2020 Liberal Democrats Leadership Election

[CumbrianLefty]

In his first significant intervention as "full time" leader, Davey has said the LibDems are not going to seek to reverse Brexit any time soon. Better late than never, I suppose.

[brucejoel99]

In his first significant intervention as "full time" leader, Davey has said the LibDems are not going to seek to reverse Brexit any time soon. Better late than never, I suppose.

Probably for the best, going on & on about rejoining for years to come would only serve to alienate people.

[CumbrianLefty]

If only, as said before, they had realised that earlier.

But instead, it was "rEvOkE wIlL gEt Us 200 SeAtS aNd SwInSoN wIlL bEcOmE pRiMe MiNiStEr"!!??!11!!!

[DaWN]

He might has well have come out and said that he won't contend the sky is blue for all that actually matters at this point

[Zinneke]

He might has well have come out and said that he won't contend the sky is blue for all that actually matters at this point

Well, it's worth remembering how fringe Brexit as an idea was until some Innovative political entrepreneurs took hold. Maybe LDs could have fulfilled a similar function.

[CumbrianLefty]

Maybe they will, but perhaps not until after the next GE.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

Never. Largely because though it has been common for the Tories and Labour to have leaders representing London constituencies, Cable was actually the first leader in the Liberal tradition to represent a London constituency since Gladstone's stint representing Greenwich back in the 1870s.

[Blair]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

As someone from an inner london borough I refuse to accept that Kingston & Surbiton is actually in London.

[Alcibiades]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

As someone from an inner london borough I refuse to accept that Kingston & Surbiton is actually in London.

As someone from SW London who visits Kingston frequently, I can assure you that it is actually in London, and has been for 55 years.

[Blair]

On the point re Davey & the EU it was briefly hilarous to look at the Lib Dem ultra online tendency & how they utterly out of touch some of them are- although much like with Labour I feel a lot of these people aren't actually members & are simply single-issue voters who jumped on the bandwagon & are now upset the party is catering solely for them.

You would have thought that people who completely judged the mood in their own party incorrectly would be wary about claiming that they understand the national mood.

This is a sensible decision by Davey.

[Former President tack50]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

Keeping in mind what Realpolitik said, last time the leaders of both Labor and the Conservatives represented (modern day) London constituencies was probably in 1951; with Atlee representing Walthanmstow West and Churchill representing Woodford.

Though it is worth noting that back in the 50s the borders of London were smaller (I think?), so both constituencies were actually in Essex, even if their modern day successors are located in Greater London.

1945 is an slightly better one as Attlee's constituency then was Limehouse (located in the smaller borders of 1940s London); though Churchill's is still Woodford.

Other than those 2 (and obviously 1950) I can't find any examples since Labour's first election in the 1900s

[CumbrianLefty]

On the point re Davey & the EU it was briefly hilarous to look at the Lib Dem ultra online tendency & how they utterly out of touch some of them are- although much like with Labour I feel a lot of these people aren't actually members & are simply single-issue voters who jumped on the bandwagon & are now upset the party is catering solely for them.

You would have thought that people who completely judged the mood in their own party incorrectly would be wary about claiming that they understand the national mood.

This is a sensible decision by Davey.

Also, the line that Moran took during the contest wasn't massively different (despite predictions she would go for the diehard #FBPE vote)

[DaWN]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

As someone from an inner london borough I refuse to accept that Kingston & Surbiton is actually in London.

If Kingston and Surbiton aren't London, then Uxbridge isn't either, so it doesn't work anyway

[CumbrianLefty]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

As someone from an inner london borough I refuse to accept that Kingston & Surbiton is actually in London.

If Kingston and Surbiton aren't London, then Uxbridge isn't either, so it doesn't work anyway

And of course the days when K/S and Uxbridge were physically separate from the London conurbation are some way in the past now. If anything the boundaries of GL should be slightly expanded rather than the reverse.

[Blair]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

As someone from an inner london borough I refuse to accept that Kingston & Surbiton is actually in London.

If Kingston and Surbiton aren't London, then Uxbridge isn't either, so it doesn't work anyway

Yes I'd agree Uxbridge isn't London for me!

[Joseph Cao]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

As someone from an inner london borough I refuse to accept that Kingston & Surbiton is actually in London.

If Kingston and Surbiton aren't London, then Uxbridge isn't either, so it doesn't work anyway

Yes I'd agree Uxbridge isn't London for me!

On the subject of Uxbridge, I always did find it hilarious that two adjacent constituencies in the same borough are represented by… Boris Johnson and John McDonnell. Outer London is weird.

[morgieb]

When was the last time all three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

If it counts now, IMO 2017-19 should count. I know Maidenhead isn't technically in Greater London but it's probably no less of a London suburb than Kingston and Uxbridge is.

(caveat I've only taken a train past Maidenhead or Uxbridge and never been to Kingston/Surbiton, so I might be talking out my arse)

[Continential]

When was the last time all three """major""" three """major""" three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

If it counts now, IMO 2017-19 should count. I know Maidenhead isn't technically in Greater London but it's probably no less of a London suburb than Kingston and Uxbridge is.

(caveat I've only taken a train past Maidenhead or Uxbridge and never been to Kingston/Surbiton, so I might be talking out my arse)

Tim Farron disliked your message.

[adma]

When was the last time all three """major""" three """major""" three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

If it counts now, IMO 2017-19 should count. I know Maidenhead isn't technically in Greater London but it's probably no less of a London suburb than Kingston and Uxbridge is.

(caveat I've only taken a train past Maidenhead or Uxbridge and never been to Kingston/Surbiton, so I might be talking out my arse)

Tim Farron disliked your message.

Didn't say leaders who served in a national election.  That is, the Vince Cable interlude counts.

[CumbrianLefty]

When was the last time all three """major""" three """major""" three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

If it counts now, IMO 2017-19 should count. I know Maidenhead isn't technically in Greater London but it's probably no less of a London suburb than Kingston and Uxbridge is.

(caveat I've only taken a train past Maidenhead or Uxbridge and never been to Kingston/Surbiton, so I might be talking out my arse)

Tim Farron disliked your message.

He was leader 2015-17, though.

[DaWN]

If it counts now, IMO 2017-19 should count. I know Maidenhead isn't technically in Greater London but it's probably no less of a London suburb than Kingston and Uxbridge is.

(caveat I've only taken a train past Maidenhead or Uxbridge and never been to Kingston/Surbiton, so I might be talking out my arse)

Maidenhead is much less of a London suburb than Kingston and Uxbridge are because, and see if you can follow my logic here, it isn't in London. Even to say Slough is in London is seriously pushing it - Maidenhead is ridiculous.

[morgieb]

When was the last time all three """major""" three """major""" three """major""" party leaders represented London constituencies? Has it ever happened before?

If it counts now, IMO 2017-19 should count. I know Maidenhead isn't technically in Greater London but it's probably no less of a London suburb than Kingston and Uxbridge is.

(caveat I've only taken a train past Maidenhead or Uxbridge and never been to Kingston/Surbiton, so I might be talking out my arse)

Tim Farron disliked your message.

I was talking about when Vince Cable was leader. So after the 2017 election but before he and May stood down.

Although I'm willing to take DaWN's word for this as I imagine he'd understand England's geography much better than I can.

[Zinneke]

So...what is Davey actually doing?

[Cassius]

So...what is Davey actually doing?

Carping from the sidelines and being ignored by everybody. I’ve never quite been able to see the rationale of having Davey as party leader when Starmer is the leader of the opposition, given that the latter offers everything that Davey can bring to the table whilst having the advantage of leading a party that actually has a shot at forming government. I honestly think that the Lib Dems should just disband at a national level, given that they are now basically indistinguishable from Labour other than on Europe and electoral reform, issues upon which their stances aren’t particularly enticing to anybody outside their base.