Not too long of a commentary on this article published by the Guardian (link below) because I already put some views about party leadership for the Liberal Democrats here, so will be brief in this post;
First things first; Let’s agree that Vince Cable is someone with excellent expertise deeply needed by the party and there is little question about that. More importantly it is a person I truly respect based on his record – both in party and in government – as an outsider looking in. That said let me share a few thoughts;
It is always easier to go with a traditional choice but not necessarily the right choice. The great thing about Emmanuel Macron who Vince Cable seems to respect quite a lot from the referenced article, is that he challenged the odds as a relatively new politician to become President of one the major western powers. He comes with a progressive agenda, a new vision and more importantly as a clear demonstration that experience/passion are NOT necessarily linked to age. This age aspect is not a form of age discrimination but rather a recognition that the new generation needs to start playing key roles in the party and indeed the country because they should start shaping their future and brining in a new vision to politics in the process. The older generation, and believe you me I am beginning to feel the pinch, need to be willing to play other key supportive roles because they can serve much more effectively in this capacity.
This is my take along with the previous post and I hope it makes some sense. All in all I do hope the Liberal Democrats begin building momentum with the election of a new leader to start making a bigger impact on British politics moving forward. They have great ideas and great talents and deserve better performance. Also important to remember – as I am sure many understand – the leadership election should be about a specific (vision + approach) for party internally as well as on real policy issues affecting the country and NOT just about experience which needs to be balanced with these important factors as well.