The Future Landslide

The Liberals have a proud history but we must not forget that we are experiencing a return to past levels of support in the present and we should look to an even brighter future. Yes at the moment revelations have knocked our poll ratings a little but that is only temporary while we regroup and elect a new leader. At the grass roots level our activists and supporters are still out there doing their work.

Indeed Simon Hughes in the campaign launch speech yesterday said:

"I do not believe that the 1906 [election] result was the last ever Liberal landslide.

"I believe that the Liberal Democrats have huge potential for winning big too in the future."

It's a sad reflection that opinion poll snap shots at this stage of an election cycle always show the third party doing badly. It is also sad that the media take this snap shot as a one off or in conjunction with recent polls and not in a long term trend sense thus blowing out of proportion the extent of the findings.

It is for that reason that Simon Hughes was also wary about the issue of entering coalition. We are not in two party politics dispite what the press say. We are in three party politics in England, four party politics in Wales and six party politics in Scotland. Therefore Simon is quite right in also saying:

"Everyone knows that under my leadership there would be no question of entering a coalition for the sake of a ministerial position.

"Everyone knows that the first pre-condition of any partnership would be a properly representative Parliament."

We need to reflect the new state of politics in our country give people a proper say in who governs them and what policies are pursued. Knowing that the people that represent them actually stand up for them.

I know we are currently knocking away at the egde of that mountain, but looking at the recovery that the Conservatives have made in Canada since they looked finished 12 years ago. We are just waiting for our Canada moment.