UK Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2017

[Vosem]

The folks on AH.com chat seem to think Swinson is very likely to be the next leader, with Lamb likely to stand against her to provide the party membership a choice and a possible next leader if Swinson really screws up. Cable seems to be too old and unlikely to stand after turning down possibilities in 2005 and 2007.

The LibDems have one safe seat: Orkney & Shetland. Everywhere else is a constant negotiation with the electorate...

Has the situation ever been so bad for the Lib Dems? Even looking at the 50s and 60s (when they held 6 seats and got 2% of the vote) they still had large majorities (10%+, ie larger than anything they have now) in several of the few seats they held.

Well, yeah. Right now they have 12 seats and 7% of the vote, along with a fair number of plausible targets and prominent politicians. Back in the day they had 6 seats, 2% of the vote, and far fewer targets or politicians.

[Dereich]

What method do the Lib Dems use to choose their leader?

[Gary J]

What method do the Lib Dems use to choose their leader?

The candidates must be MPs. The members of the party are the electorate and they vote by giving preferences to the candidates. At any stage where no candidate has 50% plus one of the votes, the last placed candidate is eliminated with their ballots being transferred to the next numbered continuing candidate. The process is repeated until one candidate reaches the required number of votes to be elected.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Not that I particularly like Farron, but I really don't think this is fair. No one could have expected the LibDems to rebound only two years after the Clegging, and Farron did actually manage to make gains. And since the next leader is actually going to be a Coalition stooge...

[TheSaint250]

Not that I particularly like Farron, but I really don't think this is fair. No one could have expected the LibDems to rebound only two years after the Clegging, and Farron did actually manage to make gains. And since the next leader is actually going to be a Coalition stooge...

It's probably that almost barely losing your seat (when your party had net gains) doesn't really look good to anyone.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Not that I particularly like Farron, but I really don't think this is fair. No one could have expected the LibDems to rebound only two years after the Clegging, and Farron did actually manage to make gains. And since the next leader is actually going to be a Coalition stooge...

It's probably that almost barely losing your seat (when your party had net gains) doesn't really look good to anyone.

There are many factors coming to play in this that have nothing to do with the candidate's quality. I still think that's unfair.

[Maxwell]

I think the main issue with Farron's performance was that there was opportunity for Lib Dems thanks to Tories becoming the party of Hard Brexit and then they managed to do WORSE than they did with Clegg in power (in terms of % of the vote, of course, they managed some gains thanks to anti-Tory movement in some areas).

[Dereich]

What method do the Lib Dems use to choose their leader?

The candidates must be MPs. The members of the party are the electorate and they vote by giving preferences to the candidates. At any stage where no candidate has 50% plus one of the votes, the last placed candidate is eliminated with their ballots being transferred to the next numbered continuing candidate. The process is repeated until one candidate reaches the required number of votes to be elected.

So there's no requirement for support among fellow MPs before being put to the party members? Any MP who wants to stand for the leadership can do so carte blanche?

[Technocracy Timmy]

[MaxQue]

What method do the Lib Dems use to choose their leader?

The candidates must be MPs. The members of the party are the electorate and they vote by giving preferences to the candidates. At any stage where no candidate has 50% plus one of the votes, the last placed candidate is eliminated with their ballots being transferred to the next numbered continuing candidate. The process is repeated until one candidate reaches the required number of votes to be elected.

So there's no requirement for support among fellow MPs before being put to the party members? Any MP who wants to stand for the leadership can do so carte blanche?

10% of other members of the caucus (so 2) + 200 LD members from at least 20 constituencies.

[Leftbehind]

I think the main issue with Farron's performance was that there was opportunity for Lib Dems thanks to Tories becoming the party of Hard Brexit and then they managed to do WORSE than they did with Clegg in power (in terms of % of the vote, of course, they managed some gains thanks to anti-Tory movement in some areas).

Exactly - they were hoping to make inroads from a left-wing Labour led by a Eurosceptic who was widely blamed (unfairly, I thought) for losing the referendum, but instead their leader managed to repel many social liberals and Labour got away scot-free. 2015 was a disaster election for them, returning their vote to the pre-1974 breakthrough, and yet under Farron they've won less votes - that's unquestionably a failure.

[Gary J]

What method do the Lib Dems use to choose their leader?

The candidates must be MPs. The members of the party are the electorate and they vote by giving preferences to the candidates. At any stage where no candidate has 50% plus one of the votes, the last placed candidate is eliminated with their ballots being transferred to the next numbered continuing candidate. The process is repeated until one candidate reaches the required number of votes to be elected.

So there's no requirement for support among fellow MPs before being put to the party members? Any MP who wants to stand for the leadership can do so carte blanche?

MaxQue has explained the nomination requirements, but to see how absurd it was to leave leadership elections solely up to the MPs in a small party, I refer you to the Liberal Party leadership election of 1967. In 1967, as with the 2017 Liberal Democrats, there were 12 MPs in the parliamentary party.

In 1967 there were three candidates. The voters split 6-3-3. The joint second placed candidates then withdrew and the glorious leadership of Jeremy Thorpe began.

The Liberal Party started experimenting with an  electoral college type arrangement for its next leadership election (so many electoral votes per constituency party), but the Liberal Democrats settled on one member, one vote elections.

[Chickpeas]

I think it will be Jo Swinson, she has key governmental experience from her time as a Junior Equalities Minister.

Vince Cable would make a good interim leader. He held a robust portfolio in the coalition government and has serious economic clout.

Perhaps Swinson can be Deputy Leader as part of a "dream ticket" arrangement.

[Kingpoleon]

Lloyd is my preferred candidate, followed by Brake and Davey.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Honestly, I would prefer the LibDems to just die now. Let's move back to a two-party system and offer Britain a clear choice for their future.

[Sozialliberal]

He's one of Britain's Finest mps, man of principle and honour,

He didn't serve in the coalition government and remained Highly critical, sadly was treated unfairly by his constituents.

Yes, indeed. If only he had never started misusing alcohol ...

Lloyd is my preferred candidate, followed by Brake and Davey.

That makes two of us. Hey, let's move to Britain, join the Lib Dems, and back Lloyd in the leadership race.

Honestly, I would prefer the LibDems to just die now. Let's move back to a two-party system and offer Britain a clear choice for their future.

I hope not. The world is not black and white.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Honestly, I would prefer the LibDems to just die now. Let's move back to a two-party system and offer Britain a clear choice for their future.

I hope not. The world is not black and white.

Maybe, but Britain is red and blue.

[Blair]

After actually thinking about it seems that with the current state of the parties+the demographics they attract that they'd actually do well with someone from the right of the party/someone who was in coalition.

Farron very much seemed to be trying to take the Lib Dems back to the 2005 days- where they tried to appeal to students/young people/people fed up with politics. This worked in 2005 because we had New Labour as the punching bag- but even under Miliband there were a massive cannibalism of the Lib Dem's urban/student/metro vote e.g Bermondsey/Oxford/Bristol/Leeds. Basically the Lib Dems aren't going to beat Labour in the traditional Lab-Lib seats, even with someone who doesn't hate the gays.

Which leaves them with the West Country, which from recent results seems a washup- and then they've got Scotland, and the South Coast.

There best shot really is to use there 12 seats with someone like Swinson, and argue that they can be a sustainable partner in government- ditch the 2nd referendum/cannabis reform, and make themselves into a centrist party because that's the only space that's open.

TL;DR: The Lib Dems might as well have a final shot at being real, and acting as a centrist party, and if that fails the party should fold imo.

[Leftbehind]

Honestly, I would prefer the LibDems to just die now. Let's move back to a two-party system and offer Britain a clear choice for their future.

In many ways May surpassed Thatcher last week, however unlike Thatcher she didn't have a divided opposition vote that is electorally crucified by FPTP. The only future of the left is the none-revival of the Liberals, and given they've had five years of opposition and they've barely moved an inch except in the minority of seats where they're the only game in town, it seems that the good-will they burnt by going into the coalition has gone for good and the electorate mindset is one of two-party (except in Scotland, where the left lost ground).

[Kamala]

I think the Lib Dems made a good go at being the Remain Party but I remember seeing polls saying that Brexit was like the 5th or 6th most important issue, far from being the centre of the election. I don't really see a way forward for them - the seats they almost won (Fife NE, St Ives, and Richmond Park) are very different in character, and the only seat they seem poised to call "safe" is Orkney and Shetland.

I guess they could fold and simply become the Orkney and Shetland Party.

[DavidB.]

Ugh, if only Clegg had won re-election

[Antonio the Sixth]

Honestly, I would prefer the LibDems to just die now. Let's move back to a two-party system and offer Britain a clear choice for their future.

In many ways May surpassed Thatcher last week, however unlike Thatcher she didn't have a divided opposition vote that is electorally crucified by FPTP. The only future of the left is the none-revival of the Liberals, and given they've had five years of opposition and they've barely moved an inch except in the minority of seats where they're the only game in town, it seems that the good-will they burnt by going into the coalition has gone for good and the electorate mindset is one of two-party (except in Scotland, where the left lost ground).

We can only hope that the SNP blight will be vanquished as well, eventually, and that when this nationalist wedge issue dies down Scotland will return to its proud history of Labour support.

[Blair]

Also worth noting that the one characteristic they should look out for is someone who generally comes across well as a leader; there's a reason that Thatcher/Blair/Clegg/Cameron were all able to do bend their parties ideologies, and perform very well in elections. If they had someone like Clegg without his baggage they could do well regardless of what position they take

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I honestly think Lamb would be a decent choice, and would have certainly done better than Farron considering their aim is to penetrate the vast swathes of Shire County that they used to do really well at, especially in local elections (which atrophied even before the coalition years).

[adma]

I guess they could fold and simply become the Orkney and Shetland Party.

Or the Jo Party (Grimond; Swinson)