To really respect Vince Cable?

[ComingUpTrumps]

Full disclosure - I'm a Lib Dem supporter.

The 2010 election was the first one I could legally vote in, and I went for the Lib Dems. I liked (and still like) Nick Clegg, but lost some respect for him after going into the coalition with the Conservatives.

I also liked what Tim Farron had to say as Lib Dem leader, but I'm particularly impressed with Vince Cable. He's given a couple of interviews so far since being elected as Lib Dem leader, and I think he's taking a very sensible and effective approach to leading the party.

I'm quietly hopeful for the Lib Dems now!

AIBU?

I am uncomfortable with his ability to insist on the righteousness of a second EU referendum (because the Leave campaign lied) while saying Scotland should not have a second independence referendum (because every promise Better Together made has been broken into tiny little pieces, ie, they lied). Cognitive dissonance r us.

Yes, the LibDims are a one-policy party joke. They say hope springs eternal

But most people wont vote for a second referendum party. Isn't Vince a bit past his sell by date?

I've always been impressed with him and may vote Lib Dem at the next election with him in charge, dependent on their manifesto obvs!

Can't stand him. Do agree with him on Europe but he made a total tit of himself with the Murdoch business during the coalition and comes across as pompous and arrogant to me. I also think he spends too much time attacking Labour rather than focusing on getting the Tories out.

He has a fantastic understanding of economics and would have been a brilliant Chancellor.

I do really like him, but I don't think he'll ever be PM.

I don't get the feeling that he's trying to push for a second referendum though. This thread was inspired by an interview that he did with the Guardian here.

He seems to be suggesting in the interview that, instead of campaigning for a second referendum, he'd like to focus on mobilising politicians from different political parties to campaign for a softer Brexit.

Or, if that doesn't work well/work out, he mentions that his party would establish and put forward a viable 'exit for Brexit' strategy.

(Although he doesn't mention a second referendum as an option for the strategy, as he suggests that it wouldn't work out from the research that he's done on its viability).

I think he has zero hope of ever becoming PM

I agree Whirlwind (he would've been a huge asset to David Cameron's coalition government as Chancellor, I think).

He sold off Royal Mail. That's bad enough but he also sold it for far less than it was worth. No respect for him at all and the thought of him as chancellor or pm is laughable.

Commingup Vince Cable literally makes my skin crawl. His sneaky circulation of a letter regarding Charlie Kennedy's alcoholism was utterly dispicable.
I'm not a Libdem voter, but was gutted when he got the leadership.

Cable is a truly awful man - unlike Glegg (who was totally blindsided by power) and Tim Farringdon (questionable beliefs) who I've met a few times, and are genuine in a way Cable just isn't in my fevered imaginings he frequently holds black masses

Labour voter for full disclosure, sorry meant to put that in.

I don't get the feeling that he's trying to push for a second referendum though Ummm he was all over the news this morning promoting his push for an 'exit from brexit' referendum. And if he is elected as PM he will keep us in Europe. He is quackers.

FFS ^Farron

Excellent grasp of economics? This is the man who sold royal mail cheap.

Short memories are the friend of crap politicians.

I think he comes across as an awful supercilious man. I didn't like him in the coalition and I don't like him now.

Short memories are the friend of crap politicians. Fair enough I didn't know that he'd sold off Royal Mail

Given the last 2 leaders its hard to call them either 'liberal' or 'democratic'. Time for someone to kick out the old guard and bring in some liberal democrats before the party is wiped out completely.

YABVU

He is dreadful.

Was he even elected? Wasn't he appointed?

There are a few things that really piss me off about lib dems. Primarily it's that their general opposition to Brexit is neither liberal nor democratic, especially as it was always in their manifesto to hold a ref.

I also hate their hypocrisy in the HoL. Oppose it on principle but happy to fill it with their own peers (ahem, Cable).

If the party moved more towards orange book liberalism I would probably vote for them. Right now they're a nothing party to me with nothing attractive to offer

I really like vince cable. I am labour to my core, but some of the things he says are very sensible and resonate with me.

Hadn't seen him for a while until this morning on Andrew Marr. I had quite liked his views previously and had found him very sensible. But can't really be bothered with politicians who use analogies in a derogative way as he did in this interview. He kept saying that the Conservative party were at civil war with each other! He kept repeating it as if he really wanted his new 'idea' to catch on. Think he is hoping the press will use it. It's a bit like the 'cliff edge' thing! I'm also not at all keen on the 2nd referendum thing. I don't really understand what they think will happen if the referendum votes against the leave proposal. Because we are leaving!!

The Lib Dems never made a manifesto promise to hold a referendum on the EU, and they stopped Cameron from holding one during the Coalition.
(And I believe they were right to do so)

Much as I can't stand cable, the lib dems promised a tax rise which we badly need. Pity the electorate disagree.

He has as much chance of being the PM as I do.

Zilch.

The same goes for the Lib Dem party generally being in power at all, as a whole really for any time in the next decade. Voters remember. This ex-libdem voter does.