All right Charlie?
- 14 Dec 05, 10:39 AM
It seems to be catching - the idea of changing your leadership, that is.
The Tories have done it, some Labour MPs are thinking of little else and now the Lib Dems are wondering whether it's their turn. Yesterday Charles Kennedy moved to head off what both his friends and enemies agree was an attempted mutiny.
No-one used the meeting to tell Charles to his face what they tell each other or indeed the media - namely that they don't think Charles is up to it. Many did though queue up to express their concerns. Mr Kennedy told his team that the mutterings about him had to stop and that if they weren't happy with him, they and not he should consider their positions.
That's a long and more elegant Kennedy-esque way of saying "Put up or shut up".
Senior Lib Dems were then invited to tell their leader or, if they preferred, their Chief Whip what they thought should happen next. My sense is that if his colleagues had been asked "Would you like Charles to spend more time with his family - a lot more time", the answer of many would be yes.
That's very different, though, from telling a man who wants to stay and was recently re-elected to the job that he has to go. The widespread hope among the Lib Dem leadership that Charles Kennedy might "stand down in his own time with dignity" has been dashed. Either his critics push him out before Christmas or they will be forced to accept that he's staying. Watch this space.
PS... CK has not yet used his best defence - namely that he's so expanded his party that it's big enough to have leadership coups and rival factions. On the other hand, maybe that wouldn't be his strongest line...
