Kennedy Must Go Petition

The petition organised by 'The Liberal' is risible in the extreme. It is a pity that the Guardian gave this miniscule circulation rag the title of 'in-house journal' which it self-evidently isn't.

This irregular pretentious poetry ridden magazine has little Lib Dem orientation, with as many [largely uninteresting] articles from Labour or Tory circles as Lib Dem. It is nothing more than a poor attempt to raise profile and circulation. The collection of email addresses is a ropey tactic too.

The Guardian poll saying voters want change is also probably a creation of the media. Prior to the [sadly unsacked] malcontents on the front bench creating the latest furore over the leadership, I think most people within and without the Lib Dems were reasonably happy with 'Chairman Charles'.

Yes Charles does need a in private kick up the backside ! Yes, in my opionion, he has promoted economic liberals to top posts in the parliamentary party, only for them to try to steer / hijack the party into an unquestioning free-market direction, much against the general grain of the thinking of the party membership as a whole. If anyone has to go it is these figures and not Kennedy ! Charles Kennedy is as good a unifying figure as any and certainly in a way his putative challengers to his right and left would be, however much I'd personally prefer the latter.