Sir Menzies Campbell Quits as Leader of British Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrats in the UK are looking for a new leader this week. Sir Menzies Campbell (whose first name is pronounced “Ming” for reasons unimportant here) has resigned the post after Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that the next general election won’t occur until 2009 or 2010. Sir Ming felt that leading the party in a major campaign at the age of 68 or 69 would be beyond a man of his years. His country owes him a debt of gratitude, and his party couldn’t have been served better.

Sir Ming came to the leaders job after Charles Kennedy’s drinking problem resulted in several MPs demanding that he stand down (for the record, Charles Kennedy drunk knew better than a sober Tony Blair to oppose the war in Iraq-Nam). The party hadn’t made the breakthrough in the last election it had needed, and the Liberal Democrats really were in no condition for a leadership fight. Sir Ming was a safe pair of hands, and his age ensured that he would be a transitional figure.

Transitional figures, however, have a valuable role to play. America was exceedingly well served by Gerald R. Ford in that role. Sir Ming, in his resignation statement wrote, “When I was elected Leader of the Party in March 2006 I had three objectives. First, to restore stability and purpose in the party following my predecessor’s resignation and the leadership campaign itself, second to make the internal operations of the party more professional, and third to prepare the party for a General Election.” He didn’t have time for the last two, but the first was an overwhelming priority anyway, and on that score, he triumphed.

With the rise of the Cameron-led Tories, and with the departure of Mr. Blair, the Liberal Democrats now face a serious challenge. They must find a way to appeal to the floating voters around the UK, win Tory votes in the southeast, retain Liberal Democrat votes in the southwest, and remain credible to their activist base. Remaining distinctive is a challenge.

No doubt Sir Ming could have managed an election campaign this year. Depending on the results, he could either resigned to let younger hands guide the LibDem ship, or spend the next couple of years with a mandate to move the party forward. Without an election, it is time for a party leader who is more than a transitional figure. But before that happens, the party and the country ought to acknowledge the good Sir Ming has done them.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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