Sowing the Seeds of Hope

I have seen a lot of commentary from members who are not happy about the Lib Dem Leadership election result.

We must be willing to accept that we may not win, however well we argue or express our views.  One of the benefits of putting forward a good case is that even if you don't win, the electorate will appreciate your arguments and demand that the winner implements some of them.

A good winner will also have taken note of the positive aspects of the loser's campaign.  If they have any sense, they and their team will learn from the experience and use what they have learnt to shape their future work and their future campaigns.

Fighting and losing need not be seen as a disaster.  By fighting a good battle, you will have sown seeds for the future - in the minds of the electorate, who will demand better of the winner, and also in the mind of the winner, who, if they have any sense, will realise that they have to do a better job.

Layla and her team ran a brilliant campaign and I am sure that Ed Davey will make sure that many of the issues raised by Layla are addressed in due course.  He would be stupid not to.

One of the toughest lessens you learn as a candidate is that you must understand and speak to your electorate and offer them a positive way forward.  Ed's team understood that. They focused on their objective... and won.

If we, as Lib Dems ever want to win, we must understand that our electorate doesn't always hold dear the same things that we do - at least not to the same extent.

That does not mean that we ditch our views or our principles. However, banging on about issues that concern us, but not the electorate, is a waste of time.
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The electorate in the Lib Dem Leadership election is very different to the electorate that we must now face in local, general, assembly and mayoral elections.

The fight for the Lib Dem Leadership is over.  A bigger fight awaits the victor - how to turn around an ailing ship and convince the electorate to trust in the Lib Dems again.
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Fight a good fight.  Be graceful whatever the result.  Sow seeds of hope for the future.  Layla has certainly done that and we must all be thankful that she has.

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