Monday, July 22, 2019

Congratulations to Jo Swinson

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So it was a one-horse race after all.

Jo Swinson has won the Liberal Democrats' leadership election, polling 62 per cent of the 76,429 cast.

I voted for Ed Davey because I had a clearer idea of what his leadership would mean and broadly supported his approach.

It may be that Jo fought a front-runner's campaign and saw no need to upset anyone by being too specific, but I never did get a clear idea of what the liberal movement she advocates would look like.

And the emphasis her campaign put on the appeal of her own personality has given her a lot to live up to.

But Jo becomes leader at an immensely exciting time. To co-opt another of her favourite phrases there need be no limit to her ambitions.

There are, however, some important strategic puzzles to be solved. How many seats can the party fight to win? What sort of seats offer us the best prospects? Which other parties' voters should we be targeting?

I wish Jo every success as leader and in getting those decisions right. If she does, there is no knowing what she may achieve.

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