UK Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2017

[Lord Halifax]

Damn, Cable is 74. Isn't that a bit too old to become leader, especially if there isn't a GE until 2020-2022?

It will be Swinson with Cable as advisor (or "consigliere") if they take that route.

[Lord Halifax]

Damn, Cable is 74. Isn't that a bit too old to become leader, especially if there isn't a GE until 2020-2022?

Corbyn is also a geezer, anyway there is no risk of Cable forming a government...

Corbyn is just 68. Six years matters a great deal at that age.

[Lord Halifax]

I honestly do think though they could benefit from some rebranding. Maybe dropping the Democrats and just calling themselves the 'Liberal Party' would more accurately capture them at this point.

I definitely do think Norman Lamb is the best option. Alistair Carmichael would be a good fit for Deputy Leader to show the look towards Scotland among the party. Obviously Jo Swinson should be given a prominent role as a spokesperson of some sort.

Huh? Swinson is Scottish, and a much better politician than Carmichael.

[Lord Halifax]

I honestly do think though they could benefit from some rebranding. Maybe dropping the Democrats and just calling themselves the 'Liberal Party' would more accurately capture them at this point.

I definitely do think Norman Lamb is the best option. Alistair Carmichael would be a good fit for Deputy Leader to show the look towards Scotland among the party. Obviously Jo Swinson should be given a prominent role as a spokesperson of some sort.

Huh? Swinson is Scottish, and a much better politician than Carmichael.

https://youtu.be/typQ_JY85hc?t=6m31s

Getting demolished by Galloway on tuition on frees. Bodes well for the student vote.

Old hat. The coalition won't stay relevant forever, too much has happened in British politics since then.

The LibDems aren't going to get the youth vote (and young people still have crap turnout); that isn't who they need to appeal to.

[Lord Halifax]

The Liberal Democrat strategy is to devote resources to a limited number of constituencies so as to gradually expand the number of seats won. Seats outside the target group do not matter much, at least in the early stages of the process.

The effect of the coalition was to close down some previously areas of advance and to re-start the process of growth from a lower starting point.

The strategy followed produced a net gain of four seats over the 2015 general election. There are some other seats which would be sensible targets at the next general election.

The Liberal Democrats are unlikely to make enormous gains at any one election, but are in no realistic danger of disappearing however much partisans of other parties might wish they would.

But they might seize to be national party by being eliminated outside of the SE/London and Scotland.

[Lord Halifax]

Ashdown was plagued by a play-on-words headline on his name.

Which was?