I doubt Ming’s age of 66 was the real reason for his resignation
as
Lib Dem party leader, more his lack of oomph or charisma, his inability to connect (my favourite word) with voters.
It was his greyness of character rather than the colour of his hair that let him down, despite these brave words expressing his determination to prove his critics wrong:
“Now when it comes to the next general election, I believe there is some speculation that age will be a factor. You bet it will. Because I’ll make it one.
“Because with age comes experience, and with experience comes judgement. And when you are deciding whether to send our young men and women to war, it pays to have that experience and it pays to have that judgement.”
Take Bruce Forsyth, aged 79, a demon on the dance floor with great wit and personality. He puts many men half his age to shame.
He was done in.
Hi Ellee, the bloggers lunch will be at the Carlton Club at 12.30pm on Thursday 15 November. Hope you can make it.
WW, Thank you, I am absolutely thrilled to be invited and have written the date in my diary.
Someone remarked on Newsnight last night that Paddy Ashdown is actually older than Ming, but they look years apart. Paddy had that charisma, that skill he could “connect” with the voters. Ming could not, and now he is out. It was not to do with age, it was to do with his failure as a leader.
Goodbye Ming, enjoy the backbenches.
John, I have checked and you are absolutely right. Paddy Ashdown is in fact three months older than Ming, I checked their birth dates on wikipedia.
I agree about the leadership point you made, a leader has to inspire, and that clearly didn’t happen, though I do feel Ming is a genuine person and politician. You never felt he lied to you.
The ageism used against Ming by the media was not very nice, considering how much of the electorate over 65 actually votes (over 80%, I believe).
As worrying, Ellee, and totally off topic but relevant to one of your earlier posts, I cannot seem to buy a Banana Java Chip Frappuccino in any Starbucks as they say it was ‘seasonal’. What, they still believe there are still seasons in the UK? After the wet summer and so-far-reasonably-pleasant autumn?
Are you suggesting Brucie for PM? Now that would be different!
At age 73, campaigning for reelection, President Ronald Reagan said this in a televised debate with Walter Mondale: “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” (Source: Wikipedia
There are ways to turn the issue around… if it shouldn’t be an issue.
It’s an ageist society Ellee. It’s a damn shame I feel really sorry for the bloke. He has basically been bullied into resigning by the press and by significant members of his own party.
I think this kind of thuggish behaviour should be exposed. I think actually Ming did have charisma, he was just an old school politcian. It’s really sad. The people within his own party who started this campaign should be exposed and humilated – flogging!! In public, throw a bunch of wet LIBDEM rosettes at their faces.
I am actually rather pissed off about the fact that other parties did not come out and support him, because he was a victim of ageism and bullying. Really, not on.
It really does seem the mean acerage political life expentancy of an opposition (conservative or liberal) leader is less than that of some premier league football managers.
Sad to see Min (Menzies Campbell) go, he added a bit of Age if not gravitas to the british political spectrum – but the liberals aren’t really sufficient in numbers to risk a debate of whether they are to the centre left or centre right. At best all they can do is help to keep Labour out as during the Thatcher year, and keep Conservatives out during the Blair years. As to what their effect will be in the Gordon years remains to be seen.
Hope David Cameron lasts longer than the grey guy, and William Hague or Ian Duncan Smith. If anything because you really have no one else as well known as Gordon he’s been in the public eye for 12 years ‘shadowing’ Blair, and has the gravitas from having been Chancellor of the Exchequer for Ten.
The Conservatives need to build One Man, no matter what happens at the next general election, and give him time to develop his public profile and a conservative agenda. Else the conservatives will become as inarticulate, indecisive and wishy-washy as the LibDems, with Gordon Brown steaming ahead full throttle like a juggernaut, with no opposition able to stand in his way. And failing some major blunder, disaster or scandal – that’s the way the next general election is looking. Not because it is the Will of God, not because of any definite Brown Legacy or Socialist Ideals, but thru the total chaos and confusion evident in the ranks of the opposition.
Are you saying that Brucie ought to be leader of the Lib Dems!
Bearing in mind that most of the candidates for the leadership of the Lib Dems (back when Kennedy was ousted) turned out to have some kind of sexual skeleton in the closet, they must have thought they were taking the safe option by opting for someone of Ming’s advancing years!
Well, I guess it was safe, but it wasn’t successful.
In a way it was quite sad to see someone so commanding in one role (as a forthright and articulate Shadow Foreign Secretary) become so toothless and floundering once he’s stepped up to the leadership.
Some of the remarks about Ming’s age (especially in the House) were pretty cheap and tawdry though. Par for the political course then.
I think you’re a bit hard on him, Ellee. He was just too much of a gentleman for the job. As for Bruce, it’s a pity he wasn’t more gentlemanly to his first wife!
U.S.Senator John McCain, 71, doesn’t think he is too old to throw his hat in the presidential race, and takes his 95-year-old mother campaigning with him.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7049982.stm
That’s a fair point (although McCain is a scary guy, I think).