Comments on: El Presidente

By: Liberal Democrat Voice » Thoughts on the Presidency

Liberal Democrat Voice » Thoughts on the Presidency — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 10:11:30 +0000

[...] But I have to say well done James Graham, on Quaequam Blog, who suggested David Rendel. I have voted “none of the above” (on the assumption that Simon won’t stand) in the poll because I would like to see David Rendel as President. [...]

By: James Graham

James Graham — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:40:05 +0000

Happy to oblige - http://reflectingbritain.org.uk/2006/09/11/reflecting-britain-update/

By: Alex Wilcock

Alex Wilcock — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:12:21 +0000

Sorry, James, that was a little catty.

Perhaps just a message on there to say it’s been discontinued and why, perhaps with the same offer you’ve just made, might make it look better. I do peer at it from time to time…

By: Neil

Neil — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:06:56 +0000

David would make an excellent Party President, howvere as PPC for Newbury he should be far too busy to do it just now!

By: James Graham

James Graham — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:57:09 +0000

I don’t disagree with any of that and if you look you’ll notice I was careful not to explicitly endorse him. I’m just suggesting that David is a) well qualified and b) well positioned to actually beat Simon. Find me a non-token woman to stand and I’ll support her (I voted for Susan Kramer on LibDemVoice) but in lieu of her emerging (she didn’t in 2004) then David would probably make an excellent Plan B.

In terms of Reflecting Britain being a “PR stunt” – tad harsh that since I was doing it in my spare time and out of my own pocket (whose PR are you claiming I was doing?) – there have been multiple times when I’ve considered starting the website up and either turning it into a networking site to encourage candidates or a tool for bashing the leadership with. But I haven’t had time to do the former, and I’ve – just – been persuaded not to do the latter by my more diplomatic friends. If you want to take it off my hands and do something more with it, drop me an email.

By: Will

Will — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:37:24 +0000

Erm, Vice? Freudian slip. Ming and Vince.

By: Will

Will — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:37:04 +0000

I agree with Alex – David would be a very good choice but he doesn’t exactly appeal to a different constituency from Ming and Vice. Plus, he’s been reselected to fight Newbury so his time is probably better spent concentrating on the constituency.

By: Alex Wilcock

Alex Wilcock — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:15:52 +0000

I wouldn’t say it was an absolute rule that the candidate must be a woman, and all other things being equal I think he’d make an excellent President – nice chap, and, as you say, superbly qualified.

However, in terms of making an impact regarding diversity, when I suggested I’d have difficulty being persuaded to vote for yet another man over 60, a man of 57 who looks older than his years and has even less hair than Simon wasn’t quite the change I had in mind… It’s not exactly ‘Reflecting Britain’, is it? Or was that just a PR stunt for the Leadership contest?

(Clicks on site)

It evidently was.