If you thought ConservativeHome was bad...

There are a lot of people in the party who believe that ConservativeHome is just about Tory members venting their spleen against Cameron in public. It has been attacked for being negative.

Well i urge you to read LibDem Forum and see what they have to say about their Leader, policies and performance. There are lots of brown nosing threads called "LibDems winning everywhere - hurrah!" but the ones with loads of posts are about Sir Ming's leadership and their dire 06 poll performance. Read this one, for example.

Here are some examples ... you'll never moan about CH again!

sorry for sounding like an angry football fan, but its the manager. ming is so uneclectable, charismaless and on the whole a bad move for liberal democratic thinking.

followed by...

"we need someone to shout liberal democrats where ever he goes. that is camerons best asset. he has told everyne n this country to vote conservative, has ming?

next GE i think ming will step down. not suprised by the election results we didnt actually campeign on any issues that a larger party wasn't supporting so why would people vote for a smaller party"

and this one...

Ming is a pathetic leader for a fantastic party. We need someone who says the words Liberal Democrats in evey damn sentence.

He is old, talentless, no charisma and is certainly the wrong person to lead us into a general election. I didn't vote for him to be leader.

Whoever did, needs to explain their actions !!

It gets worse...

As a shellshocked candidate who was pushed into 4th place by the BNP we need to address the following issues now:

1. I voted for Huhne in the leadership contest fearing Ming just wouldn't cut it and I'm sorry to say he hasn't. Lacklustre PMQs, poor soundbites and a lack of humour. He may not lose us votes but he ain't winning us any folks. All the Tory lealfets had Cameron on - he's their great electoral asset - yes he's false, yes he's a chameleon and yes he cycles to Westminster with a car following on 50 feet behind him, but the punters like him and they feel as they know him. They see Cameron as the man to challenge Blair.
On a similar theme - yes it's great our young MPs are getting media opportunities but Sarah Teather was completely out of her depth last night on the BBC - where's the likes Phil Willis? Why wasn't Simon H doing the biz - sorry they might have been later but I went to bed at midnight.

2. Policies - the voters are bored of ID cards, Iraq and tuition fees. Come on let's be brave and distinctive. Are we soft on crime? What do we think of mass immigration? (Questions I was repeatedly asked)
We're not even seen as the strongest party on green issues now.

3. Leafleting - the Lid Dem way is to deliver half a South American rainforest in Focuses, leaflets, blue letters etc but such is the level of junk mail that I think it's effectiveness is rapidly diminishing. Let's get media savvy.

I'm off to spend more time with my wife and kids

Oh dear, it just carries on...

For god's sake tell the voters what we stand for. Oh, that's right, even we don't know!! Tuition fees is old and Opposed to Iraq is even bloody older !! Howver, not as old as our leader. It's like a supply teacher with his students. However the students know more and are much better at the subject than their substitute teacher! Lets get a decent Captain to save this gradually sinking ship !!!

and...

HERE'S THE GOLDEN RULE: Always assume the national party / leadership / election campaign will be crap [a safe assumption - they usually are] - and win it with your own LOCAL campaign

I know this is all knockabout stuff, but I really think it is great. Not because it is LibDem members doing their own side down, but because they are willing to be honest.

The point about the policies is what a lot of LibDems have said in private for a long time - they are seen as being only about fees, the war and ID cards. They need to be more than a catch all giant protest party. And also the acceptance that the old campaigning ways don't work anymore - mainly because the Tories have copied them and made it work better. The LibDems need to go beyond simply whacking hundreds of Focus leaflets through each door.

I said previously that the LibDems are very bad at splits - they'd prefer to shut up and put up with something they don't agree with rather than rock the boat. This is the first bout of honesty I have sene from them and long may it continue!