NHS staff electoral challenge to Simon Hughes

Very interesting to read about a proposed electoral challenge to Simon Hughes by some NHS staff at the next election. There have been some notable successes for prospective independent mps ( martin bell, tatton) and perhaps even more so for those fighting on a 'save our hospital' ticket, dr richard taylor ( wyre forest).
Single issues maybe but anti political sleaze and threats to the NHS chime strongly in the public psyche.
This combined with a tangible erosion of support for the lib dems in bermondsey and old southwark may suggest that the political demise of one beloved deputy leader is imminent.

As much I have supported Simon Hughes over the years, I do feel that a creditable challenge could see Simon lose his seat. For some time now the people of Bermondsey seem to have been taken for granted by the Lib Dems and I know that many people who voted for Simon at the last election feel betrayed by his party's support for the dismantling of the NHS in the guise of reforms. Many who voted for Simon never dreamt that they were voting Conservative at the same time.

Labour does not seem to have the ability to find or field a creditable local candidate, so any challenge would have to come from a independent candidate and if an individual is running a "Save the NHS" ticket they are sure to get a lot of support

Simon Hughes - I remember seeing him signing a pledge to end tuition fees at a hustings in Southwark Cathedral before the last election.

What happened to him?

His nose grew a foot - and his credibility shrank.

Ironically the most likely effect of this sort of candidate standing would be to guarantee Simon's re-election. If you are against the coalition's NHS reforms, you're unlikely to be voting for him anyway. This way, though, votes against him are split more ways. Double irony, he'd then potentially be saved because the electoral system he wanted was rejected...

I suppose if Labour decided not to run a candidate and endorse the 'NHS independent' then maybe - but with such a high chance of winning next time, why not? In reality while the NHS will still be an issue by the election, single-issue candidates tend to do badly in UK elections.

beingjdc wrote:

Ironically the most likely effect of this sort of candidate standing would be to guarantee Simon's re-election. If you are against the coalition's NHS reforms, you're unlikely to be voting for him anyway. This way, though, votes against him are split more ways. Double irony, he'd then potentially be saved because the electoral system he wanted was rejected...
I suppose if Labour decided not to run a candidate and endorse the 'NHS independent' then maybe - but with such a high chance of winning next time, why not? In reality while the NHS will still be an issue by the election, single-issue candidates tend to do badly in UK elections.

Assuming you are correct ( which I think a considerable assumption) and there is a splintering of the vote where is the evidence to suggest that the Lib Dems are more likely to benefit than eg. Labour.
I have always supported and voted for the Lib Dems .. but am diametrically opposed to the NHS reforms... not because I dislike reform per se.. but because I think these proposals are ill conceived, badly thought through and have been hopelessly badly consulted on.
The strap line of 'single issue candidates tend to do badly in uk elections' in reality is of course a direct challenge to the democratic credentials of supporters of the main parties. I for one would hope our leading politicians would welcome the challenge.

londonbridge69 wrote:

Assuming you are correct ( which I think a considerable assumption) and there is a splintering of the vote where is the evidence to suggest that the Lib Dems are more likely to benefit than eg. Labour.

YouGov asked at the end of last month whether the Government should continue with their planned NHS reforms, or abandon them. Lib Dem voters were four times more likely to say they should continue with the reforms than Labour voters (albeit less than half as likely as Tory voters, and more opposed than in favour).

It's like UKIP and the Tories, really - but that's deliberate. Regardless of how strongly a lot of people feel about the EU, they mostly end up voting for parties with a wider message that appeals to them on other big issues.

The reason I am not going to vote for Hughes again is due to the Liberal Democrats, both local and national, taking money from the Ministry of Sound who are now one of their largest funders and owned by an offshore company. I read this on another thread on this website and could not believe it but checked it out and it is correct. How come they are happy to take money from a subsiduary of an offshore company when they bang on about closing tax avoidance loop holes... I thought this was against everything Lib Dems stand for? Just like the student loans and NHS reform they are happy to sell out their policies when it suits them.

I'd say all parties have at times courted reputational risk in the pursuit of funds, but the Ministry of Sound are not the Lib Dems' biggest problem...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Brown_(fraudster)

All politicians/parties seem to be massively hypocritical these days....I cannot bear any of them...and to be honest don't see the LibDems as any worse than any of the others...not that that makes them any good at all...just the same self-serving institutionalised politicians that the country just doesn't need. Any chance of some honesty from any of them...PLEASE!