FUCK THE POLICE
911 EVERY DAY
I guess this is fair. The Libdems seems to be the only thing some of us here really care about UK politics. The other two parties may as well just name themselves the "Conservative" party, and "The other Conervative" party.
Kind of surprising he'd step down so soon after taking the post, however.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20071015-1454-britain-liberaldemocrats.html
LONDON – The leader of Britain's Liberal Democrat party resigned Monday, a surprise move by the popular veteran lawmaker, ex-Olympic athlete and strident critic of the Iraq war.
Menzies Campbell steps down after 19 months as head of the third-ranked party, a period during which he has been dogged by claims that at 66, he is too old to challenge his rivals, particularly Britain's main opposition leader, David Cameron, 41.
Party president Simon Hughes told reporters that Campbell had stepped down with immediate effect, but the outgoing leader did not address the media himself.
In a letter to his party, Campbell said Prime Minister Gordon Brown's decision not to hold early elections this year prompted his departure.
Many Liberal Democrats had begun wondering aloud about whether a younger lawmaker should lead them into the next election, now likely to take place in 2009 or 2010. The British Broadcasting Corp. said the party would pick a new leader by Dec. 17.
“It has become clear that following the prime minister's decision not to hold an election, questions about leadership are getting in the way of further progress by the party,” Campbell wrote in his resignation letter.
No leader of the Liberal Democrats or its predecessor, the Liberal Party, has served as prime minister since David Lloyd George headed a coalition government from 1916 to 1922.
Hailed during the 2003 U.S.-led Iraq invasion for skillfully articulating the concerns of anti-war campaigners, Campbell struggled to excel in the cut and thrust of House of Commons debates on domestic concerns, often foundering in weekly questions sessions.
Campbell “has made this decision – as all his political decisions – in the interest of his party and liberal democracy throughout Britain,” Hughes said.
The former sprinter, who represented Britain at the 1964 Olympics and studied at Stanford University, had made a well-received speech to his party's annual conference in September.
But activists worried over slumping opinion poll ratings. An ICM poll published Sunday put the Liberal Democrats at 14 percent, compared with the opposition Conservatives with 43 percent and governing Labour with 36 percent.
ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,010 adults by telephone on Oct. 10 and 11. No margin of error was given, but a sample of that size would normally have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Kind of surprising he'd step down so soon after taking the post, however.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20071015-1454-britain-liberaldemocrats.html
LONDON – The leader of Britain's Liberal Democrat party resigned Monday, a surprise move by the popular veteran lawmaker, ex-Olympic athlete and strident critic of the Iraq war.
Menzies Campbell steps down after 19 months as head of the third-ranked party, a period during which he has been dogged by claims that at 66, he is too old to challenge his rivals, particularly Britain's main opposition leader, David Cameron, 41.
Party president Simon Hughes told reporters that Campbell had stepped down with immediate effect, but the outgoing leader did not address the media himself.
In a letter to his party, Campbell said Prime Minister Gordon Brown's decision not to hold early elections this year prompted his departure.
Many Liberal Democrats had begun wondering aloud about whether a younger lawmaker should lead them into the next election, now likely to take place in 2009 or 2010. The British Broadcasting Corp. said the party would pick a new leader by Dec. 17.
“It has become clear that following the prime minister's decision not to hold an election, questions about leadership are getting in the way of further progress by the party,” Campbell wrote in his resignation letter.
No leader of the Liberal Democrats or its predecessor, the Liberal Party, has served as prime minister since David Lloyd George headed a coalition government from 1916 to 1922.
Hailed during the 2003 U.S.-led Iraq invasion for skillfully articulating the concerns of anti-war campaigners, Campbell struggled to excel in the cut and thrust of House of Commons debates on domestic concerns, often foundering in weekly questions sessions.
Campbell “has made this decision – as all his political decisions – in the interest of his party and liberal democracy throughout Britain,” Hughes said.
The former sprinter, who represented Britain at the 1964 Olympics and studied at Stanford University, had made a well-received speech to his party's annual conference in September.
But activists worried over slumping opinion poll ratings. An ICM poll published Sunday put the Liberal Democrats at 14 percent, compared with the opposition Conservatives with 43 percent and governing Labour with 36 percent.
ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,010 adults by telephone on Oct. 10 and 11. No margin of error was given, but a sample of that size would normally have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
