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Post by LDCaerdydd on May 25, 2020 19:20:20 GMT
Swinson would have held her seat that I’m virtually certain off.
I don’t think any of the current 11 owe their seats to Swinson so the Lib Dem’s would have had twelve as a minimum.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2020 20:02:29 GMT
They'd have done a bit better, but not massively. The real question is whether or not Vince would also have neglected marginal seats in order to go chasing unlikely Portillo Moments
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J.G.Harston
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Post by J.G.Harston on May 25, 2020 20:49:58 GMT
I think he wouldn't have faced the sheer hostility that Jo Swinson faced, not least online (the squirrels, the husband making millions from the EU etc). Squirrels? Dare I google that? (warily.....)
WTF?  How did I miss that?
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Post by curiousliberal on May 25, 2020 21:01:51 GMT
I think he wouldn't have faced the sheer hostility that Jo Swinson faced, not least online (the squirrels, the husband making millions from the EU etc). Squirrels? Dare I google that? (warily.....)
WTF? How did I miss that?
It was a meme about her supposedly having a predilection for murdering them. Not as serious as it's made out here. |
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iang
Lib Dem
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Post by iang on May 26, 2020 9:45:13 GMT
It was more than a meme. She got questioned about it by Iain Dale on LBC. which in turn led to the print media reporting it. On its own, it wasn't particularly important in its own right maybe, but it all helped add up to give an impression of a leader under siege. And to return to the original point, I don't think Vince would have faced the same sort of thing, and that might have led to us doing a bit better (which in turn might have met Jo becoming leader of a party of about 20 MPs now, and having a proper chance to bed in and establish herself)
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The Bishop
Labour
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Post by The Bishop on May 26, 2020 10:58:33 GMT
Squirrels? Dare I google that? (warily.....) WTF? How did I miss that? It was a meme about her supposedly having a predilection for murdering them. Not as serious as it's made out here. IIRC it was started by some Labour left people on Twitter, as a parody of the sort of ridiculous accusations Corbyn had had to endure from the media (especially, perhaps, the totally ludicrous "Czech spy" concoction) I don't think they actually expected it to take off in quite the way it did - that it got such traction maybe summarises how utterly barmy our politics had generally become by that point. |
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tomc
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Post by tomc on May 26, 2020 14:21:44 GMT
It was a meme about her supposedly having a predilection for murdering them. Not as serious as it's made out here. IIRC it was started by some Labour left people on Twitter, as a parody of the sort of ridiculous accusations Corbyn had had to endure from the media (especially, perhaps, the totally ludicrous "Czech spy" concoction) I don't think they actually expected it to take off in quite the way it did - that it got such traction maybe summarises how utterly barmy our politics had generally become by that point. It took off because it was a funny absurdist joke, no one was dissuaded from voting Lib Dem because they thought Jo Swinson murdered squirrels. Some were put dissuaded by Jo Swinson though. |
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Post by finsobruce on May 26, 2020 14:35:55 GMT
IIRC it was started by some Labour left people on Twitter, as a parody of the sort of ridiculous accusations Corbyn had had to endure from the media (especially, perhaps, the totally ludicrous "Czech spy" concoction) I don't think they actually expected it to take off in quite the way it did - that it got such traction maybe summarises how utterly barmy our politics had generally become by that point. It took off because it was a funny absurdist joke, no one was dissuaded from voting Lib Dem because they thought Jo Swinson murdered squirrels. Some were put dissuaded by Jo Swinson though. And nobody voted squirrel. |
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Post by timrollpickering on May 26, 2020 16:29:43 GMT
It might have made the debate over the debates better for the Lib Dems. To be blunt the case for including or not Swinson in a debate with the Conservative and Labour leaders was just as strong as the case for Farron and would been for Sir Vince (and would have been for Steel in 1979 or Thorpe or Grimond before him). But the Lib Dems instead chose to double down on both identity politics with the #DebateHer campaign and "we're offering something different" (so was just about every other party) and I don't think it convinces. Just because a party leader is a woman is not a reason why they should be included and nobody would expect them to not seek a place as strongly with a male leader. And it's not down to the broadcasters to make specific policy judgements. I think Sir Vince would have presented a more consistent argument that a third UK wide party, even one with much lower figures than in the Clegg era, should be heard rather than because the current leader is somehow special.
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How did I miss that?
