New Liberal Democrat Leader

That was a direct quotation from the report of findings or research into conservative party membership by Queen Mary University, nothing to do with me or the Lib dems.

Why bother to quote it, then?

We very often, on , Gransnet, quote research results, surveys, facts and figures which have more weight than one person's opinion. That way we can have a more informed debate. I doubt whether even the most enthusiastic Tory party member actually believes that party members are a good cross section of our society, and this study clearly shows they are not.

Chuka Umanna is to run as a Liberal Democrat in the by election which is a “safe Labour seat”!

According to the Mail? It might happen, we shall see.

Meanwhile, in the real world, British voters put the LibDems top the polls at 24%. Tories lag third equal with Labour at 19%.

So perhaps we should be glad that there are two excellent leadership contenders - Jo Swinson and Ed Davey, both head and shoulders above any of the 101 useless Tory candidates.

See the two leadership candidates engage in a civilised and constructive debate

www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2019/06/lib-dem-hustings-other-leadership-contest

Surely Ed Davey’s recent suggestion that someone ought to decapitate Boris (he later apologised) rules him out? Or is it only tories that are held to a higher standard?

It is not the first time that a politician has used the term "decapitate" in a metaphorical sense to mean seeing off the leader of another party. It is not a term I like but I don't think Ed should have felt the need to apologise.

There is to be a LibDem leadership debate on the Victoria Derbyshire Show tomorrow morning (Thursday) at 10am.

"Surely Ed Davey’s recent suggestion that someone ought to decapitate Boris (he later apologised) rules him out? Or is it only tories that are held to a higher standard?"
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Ed Davey said:-

" This was a careless use of language, meant in electoral sense and in no way literally."

So Lib Dems say their use of careless language is not meant to be taken literally whilst other politicians are lambasted by them for using careless language.

Labour politicians who make or use careless / abusive language, ' have been on a journey' and should be forgiven.

It appears to be a rule for some but not for all it appears.

I was surprised MP Layla Moran did not put her name forward to be honest as she seemed to have been the Lib Dem go to spokesperson on practically every politics programme I have watched since the 2017 General Election, maybe because Jo Swinson was on maternity leave.

Of course Layla Moran suffered scrutiny over a personal incident in her private life similar to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds so I bet she is glad she took the decision not to throw her hat into the ring seeing how they are being portrayed. I doubt the two incidences would attract the same level of interest in the media as Boris Johnson is getting though which takes it back to being a rule for one and not another in some minds.