full size snooker table is 65.
100 Lembit knew Benazir Bhutto; he says her assassination “leaves a tragic political vacuum which nobody has yet filled.”
101 Lembit once chaired the ethics committee to oversea production of the BBC programme The Experiment, which researched human dynamics in a prison environment.

101 things you never knew about Lembit......Part 4

77 Lembit is Pisces, but, like his friend Patrick Moore, prefers astronomy to astrology.
78 Lembit’s favourite political film is “Bulwarth,” starring Warren Beatty. its message is “you’ve got to be a spirit, not a ghost.”
79 Lembit is an active member of the Holocaust Education Trust, and has campaigned for funding for UK school visits to Auschwitz.
80 Lembit supports Leicester City Football Club, but has never asked if they support him.
81 Lembit is President of the British Hangliding and Paragliding Association.
82 In 2008, Lembit successfully gave evidence at the Old Bailey to secure bail for two constituents charged of terrorism offences.
83 Lembit supports holistic health methodologies and has opposed legislative changes which risk banning many of these practices and medicines.
84 Lembit has worked on Lib Dem membership recruitment techniques and training materials since 1991.
85 On 19th June 1996 Lembit successfully landed a single-engined Piper aircraft with a malfunctioning engine at Newcastle International Airport.
86 In levels of recycling and green energy production, Lembit’s Montgomeryshire constituency is the greenest in the UK.
87 Lembit wants to increase the external focus of the Party, so it spends less time absorbed in internal processes and more time on outcomes for communities and Britain as a whole.
88 Lembit has argued for the next Euro Election campaign to be fought on European, not domestic, issues.
89 Lembit’s favourite colour is azure.
91 Lembit believes the Royal Family plays an important and irreplaceable role as figureheads IN the UK and ambassadors FOR the UK to the world.
92 In 1997, the two dots on the “O” in “Öpik” caused a computer processing malfunction in Hansard, which left everyone after “O” off the voting

101 things you never knew about Lembit Part 3.........

62 Lembit was labelled “Saviour of the Universe” by Esquire magazine for his work on highlighting the threat of asteroids to life on earth.
63 Lembit appeared on the front cover of the April 2003 edition of Harmonica World magazine and is a proficient harmonica player.
64 Every year Lembit performs a sketch with Stephen Pound MP and Nigel Evans MP to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support.
65 Lembit has met with successive Prime Ministers on subjects ranging from animal welfare to Motor Neurone Disease.
66 Lembit has worked with the “Youth at Risk” organisation to transform the way young offenders and potential offenders are treated by the legal and support systems.
67 When working for Procter & Gamble, Lembit introduced the first environmental labelling for any major UK consumer brand (Fairy Liquid). 68 Lembit nearly chose a career in teaching.
69 Lembit feels that addressing his old school as the guest speaker on Prize Day was one of the greatest honours of his career.
70 Lembit was offered a sponsorship to study Aeronautical Engineering at Queens University Belfast.
71 Lembit used to lead the Press Centre team for the British Association for the Advancement of Science annual conference.
72 Lembit co-chaired part of a conference in 2008 investigating the health effects of radiation associated with mobile phone technology.
73 Lembit has worked on a cross Party basis to reduce the risk of litigation for voluntary organisations – the Government introduced legislation as a direct result of this campaign.
74 Between 1994 and 1996, Lembit created the Fast Reaction Early Decision (F.R.E.D.) process for cross Party consultation in the event of a hung parliament. The procedure is still in place today.
75 Lembit has always supported the case for a “positive campaigning” approach in preference to “negative campaigning.”
76 Lembit cites “ignorance and conformity” as the greatest threats to a progressive liberal society.

101 things you never knew about Lembit cont.........

Yesterday we reached 52.........but taking on board the criticism that my blogs are too long........I will dish up the rest to you in bite size pieces ;-)

53 In 2003 Lembit marched through London with 2 million other citizens in opposition to the impending Iraq War.
54 Lembit’s favourite political structure in the UK from an aesthetic perspective is the Stormont Assembly Building in Belfast.
55 Lembit’s predecessors in his Montgomeryshire constituency include Alex Carlile, Emlyn Hooson and former Party leader Clement Davies.
56 Lembit has never appeared on Celebrity Big Brother.
57 Lembit has attended over 165 meetings of the Federal Executive across 17 years, and chairs it when the President is not available.
58 Lembit has been a member of every major Federal Committee apart from Federal Conference Committee.
59 Although not a mountaineer himself, Lembit is considered informed enough by the specialist press to review mountaineering books.
60 The first vehicle Lembit ever drove was a combine harvester.
61 Lembit’s first political speech was in 1975, on the subject of the Icelandic Cod War.

"Lemby" answers his critics...............

There has been a deal of criticism of Mr Opik, over the last few weeks, so what does he have to say about it~ I took the opportunity this weekend to give him an opportunity to answer the questions that seem to be causing unnecessary angst......particularly in certain quarters!



There appears to be a bit of a panic amongst the great and the good in the party about you becoming President, why do you think that is?

Yes, I agree. There appear to be individuals who have actively been trying to dissuade people from voting for me. I’ve asked some of them why this is but it’s not easy to get a particularly coherent answer. The best interpretation I can make is that they’re afraid of how I’d do the Presidency because of my “non-political” activities. This looks like it’s based on my public profile and my relationships. One senior member said he was afraid I would be “distracted” by my personal life! People who think like this don’t seem to value my ability to reach out beyond the usual boundaries of political life. Non-political citizens know who I am, and they engage in dialogue with me because they see me as a person first and a politician second. Or do they mean I’d personally be distracted from my work? I wonder if they apply the same “distraction” concern to people in political life who are, for example, having babies, which must be extremely distracting? I think the criticism hasn’t been fully thought through, but I don’t want to be too critical here. It’s a natural human response to be cautious of the unusual. I’m unusual in that I’m recognised as an MP and as a character. Ironically, I often think my own political narrative – socially libertarian and economically left wing - is actually clearer many of those who are wary of me. But the main reasons aren’t philosophical. They’re psychological and, on reflection, I hope they’ll get more used to my style even if they don’t fully understand it.

In terms of Presidency, I’m not the banker option – but perhaps an inspirational one? My results in my own constituency and in helping the Party develop through training and sheer hard effort would tend suggest that my operating approach does work well.

So what would you say to allay their fears?

I’d suggest those who are concerned about me need to lighten up a bit and celebrate a colleague who can really engage with the GENERAL public. When Ming Campbell was Leader, I invited him to come out with me to public events to see how I operate and what I actually do. I make the same offer again to everyone: come out with me for an hour and you’ll see at first hand how I engage, what people think of my public image - and the resulting contact this leads to. Aside from this, I’ve also been successfully contributing to the Federal Party structure for over 17 years. Ask others on the committees I’ve served on and you’ll realise I’ve been working effectively in this environment for longer than most of us have even been in full time politics. The fact I haven’t spent the last decade blowing my own trumpet about all this is surely a positive thing.

Some activists have been complaining about your media profile, in particular the media's obsession with your private life, do you think they are right to be upset, if not why not?

It’s not for me to decide people’s right to be upset. I am after all a Liberal! However, in terms of complaints about my media profile, I’d ask them to explain what exactly is the issue here? Where’s the data – even circumstantially – that any of this has done harm? The only evidence I’ve seen suggests I’ve helped rather than hindered the party’s progress. Why else in 2005, when I already had a “celebrity” profile, did I get the largest majority in my constituency since 1962? Was it a fluke? I don’t think so. I think it was a combination of high recognition, popularity and effective political action. And why did the Party have a lift in the polls when I figured heavily in the media for non-political things over Christmas a couple of years ago? It may not be due to me, but there’s no data to suggest I’ve harmed Party fortunes in any way. However, if there’s objective data to prove otherwise, I’d like to see it. So far it’s been unsupported assumptions and maybe even some prejudice. I think it is a great shame if we enslave ourselves by this kind of thinking, as conformity is the greatest enemy of liberalism and directly contradicts the preamble to our constitution which is on the back of every membership card.

Other activists accuse you of being "policy lite" what would you say to them?

Activists who accuse me of being “policy lite” miss the point of the Presidency. This job is NOT – and MUST NOT BE – about policy making. A President who does that is competing with the Leader’s role, and this mustn’t be allowed to happen. So the question is not salient to the role I’m standing for. However, because I like to answer questions directly, there’s plenty of policy if you want to look at it. What about the 10 years contribution I made to the Northern Ireland peace process, especially in terms of supporting integrated education, cross community dialogue and the devolution settlement. Or my 6 year campaign to get a full independent inquiry into the deaths at Deepcut Army Barracks? Or my successful campaign with former Conservative MP Andrew Rowe to set up the UK Youth Parliament? Or my efforts as Business Spokesperson to revisit our policies on energy policy? Or my work on Housing which led directly to our policy of allowing local authorities to borrow billions to buy up vacant properties? Or my positive involvement in the devolution project for Wales? I suspect those who say I’m policy light haven’t really had a proper look at what I’ve actually achieved, in real terms, in the political sphere. It’s all there, and I recommend a quick look at my contributions in Parliament. Nobody who looks at all that can seriously harbour the claim that I’ve not been one of the more active and successful Lib Dem MPs when it comes to policy development. Let me stress again however that my Presidency will be characterised by running the Party, not directing policy which is simply not the President’s job.

Do you think you may have made some mistakes in terms of your decisions to be on particular TV programmes?

Not really. If we as a Party are scared of the popular media, we’re done for. I’ve never seen any evidence that any of my appearances has compromised the Party. As I’ve said before, if anyone can show me any evidence of it, then I’d invite them to do so. So far, nobody has. I’m glad to see Nick Clegg reaching out to alternatives media outlets as well. I’m certain this is doing him a lot of good and I hope other colleagues follow his lead. Vince Cable’s participation in Strictly Come Dancing indicates I appear to have started a fashion which will finally add some colour to our image. Oh, and I’m not appearing on Celebrity Big Brother! The story seems to be borne out of a bit of mischief. I observe that there was quite a lot discussion about my impending appearance even AFTER I’d clarified that I wasn’t doing it. Hmmm… a bit of a sense of humour breakdown in some quarters methinks! One person even thought I’d been on Big Brother before – very odd.

James Graham complains that since you claim to have such great campaigning and communications skills, why have the Liberal Democrats in Wales stagnated in the last two assembly elections ?

No, the demarcation between the MPs and AMs in terms of leading the various election campaigns has been very clear in Wales since the Assembly was set up. In the Parliamentary General Election for which I WAS responsible as Leader, we doubled our seats from two to four. That was the result of superb local campaigns and I applaud what was achieved. A 100% increase doesn’t really qualify as stagnation, especially when the UK overall increase for the Party was only a fraction of this.

Do you think it was an error of judgement to support Charles?

No. I will never regret supporting Charles Kennedy when he was attacked for his drinking. I do regret to this day the way he was made to resign by the action of colleagues. In my view, we should have worked with him and supported him, especially given his candid and honest statements about it at that time. I judge people by results, and Charles delivered the best results we’d had for 8 decades, and had tremendous popularity. Had Charles been allowed to continue, I believe we could have de-stigmatised the question of alcoholism in the UK. That could have helped millions of people. That was an opportunity missed. Charles remains a great friend to me personally, and he has my loyalty as a colleague to this day.

Why didn't you stand against Simon Hughes in 2006?

Simon beat me for the Presidency in 2004, and I judged that my best contribution would be as Senior Vice President – Simon’s Number 2 basically. We work well together and I felt the right thing to do was to actively sign Simon’s nomination form in 2006 as a vote of confidence in his Presidency and for an effective team. He’s popular, hard working and I think the membership has enjoyed his incumbency a lot. I’m a democrat and I was happy to go along with what feels like a consensus. For me to have stood against him in 2006 would have been both pointless and vain glorious.

You have been criticised for being behind the curve by not having your campaign ready in Bournemouth why was that?

My best friend, David Hamer, died on 6th August 2008 with no warning, aged 46. I’d also had some other very difficult personal news shortly before this. I had to deal with these emotional body blows first. This meant I didn’t have so much stuff organised at the Bournemouth conference. I’d also managed to contract something like bronchitis at the time, which I’m sure was a direct result of the emotional distress I was experiencing. These things happen and you can’t really plan for them. I’m glad I got through it as fast as I did. A lot of people have been hugely supportive over this period. I’m really grateful to have had this support – I can’t put my thanks into words really. Anyway, that’s why I didn’t have so many leaflets and all that at Conference.

There is a view that you are a bit of a publicity hungry one man band - is that fair?

Er, yes. Like any MP, I want to be out there and reported. In comparison to colleagues I do get lot of publicity – some welcome and some not. But that’s the world we live in. As with other high profile national figures, it’s inevitable because more people will have an opinion on individuals they know than those they don’t. The one man band idea is hardly in line with the way people in the Party know me to work. I actually prefer working in a team than on my own. It’s the way I get the best out of myself in fact. Having a personal profile beyond politics is rewarding. People who accuse me of being “publicity hungry” need to explain what they mean. As a Party, we’re not very savvy about non-political coverage. I’d like to help change this. I hope we’ll collectively build the Lib Dems into a Party painted in Primary Colours not pastel shades, and that means going outside the confines of the usual reporting – and doing it as a team.

Kearney on Opik............

No one who went to the Henley by election can fail to have been thoroughly impressed with Stephen Kearney. His decision to get more involved with the party I believe will contribute enormously to our future success. So I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview him about Lembit's role in the Northern Ireland peace process.

You have been a close friend and colleague of Lembit's including during the time he was NI spokes, can you tell us a little about his role in the peace process?
Lembit has never really got credit for all the work he did in the peace process, simply because, by the very sensitive nature of the talks, it was not the sort of thing you could broadcast without harming the negotiations themselves. He used to discuss these things with me privately, and I was amazed at the level of influence and trust he had at the centre of the events which led to the Good Friday Agreement, and later the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly. I know he set up a number of the key meetings about 8 years ago. Also, he spent a huge amount of time just talking, in large part to the organizations that used violence themselves. He could do that because he was under the radar in a way the ministers weren’t, and that helped everyone.

What were the particular qualities and skills Lembit brought to the table?

Lembit has an infinite ability to listen to people holding unreasonable points of view. He has an almost idealistic belief that if you engaged with someone long enough, they've got to see sense. I say idealistic, but in truth it is an approach that works for him. There are people who most of us would have regarded as dangerous and violent but actually he saw the good and worked through that to encourage them to come in from the cold. Mo Mowlam had the same quality, and that's probably why the two of them worked so well together. Lembit's also a good communicator. He chaired meetings brilliantly with a clear process that people were comfortable with. That structure helps to keep the heat down when things get tense. The other thing is his optimism. He ALWAYS said the peace process would work, even when the Tories and others were saying it was lost. He was right, they were wrong. Another of Lembit’s qualities is his compassion, empathy and understanding of people’s needs. These special qualities helped him to deliver effectively in his role as Northern Ireland Spokesperson.

How do you see those qualities and skills being utilised as party president?

There is tension ahead for our Party, especially if there's a hung parliament. I don't know of anyone else in the Party who's better equipped to keep the show on the road if things get sticky in that sort of situation. It is astonishing that some of his opponents can't see that. They are ignoring his achievements and experience in Northern Ireland, that equip him for the role. Some of Lembit’s colleagues choose to ignore this fairly obvious fact. I fear that they believe what they read in newspapers which is worrying and surprising. Lembit's natural ability to reach out and engage isn't a skill you can learn or buy. He's just got it and as President he'd basically have the space to connect us up to people and organisations who should be working with us but aren't. When I was the Henley By-election candidate, I saw him do exactly this in the constituency. It was an impressive to watch and made a difference to my vote.

Nearly everyone I talk to about Lembit's role in Northern Ireland is surprised, he has said so little about it, why do you think this is?

As I say, he never wanted to compromise the peace process itself and he felt if he started blowing his own trumpet instead of focusing on a literally life saving initiative, he'd be acting in bad faith to his brief. It confounds the accusations that he seeks publicity for the sake of it. I do know Lembit has felt somewhat frustrated by his colleague’s apparent refusal to recognise the work he did there, even though it's clear Lembit is held in huge regard at very high levels of the Government. I remember a couple of years ago he tried to highlight his work at Shadow Cabinet, but he felt that there was no willingness to listen. Lembit used to say the portfolio was one of the most "real" and also one of the most "invisible!" All the same, you don't have to look far to see him re-applying those same skills in other areas. The deaths of young recruits at Deepcut Army Barracks is a good example. He is tenaciously pursuing the truth on behalf of his constituents.

I wanted to focus on Northern Ireland because so many of us knew so little of Lembit's role in forging the peace process, what else would you highlight as examples of his unique qualities?

His work in helping to develop a better devolution settlement in Wales. His relationship with Peter Hain when Peter was Cabinet Minister for Wales was strong, and delivered good results. Lembit is also a Trustee of RE:generate. He has been at the forefront of planning the development of the charities work to alleviate poverty and engage people much more actively in volunteering and public life. In the last two years alone the organization has recruited over 125,000 members in Zambia. The trust is supporting people to develop social enterprises that are direct responses to the concerns people have. We have supplied water strategically to villages that are being the most enterprising in terms of tackling their own issues. 40,000 people are now connected to drinking water supply for the first time. This is the first and most important part of the local projects development strategy. The team in Zambia has purchased land to develop a hotel, conference centre and retail units. Profits will go towards developing social enterprises and action all over the country. They have been donated 3500 ha of farm land where they intend to develop a holistic farm of best practice that will link agriculture and food security with our process of capacity building that will lead to the development of a wide range of social enterprises – projects and businesses that are responses to concerns. Lembit is part of the team that that has achieved this. Lembit produces for communities and that is why he is popular.

Can silence be construed as consent?

There is something disturbingly illiberal about a liberal party where elements of the great and the good......alongside elements of the not quite so great and not quite so good........appear gagged.

This was effectively demonstrated earlier this week (as picked up by Pandora in the Indy Monday) with Charles Kennedy's surrogate endorsement of Lembit. Now, for reasons that may or may not become clear, he has felt unable to openly endorse Lembit, so in a move, perhaps calculated to be interpreted as such, his brother-in-law, the rather dashing James Gurling, has done the deed for him.

Now yesterday I was doing a bit of ringing around. Simon Hughes refuses to even hint who he will support because he is outgoing Pressie (I did try, honest!) so join me in guessing........ And I am waiting to hear back from Mssrs Laws and Foster. Today I will try and ask Paul Keetch and others.

And then there are the swathes of other Lib Dem MPs who remain in purdah. Hmmm, that shy Ms Burt, that enigmatic Mark Williams, ..... Are we to truly believe NONE of them have made their minds up?

Mark my words, there is more to this than meets the eye. The powers that be appear scared witless. Yes, a Lembit presidency may be a risky roller coaster ride - but at least it would be a ride......we would be going somewhere! And Nick Clegg rightly made much of the fact that as a party we had to be more radical and take more risks in his successful leadership campaign.

My fear above all is that in the emerging political landscape our party becomes an irrelevance. A party rather like the pristine copper kettle, cleaned and polished and kept on the back shelf for only a few to admire. Perfect in every way, but of only ornamental use. I want a kettle that is battered and dirty from frequent use, fulfilling its purpose, not to sit on the shelf and look perfect with all its committees aligned and its rules expertly compiled, but to go do what it was made to do, refresh and sustain!

I am backing Lembit, not because I don’t think Ros won’t do a brilliant job of smartening up and polishing the kettle, but because I believe he has the edge in communicating with the people we seek to represent. He also has the strategy to underpin what we want to do, engaging and motivating the public, connecting with them at grass roots level, linking with their real concerns

And Lembit will not be a one man band. I understand he is already assembling a post election team, utilising talent from across the party, including those who have backed other candidates but would be prepared to support and work with him as President.

So, to those genuinely undecided, to those hiding in the shadows, to all those who want our party to be far more outward looking.........you have a choice.

Choose wisely.

20 Questions to a Presidential Candidate - Looz Views

Thanks to all the candidates for answering my 20 questions. For me their answers seemed to get under their skins a little more than their manifestos do - a view supported by our own Laurence Boyce, who commented "Thanks Linda. This exercise has been more useful than all the other stuff I have read. And I really like these answers. I'm voting Chandila!" Now, I have to confess that having read Chandila's answers I put him more in Laurence's camp than mine!

There is no doubt Simon Hughes is a hard act to follow. He has not only had a consistent public profile, he has been a steadying hand on the tiller in what have been difficult times for our party. At a time of a resurgent(ish!) Tory party, and a Labour party regaining a little of its confidence, we HAVE to be in your face as a party. We MUST be heard and seen - the President will have a crucial role to play in this. This is why I am supporting Lembit.

Candidates answers are here: Ros Scott, Lembit Opik, Chandila Fernando

So - my reactions? Since I got some friendly advice recently about my blogs being too long I will tackle this in bite size pieces - firstly an overall comment, then in more detail later on (if I don't get bored half way through!).

On policy - I was rightly taken to task by both Ros and Lembit for asking the policy questions as this is not the responsibility of the President but the Leader. BUT, I asked those questions for a very good reason. Whether we like it or not, our President DOES have a role in party policy. S/he sits on FPC and feeds into the policy making process - INCLUDING HAVING A VOTE! S/he regularly gets asked about party policy, whether on Newsnight, Question Time or in the media - and as demonstrated in the Trident and Make it Happen debates, gets wheeled out by the leadership when things look a bit dodgy! Now, much has been made of the President being the voice of the membership - as members we expect our voices to be heard NOT just in terms of structures and systems - but also in terms of policy - don't we? But despite this, all three gave answers that gave a clear steer on where they stood on policy issues.

On priorities - All 3 say similar things, a mix of inward and outward looking, but I would like to see more flesh on the bones. What for example does "modernising" mean? Some of us have bad memories about what that meant for "New Labour"!

On our narrative - I would be interested in Neil Stockley's take on this. The variety of the answers perhaps gives a clue to why we find it so difficult to come up with a clear story.

On political heroes - I was delighted to see that 2 of the 3 were women. For Lembit, Benazir Bhutto, for Ros, Sylvia Pankhurst, for Chandila, Nelson Mandela.

On being stranded on a desert island - For Ros it would be David Puttnam and Mark (of course!), for Chandila William Haque and Jenny Willott (interesting combination!) and for greedy Lembit, Stephen Pound, Nigel Evans, Tim Farron and Greg Mullholland - may turn into I'm a politician get me out of here!

20 Questions to a Presidential Candidate - Lembit Opik

Having already posted Ros Scott's answers, here are Lembit's. I have made it clear, despite the siren calls of his detractors, that I am supporting Lembit. I think he has an extraordinary ability not only to connect with our membership but with the wider electorate. If we are to achieve Nick's stated aim of doubling our number of MPs we can't do that without both increasing the membership and engaging with the electorate..

1. What motivated you to get involved in politics and does that still motivate you now?
My family's whole life has been changed by international politics, and members of it have died as a result of it. This, coupled with my childhood in Northern Ireland means I was surrounded by political issues from a very young age. I continue to believe that politics done badly destroys lives, but politics done well can redeem civilisations. These grand ideas inform my political life; accepting that much of it is at a very local level, I nevertheless believe that our local collective efforts can make a national, and even international difference.

2. Which political figure, living or dead, do you most admire and why?
I admire principles, achievements and values rather than people. If I had to choose one person it would be my acquaintance Benazir Bhutto, whom I had the honour to know before her tragic assassination. She summarised all that's best in an honourable life and an honourable approach to politics. Her patience when being tested to the extreme, her courage, her persistence and her warmth were exceptional. I admire her and miss her.

3. If you could introduce a new party policy, what would it be?
The president is not responsible for developing party policy. As such, it would NOT be my intention to introduce or medal with party policy as Pres, because this cuts across the work of others, including the leader. In the spirit of completeness, I'd take a more generous approach to student funding if I were into policy development, but I stress this is NOT how I'd approach the role.

4. If there was a party policy you could overturn, what would it be? Again this is NOT the President's role. Personally, I've not liked our position on fox hunting because it strikes me as illiberal, but I cannot overemphasise that the President really shouldn't be meddling in policy development, and I would not do that.

5. Have you done the “political compass” exercise and if so where do you sit?
I think I remember doing it! However, I'm left wing and libertarian. This is confirmed by the fact that an independent organisation in September 2008 identified me as the most liberal MP in the Liberal Democrats. I’ve pretty consistently been identified as such fro most of my political life.

6. What will you bring to the position of President?
Experience to organise the Party; I've been on the Federal Executive which the President chairs for 17 years, as well as most other committees in the Lib Dems. Also, I've been the senior vice president fro 5 years, which is the number 2 position to the current President Simon Hughes. Nobody has more experience as me for this role. I also bring inspiration, because I seem to be able to build people up to a high level of energy by visiting and working with the local activist party nationwide. I can motivate people to turn that energy into specific action and achieve membership growth and win votes. And I’m determined - with the staying power to see things through. Organisation, inspiration, motivation, determination - these are the qualities I offer.

7. What will be your priorities if elected?
1. Ensure that the party projects its message clearly
2. Make the Party structures ready for Government
3. Support our Leader and never compete with his role
4. Achieve positive membership growth by 2010
5. Be the voice of the membership - a voice the Party HQ can't ignore

8. What is your view on the marketisation of public services?
I'm opposed to it. I don't object to using the free market to an extent, but public service provision must remain under the governance of the State.

9. What is your view on our policy on Trident?
A waste of money, and a status symbol rather than a relevant deterrent. We can use the money in other, less escalatory, ways.

10. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing in this country, what would it be?
A zero carbon Britain - meaning zero carbon industry and transport and the creation of enough zero carbon housing - including retrofitting old housing - to accommodate everyone with no carbon footprint.

11. If elected how will you advance the cause of Libdemmery?
See 6 above. I'll be the "chief engineer" and "morale officer" to make our Party sufficiently robust to make it to and in Government. This Party will be professional and present its policy proposition in Primary Colours not pastel shades. People will know what we stand for, and our image will be a refreshing alternative to the two old parties.

12. As a party, despite our values, we still seem to find it impossible to reflect the diversity of the country we seek to represent, how will you redress this?
I already work to bring women and ethnic minorities into the political mainstream. People forget my ethnic background, but I know what racism feels like from the inside. There’s no magic solution, it just takes time and effort and mentoring and determination. I've proved I can do all this fro diversity before and can do even more as President.

13. There has been a lot of debate, in the blogosphere and elsewhere, about our narrative. What should it be?!
Our political narrative is obviously liberal, and to an extent left wing - i.e. redistributive with a protection from the state regarding the economy. That’s not the problem. We' could be more sparkly at portraying it. This is what I mean by replacing pastels with primary colours. It's presentational and attitudinal. We need to shine brightly instead of glowing quietly. That's something a strong president can help address.

14. What do you consider the most pressing issue facing the world?The environment above all else. Not everyone can see that yet, but if we wait till it's manifestly and blatantly the biggest issue, it will be too late.

15. With a resurgent Tory Party, how would you ensure that as a third party, our voice was heard?
See above. In essence, let's find the courage and if my answers sound repetitive its' simply because I think a small number of core issues hold us back. Fix our clarity, boldness and energy levels and the rest follows.

16. If elected, what do you most look forward to about the role?Turning us into an evidently professional, responsive and characterful party which people not necessarily all that interested in politics - i.e. the majority! - warm to.

17. As someone more on the “left” of the party, why should I vote for you?
Because I am too, but that's not the point. the president's political angle is much less important than the President's ability to connect with members and provide a strong voice fro that membership to the leadership. That way, the Leader knows what the party thinks and can more effectively formulate the best political agendas for our journey towards government.

18. If you were stranded on a desert island, which politician – from another party – would you be happy to be stranded with and why?
It would have to be Nigel Evans AND Stephen Pound. The three of us do a lot of non-political charity work together, and I think we'd make it through till help arrives.

19. If you were stranded on a desert island, which politician – from our party – would you be happy to be stranded with and why?!
Tim Farron AND Greg Mulholland. We have a close bond and we'd probably work well enough together to rescue ourselves!

20. If elected President what will you do to help elect a second MEP in the East of England? (Or anywhere else actually!!!)
I'd be with you campaigning, and with you building the national image of the Party. we need both to win and I can deliver both.

20 Questions to a Presidential Candidate - Ros Scott

Having charged down to Cardiff on the train after FPC last night, and driven back to Bedford via Llandrindod Wells today......I am a little zonked but inspired about what a beautiful country we live in. The Brecon Beacons, the Malvern Hills, Worcester, Stratford on Avon.........all enhanced with the gold bronze and scarlet of Autumn......aaaaaah! So what we all want is that this is a country enhanced by having a Liberal Democrat government :-)

So............our chance to begin to shape that future in choosing our future President. I asked all three candidates to answer 20 questions. I have made my decision, but I hope this may help you make yours. The reason I struggled over who to support was that I think both Ros and Lembit are excellent and have I also been impressed by Chandila's drive and enthusiasm.

As President I believe Ros would be a champion for the activists. She is someone who is approachable and there is no edge to her. She is also an incredibly inspirational woman. Her approach to her campaign and her commitment to the party gives me confidence that if elected she would do a fantastic job, particularly in chairing FE.

So - Here are the questions and Ros's answers, great answers, but I will leave commenting on answers until I have posted them all up:

1. What motivated you to get involved in politics and does that still motivate you now?
I got into politics as a result of being involved with my community of Needham Market in Suffolk. Being active in all sorts of local organisations I kept coming across my Lib Dem District Councillor who was always at the heart of things and enabling people like me to move ahead with our projects for the town.
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2. Which political figure, living or dead, do you most admire and why?
I’ve always been taken with Sylvia Pankhurst who was rather overshadowed by her mother and sister but was a more substantial person. Despite coming from a privileged background, she worked in the East End and realised that true emancipation would come when they were represented, and not just the wealthy middle classes into which she had been born.
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3. If you could introduce a new party policy, what would it be?4. If there was a party policy you could overturn, what would it be?
9. What is your view on our policy on Trident?
I’ve grouped these questions together, as they all come under the category of policy, and because I’m not going to answer them! The role of the Party President is clearly defined in our constitution, and doesn’t include policy formation; it is the Leader who chairs the Federal Policy Committee whilst the President chairs the Federal Executive. I think it’s vital that Party office holders concentrate on the job they are mandated to do. It’s not that I don’t have a view on the issues you raise, it’s just that they are not relevant to the role of the President. What is relevant though, is the role of the President in ensuring that policy making continues to include the wider Party membership and properly reflects their views.
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5. Have you done the “political compass” exercise and if so where do you sit?
Comfortably in the “Left Liberal” sector.
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6. What will you bring to the position of President?
20 years of experience as an acitivist, councillor and member of the House of Lords. Business experience running a council in joint control, on the Board of the Audit Commission, Non-executive director in the private sector. Over a decade of representing the Party in the media, in the business community, with community groups and internationally. Plus energy and absolute commitment.
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7. What will be your priorities if elected
Making sure that the changes to our governance resulting from the Party Reform commission strike the right balance between effective decision making and party democracy.
Encouraging reform of candidate selection to make the process less demanding of Party resources and look at how we can best support Parliamentary candidates when they are in place.
Look at the feasibility of creating an “associate member” category to encourage people who sympathise with us but are not ready to take the full step of membership.
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8. What is your view on the marketisation of public services?17. As someone more on the “left” of the party, why should I vote for you?
I’ve grouped these questions together because my response to the second determines my answer to the first. Across the world, services are provided by a mix of public and private sector organizations, large and small, in a myriad of arrangements. Nothing is going to change this whether we like it or not so the question for me are not about who provides but how. The ballot box has not stopped some public services from being unresponsive any more than the market has prevents some private companies from being inefficient – neither is intrinsically better than the other. For me, the questions are about
Accountability and redress – who is responsible for something, and who should put it right when it goes wrong and who should you sack if there are persistent failures.
Level of regulation- how much regulation is appropriate in order to protect people from abuse and to achieve public goods such as preventing social exclusion or promoting sustainability.
Level of public subsidy and decisions about who should be subsidised and to what end?
Cost and Scale – at what level and and size are services best delivered? Does big mean more efficient ( probably not in my experience) and does it lead to alienation between users and providers. Isn’t it ultimately more expensive to do something cheaply and fail – the costs of dealing with the effects of failed service are enormous.
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9. See Q 3 above
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10. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing in this country, what would it be?
One of the greatest scandals is the way we deal with mental health issues. There are many things which make my blood boil, but one of the Many thousands of people fail to get timely diagnosis of problems, and thousands more receive insufficient or bad treatment. People with mental health problems are often stigmatised and end up in a desperate state through no fault of their own. A visit to a prison or to a homelessness centre will tell you that.
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11. If elected how will you advance the cause of Libdemmery?
We should all be doing that! The job of the President is to ensure that the Party runs smoothly and consistently and that members and activists are empowered to get the Party message across and that the messages are clear.
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12. As a party, despite our values, we still seem to find it impossible to reflect the diversity of the country we seek to represent, how will you redress this?
This remains a cause for concern. I am not persuaded of the case for affirmative action, either in principle or practice and the results of my recent survey suggests that there is no appetite amongst activists for it either. This shouldn’t surprise us, as it is a basic Liberal principle that people should be free to choose. In this Presidential election people should be free to support the white, male candidate rather than the female or BME candidate don’t you think Linda?
The targeted approach of the Campaign for Gender Balance has had some success, and I think that the new Diversity Engagement Group should take the same approach.
Above all, we need to ensure that as a Party we reflect the concerns and aspirations of all sections of society – genuine diversity is not just about gender and ethnicity, but about background, education and economic circumstance.
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13. There has been a lot of debate, in the blogosphere and elsewhere, about our narrative. What should it be?!
Reflecting individual people, their aspirations and concerns and fighting against faceless large institutions - a narrative that talks about giving people power and hope that they can change things. Being less managerial. Stressing the need for international institutions to take a lead on climate change, security and financial co-operation.
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14. What do you consider the most pressing issue facing the world?
Almost out of the blue has come the financial meltdown – so this clearly is it. We should be clear that this is a result of Labour following the Tories into a US led agenda of de-regulation, escalation of debt and corporate greed.
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15. With a resurgent Tory Party, how would you ensure that as a third party, our voice was heard?
The so-called resurgence is entirely built on anti-Labour sentiment and not based on any positive assessment of the Conservatives. We need to emphasise their similarities – on the economy, the war in Iraq, and issues such as tuition fees and education & health reforms. We need to be shout louder about how right we were in the past to give people confidence about our place in the future.
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16. If elected, what do you most look forward to about the role?
I really enjoy getting out and about, working with local campaigners and meeting members. Whether I’m elected or not, I’ll keep doing that. I am genuinely interested in processes – not in an academic kind of way, but ensuring that the outcomes we want are actually delivered. There are ways in which the Party could change the way it does things which would deliver real benefits –simplifying the selection process is one example.
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17. See Q 8 above
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18. If you were stranded on a desert island, which politician – from another party – would you be happy to be stranded with and why?
David Puttnam, Labour Peer, is one of the most interesting, charming and funny people I know. I wouldn’t get bored, and then he’d make a great movie of our experiences once we were rescued.
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19. If you were stranded on a desert island, which politician – from our party – would you be happy to be stranded with and why?!
If I was allowed a Party bureaucrat rather than a politician then of course it would be my short-suffering husband Mark. He’d spend his spare time devising new rules and making ballot boxes out of palm leaves while I went out spearing fish.
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20. If elected President what will you do to help elect a second MEP in the East of England?! (Or anywhere else actually!!!)
The obvious response is to say that I’ll campaign across the region, and across the country and of course I’ll do that. However, the most important contribution, in my view, would be to ensure that we have a robust analysis of our performance in list elections and take a good hard look at our campaigning techniques in that sort of contest.

Looz Muze World Exclusive...........Lembit's bold new initiative

Tonight I am really thrilled to hear of yet another demonstration of just how exceptional this man is. Until last week I had no idea of the critical role Lembit Opik had played in the Northern Ireland peace process. Later this week he will be telling colleagues in Northern Ireland "The success of the peace process in Northern Ireland can inform our work as we attempt to tackle the terror of guns, knives, bombs and physical aggression n our increasingly violent society" He is meeting with them to discuss the successes and the lessons from the peace process with a view to informing his "Root Cause, Root Solution" initiative.

Lembit says "It's time to tackle the root causes of violence in our communities. People suffer violence at a personal level in the form of domestic abuse, at a local level from gun and knife crime and at a wider society level from bombing and terror. I want us to share our experiences of the Northern Ireland Peace Process to the benefit of communities at home and abroad."

"Root Cause Root Solution will form a central plank of the Party President's office if I am elected to the post. It is the duty of the President to connect the party to the public to help the leadership of the party generate solutions that really work. I intend to work closely with people and communities who are prepared to listen to each other in order to build trust, respect and relationships _ and if that means listening to the boy or girl with the knife or gun and the man or woman with the bomb - then I will"

I have one response - go Lembit go!!!!! We need people with your grit, determination and courage if our party as you so rightly say is to move out of pretty pastels into primary colours. I want a President who will take risks, will challenge, be honest, listen........but above all be a catalyst for the change we all so desperately want to see. In picking up this issue Lembit has reached to the core of all our beings. What really matters when the chips are down? If we can't have an intelligent response to global terrorism, to gun crime, to the violence that impacts so many of our neighbours and loved ones, we will never ever really "make it happen".

There has been a lot of s**t chatted about Lembit in the blogosphere. So, the great and the good think he doesn't quite come up to their straightlaced, straightjacketed, tight ar**d image of what they think a President should look like. Well...........I am long enough in the tooth to remember the bile dispensed about Simon Hughes last time, how wrong those prophets of doom proved to be!

In this election be very clear, we are seeing a new Lembit. A Lembit who has been tested in the fire after a year of personal heartache, and has come out fighting. He can and he will be just the tonic this party, and more importantly, this country, needs.

My Night of Passion with Lembit!

Last night, it has to be said, was something else! Regular readers will know that I have agonised about who to support in the Presidential elections. Ros is such an inspiration, and as a woman I would very much like to see a champion within the party to ensure women are seen and HEARD. But Lembit is also an inspirational character, which is why I had such a hard time deciding. However, last night I was left in no doubt of why I think now is the right time for him to be President of the party.

Of course the internal shenanigans of the party are hugely important, but as Nick has pointed out, now is not the time for contemplating our navel, now is the time to be reaching out, to be "speaking human" - and in my opinion that is what Lembit does best. I don't buy the "lite weight" jibes - a view confirmed by listening to him last night at the Epping Forest Pizza and Politics evening hosted by our own Neil Woolcott. The food and company was excellent, augmented by a passionate speech from Lembit that left us all encouraged, enthused and ready to go out there and build this party!

I met up with Lembit and Stephen Kearney at Portcullis to travel over to Loughton...........it has to be said, a tube journey with Opik/Kearney is something else......not sure if I was the rose between the thorns or the thorn between the roses! It was a great laugh, but it was also really inspirational, these are two people who are deeply committed to making our party a driving force in this country. We arrived to leaflet at Loughton station and were almost immediately told we should move back "behind the red line" away from the station. This we dutifully did - then another supervisor came out (had no idea London Transport had so many staff) and again asked us to keep back "behind the red line". I explained to him we had already been asked, and given we were not really in the market for ASBOs we would of course comply. He explained that they had had a problem with the Tories who had gone right into the entrance of another tube station, put up a huge banner and a table! Gosh we are so much more gentile in the Lib Dems eh? Then finally, they apparently got guidance from their manager, and were frankly told to push off.....which we did, off to Neil's to listen to Lembit.

Lembit started by talking with real authority and expertise about the current economic climate, the horrendous level of personal debt and the scandal that in what is one of the richest countries in the world, there are 1.2 million households waiting for housing. He showed us how seriously he takes the business of politics, not about point scoring but about making a real difference to people's lives. But his real challenge to us was about "evangelising" - we can't build this party if we are not prepared to really begin to engage with our communities. This is an issue Stephen Kearney has a great deal of expertise in and he will be working with the party to help us develop the grassroots networks that we need if we are going to have an impact.

There were lots of questions, of course including the Big Brother one, which as Neil has already pointed out, he squashed absolutely. What came across strongly was Lembit's conviction that we have to take risks, be bold about our policies and prepared to take the flak if we are being true to our values. But what touched me particularly was to hear of Lembit's significant role in the Northern Ireland peace process. He has been far too modest in this and it was Stephen Kearney who enlightened us all (more about this later). Here is a man who is able to use his undoubted people skills to make a REAL difference. While we talk about "Making it Happen" he HAS made it happen. While we talk about reaching out, he has it built into his DNA. While we complain about not getting the media profile, Lembit can rightly ask "what are you on about?"

We travelled back with Jonathan Fryer, who told the tale of when I had been visiting for dinner, a journey which should have taken 5 minutes from Canary Wharf, which inexplicably turned into an hour and a half! (OK it may have had something to do with the fact that I got on the right bus but going in the wrong direction!)

Then on to one of Stephen's favourite pubs, another mixture of serious political debate and laughter.

I know that there are concerns that because of his character and media profile, there are dangers in Lembit becoming President. Yes, fire is dangerous, water is dangerous, travelling is dangerous - but in all those cases when the power is channelled and directed it is always a force for good. Lembit hasn't had the best of years, but I believe it has given him an opportunity to review where he is and I believe the undoubted talent he has can and will be channelled for the benefit of the party, but far more importantly, for the benefit of the people we seek to serve.

Lembit says politics should be fun. I agree, an ability to combine humour with gravitas is a huge challenge, but one Lembit is more than capable of meeting, not least because of his undoubted passion and unquestionable commitment to the human race. I for one look forward to far more passionate nights with him!!!

Will Chris Huhne stand for Party President?

At the moment we have two declared presidential candidates, Lembit Opik and Ros Scott, both of whom have agreed to answer my 20 questions (which will be posted as soon as I have them back from both of them). But will the contest take an interesting turn if there is a third contender? I have heard that the "anyone but Lembit" lobby are looking for someone else to take him on and that Chris Huhne is the name in the frame. Hmmmm, interesting. Of course Simon Hughes lost the leadership and then overwhelming won the Presidency. But then, the last time the Presidency was contested it was Lembit who lost, so there is a feeling in some quarters that it is his turn this time. So, having had the position uncontested last time, maybe we are in for a three way battle this?

20 Questions to a Presidential Candidate

Later this year we will all be invited to vote for a new Party President. Simon Hughes has set the bar high. So far we have two declared candidates, Baroness Ros Scott and Lembit Opik MP. Regular readers will know I have a genuine dilemma about who to support - so I have written to both with 20 questions which I hope will help me, and others, decide.

I have heard from Ros that she is happy to answer my questions and I trust Lembit will do likewise - watch this space!