Looks like the knives are out for Clegg

Looks like the knives are out for Clegg

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The Independent on Sunday and others are reporting

“The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, faces a showdown with Liberal Democrat MPs who are demanding that he consider his position as party leader in the wake of the disastrous European and local election results. A block of unnamed MPs are poised to demand his resignation, according to party sources, paving the way for the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, a possible “unity candidate”, to take over in a “coronation” before next year’s general election. Some are considering going public within days over their demands before the state opening of Parliament on 4 June..”

Meanwhile the Sunday Times reports (££)

“..For the first time two Liberal Democrat MPs broke cover last night to demand Nick Clegg’s resignation as the party leader, saying his presence is condemning it to “a slow form of party suicide”. John Pugh, the MP for Southport, compared Clegg and his inner circle to “generals at the Somme”, condemning 300 councillors to die at the hands of the electorate last week. Pugh said 12 fellow MPs share his views. He added: “It does not follow that because the captain should go down with the ship, that the ship has to go down with the captain.” Adrian Sanders, the Lib Dem MP for Torbay, said the leadership issue must be examined as part of the election post-mortem examination: “The problem is the messenger. I have found few people saying it’s the message…”

After the fourth consecutive electoral cycle in which the Lib Dem council base has been hammered, regular poor poll showings, the possibility of  finishing behind the Greens today, to go with finishing behind the Bus Pass Elvis Party in council election by-elections,  and no improvement in the polls, unlike their coalition allies, such manoeuvres by the Lib Dems are not unexpected.

Crucially, Rallings and Thrasher have published their national equivalent share of the vote, and for the Lib Dems it is 11%, which is the lowest the party has recorded at local elections since Rallings And Thrasher records began in 1979.

You can get 2/1 that Nick Clegg that Nick Clegg won’t be Lib Dem leader at the next General Election and 1/3 he will. I’ve had as much as Paddy Power will allow me, which is £4.07 on him not being the Lib Dem leader at the next General Election.

There are a couple of markets on the next Lib Dem Leader and the Lib Dem Leader at the next General Election, I’m not sure there’s much value in these right now, but PBers may find some value. Will the defenestration of Nick Clegg lead to an early end of the coalition?

TSE

Overnight there were some interesting polling and analysis out


 

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