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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Chris Rennard’s “Winning Here” – the requiem for the battered Lib Dems or the handbook for another revival?
Thus Chris Renard then the LD director of campaigns and elections coaxed Paddy Ashdown into accepting his formula for winning the 1993 Newbury by-election. The humour and shrewdness about people’s motivation mark this first volume of his political memoirs (just published by Biteback): it never becomes a mere boastful catalogue of Rennard’s election trophies.
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Up to a point, Lord Copper.....
Nick Clegg has admitted that the Liberal Democrats' former chief executive Lord Rennard did not resign from the party purely on health grounds, as the deputy prime minister had insisted at the weekend....
During his weekly phone-in on LBC radio, Clegg said: "He left on health grounds but of course the issues of his inappropriate behaviour were in the background."
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/feb/27/lord-rennard-health-nick-clegg
Abuse of power is key to this whole issue. There is a world of difference between flirtation and sexual encounters between consenting adults with equal power, and the subtle yet sinister use of a powerful position to try to persuade others into sexual acts. That Lord Rennard remains in the party, showing no remorse or contrition, while many of the women involved have left, fills me with sadness and anger. When I hear suggestions that the women who spoke out should not be believed, or that they were somehow manipulated, it makes my blood boil.
https://medium.com/@jo_swinson/sexual-harassment-a-chance-for-change-1e87a9db1581
Up next, we review "Harvey Weinstein - What a Guy!"
https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/news/93213/philip-hammond-criticised-talking-about
Based on his Liverpool experience the Rennard approach in any election campaign was to find out the issues on voters’ minds and to deal with those issues rather than go on about constitutional reform which polling suggested was only of interest to a minute fraction of voters,
Funny how the actions of some can be forgotten, the words of others haunt them for a lifetime
They are all at sea, being crushed between two giant icebergs: those who are prepared to give Corbyn a go at power - Labour - and those who see only one viable option to prevent Corbyn getting power - Conservative.
Whether the means justifies the ends is one of the oldest questions, and is one where sentiment is changing.
The absence of by elections makes the May Locals even more important to the LDs. After that pending disappointment we need to pension off Vince.
Which suggests, to me, that the book is extremely untrustworthy. One of his victims is a long-standing friend of mine and he was anything but considerate towards her, especially when she spoke out against him.
He may have been an effective campaigner but he's still an egotistical scumbag.
Did that sly, bold Reynardine.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3RMut_8IxQ
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5688372/pm-refuse-eu-treaty-sign/
"Last year, he said that driving trains was so easy "even a woman can do it" during a discussion on the public sector pay cap."
It reminded me of the phone-in where someone suggested the greatest advance for women since female emancipation 100 years ago was sat-nav.
Up until about 2012-13 I thought the Lib Dems were all but immortal wherever they'd managed to establish a parliamentary presence: very, very hard to shift.
Going back on previous agreements and lying to negotiating partners is never a good look.
Are they actually trying for a diamond hard Brexit, or to quote Harry Potter are Barnier and Juncker actually as stupid as they look?
Oh, my thick fleece....
I remember being shocked when the Lib Dems went into coalition with the Tories... I suspect many people under 35 were. I think it altered a whole generations perception of the Lib Dems, though this may be one place were their heavily pro remain stance is a good idea if not successful in the short term electorally, it might over time change the view of the Lib Dems.
They think they have Britain over a barrel. They’re negotiating accordingly.
You don't speak for that generation anymore than I do.
PS - they are not negotiating, they appear to be trying to impose. That seriously ups the risk of rupture which would be blamed on them. This is not smart politics and up to now they have been quite deft about deflecting blame so I am surprised at the sudden descent.
https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2018/02/28/2198997/are-the-uks-political-polls-wrong-again/
Only in one direction, of course!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox_virus_retention_controversy
It is a pity for the LDs that their deputy leader is not (yet) in charge, as she stated in November 2017 that "I do not want Lord Rennard to continue as a member of the party. As far as I am concerned, he is not welcome."
But to read this, it seems like Lord Rennard is a nice guy who never put a foot wrong and that last sentence is just horrendous.
It's like the crap the Richard III society come out with, but about living people one of whom doesn't merit the hagiography and whose victims may feel hurt if they see it.
The EU has proposed a draft. It is up for negotiation, however it is presented. I expect they want the tantrums out of the way early.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-labour-party-clause-iv-4-capitalism-labour4clause4-a8231351.html
Wouldn't you be a bit annoyed if in a pensions dispute the other side agreed a key point and then three months later published something that in effect retracted their agreement? And would you continue to assume they were acting in good faith, or just abandon negotiations and look to batter them good and hard?
I say again the EU are behaving very irresponsibly and forfeiting the moral high Ground there for the taking.
Barnier is, however, even though he was the wrong candidate, appointed in the wrong way and clearly has no qualifications or skills other than the fact that he's a mate of all the key players in the EU. He genuinely appears to believe this is all smoke and mirrors and we are not actually going to leave. At least that's the only explanation I can think of for his behaviour.
But what do you expect from a former French Minister of Agriculture?
I have to get to work. Have a good day.
Lord Rennard, Libido-Democrats.
It's not always easy to remember how one felt back then but my recollection is:
Wasn't thrilled about a coalition with the Tories - but felt optimistic and couldn't see how a Labour/LD coalition could work numerically, and was quietly impressed by some of what David Cameron was saying with his pledge on foreign aid/environment etc.
Is that the Brussels plan?
https://twitter.com/AlbertoNardelli/status/968745875383181313
Or its possible he is just used as a smokescreen, to obscure the real talks the grown-ups are having in the background....
F1: livefeed here, but it's quite wintry. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/formula1/43190406
However, not as wintry as in Yorkshire, where it's snowing heavily (although, as of now, there's only an inch or so settled).
It was a Liberal Councillor who had helped Rennard’s disabled mother to get her widowed mothers’ allowance. Orphaned when nearly 17, Rennard then showed abnormal self-reliance in getting through sixth form and university.
His party's record in government with the Tories has made life for people in those those circumstances far more difficult than when he was 17 in 1977.
— Northern Ireland will remain part of the EU customs union and maintain full regulatory alignment — effectively imposing a new trade boundary in the Irish Sea.
— The European Court of Justice will retain legal authority to adjudicate any disputes that arise in relation to the withdrawal treaty, including any disagreements on citizens’ rights or the U.K.’s continuing financial obligations to the EU.
— The Brexit transition period will end on December 31, 2020, on the final day of the EU’s current long-term budget plan.
— During the transition, the U.K. will lose all voting rights and decision-making power but must comply with all existing EU laws and regulations — and any new rules adopted by the EU27 — with no recourse if it opposes some new policy.
https://www.politico.eu/article/european-commission-brexit-legal-text-signals-greater-eu-urgency/
Unionem Europaeam delenda est.
On topic, not impressed by the hagiography of Rennard. However, I'll always give the Lib Dems credit for going into coalition. As Sir Humphrey would put it, a courageous decision. Clegg put country before party, but then I guess he could afford to.
Slightly surprised that the advert says:
"this book is generous to colleagues and friends, and suggests he is loyal and considerate in his personal dealings."
I'd much rather read about someone who is honest rather than generous, or juicier still, mean to previous colleagues.
I would suggest though that if we are going to have political book reviews they are better than this - a PR puff piece for a man known to be deeply unpleasant in his attitudes to others - Even if I were interested in Rennard I wouldn't put any cash in the man's pockets - or the publisher's.
What were the alternatives ?
1) Prop up an utterly weak Labour 'rainbow coalition' - it would collapse and the LibDems would be destroyed at the subsequent general election.
2) Allow a Conservative minority government - at a time of his choosing Cameron would call a second general election and the LibDems would be destroyed.
3) Oppose both the Conservatives and Labour - an immediate second general election follows and the LibDems are destroyed.
After decades of banging on about coalition governments the LibDems couldn't turn down one when it was offered.
1. I expect this will be resolved by the UK as a whole remaining part of the EU customs union and maintaining full regulatory alignment.
2. This is unreasonable, as there should be independent judicial oversight for any agreement between the UK and EU post Brexit, but the UK as the sick man of Europe is in too weak a position to argue.
3. This is reasonable.
4. In theory this is time-limited, but in practice it will be ad infinitum, due to the need to maintain full regulatory alignment to comply with point 1.
I expect BINO.
Translating that success into general election gains was more difficult given all seats were up and the higher turnout and the focus on big national issues but the gains the LDs made in 2005 in particular over Iraq when they won their highest number of MPs since the 1920s showed they could be used there too
I'll try tea next time...
Mnd, I’m getting a bit old for pavement pounding!
For the sake of balance I think I need to mention Asil Nadir.
They could have been reasonably confident that come 2012 the Conservatives would be behind in the polls, giving them time to cleanse themselves in opposition, constructive or otherwise.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_fourfm
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
HL Mencken
Lord Rennard has been lucky. If what he did had come out now, instead of four or so years ago, there would have been no way back for him. And perhaps rightly so.
We would then go straight to WTO terms, no free movement, no regulatory alignment and no ECJ jurisdiction and a hard border between NI and the Republic in April 2019. The GFA may also be killed off but with neither the DUP nor SF having agreed to powershare for almost a year it has been on life support for months anyway
I think they'd have done better if they'd just followed through on at least one of their big promises (tuition fees, nuclear deterrent, constitutional reform).
A bit early for that sort of thing.
That's because it is snowing.
Laters...
Buccaneering Boris's first trip[ to the US after becoming PM in such circumstances would be an interesting one. He may discover that the Irish American lobby is pretty powerful.
Roger - showing us his right on credentials again I see.