Thursday, March 24, 2005

Jackie Asley writes in The Guardian that she will be voting Lib Dem to keep the Tories out. Interestingly, one 'positive' reason she advances for the Lib Dems is that they do not have a 'leadership cult'. It is highly debateable whether it is beneficial to have a political party, or a country, whose leadership consists of "a gaggle of engaging characters" led by a man who looks "about as comfortable as a man arrested for stealing pies." What I find interesting about the Lib Dems is that the one thing they have been passionate about since their formation has been their dogmatic euro-fanaticism and their willingness to pursue a federal europe at the expense of almost everything else. It is a policy that clearly divides them from the Tories, who adopt the exact opposite position, and much of the Labour movement which also has a healthy dose of euro-scepticism. So.... given that they are pronouncing their 10 good reasons to vote Liberal Democrat.... why no mention of this distinction? Surely it couldn't possible be related to the fact that the public in general are overwhelmingly opposed to the Lib Dem position on this?