Sunday, 15 March 2009

Good morning Liberal Democrats.

Just as it looked like things were calming down, there has been a Saturday night twist in the Liberal Youth election. Sara Scarlett, one of the candidates for Chairman has gone nuclear on not just her opponent, but on the whole organisation too. In a message to supporters she lambastes Elaine Bagshaw, her opponent and the current Chairman, and she goes onto call for Liberal Youth to be completely overhauled. Both the candidates for the Chairman of the organisation have now, either publically or privately, called for it to be scrapped. Are you listening yet Cowley Street?

Dear Friends,

As a matter of conscience I feel like I can no longer stand by the apology I made five days ago.

The words were not my own and they do not reflect how I actually feel. I am not sorry for heckling Elaine but I felt as though I owed a contrition to the many who put in effort into my campaign. Although I do thank them profoundly: I must retract my apology.

The fact remains that the reason Liberal Youth is allowed to continue in it’s current state is due to sheer corporate incompetence on the part of Cowley Street. To place the sole responsibility of all recruitment, campaign literature and political strategy, for members of the party under the age of 26, on the shoulders of unqualified individuals with no relevant experience is insanity. Had I known then what I know now I would never have put myself forward for this role. The organisation is essentially set up to fail and those who attempt to make something productive of it are tarred with the same brush.

The heckle was the consequence of a lot of nervous energy and anxiety I have gained from the frustration surrounding this election and this organisation as a whole. There’s no denying that this election was semi-personal.
Elaine has been an atrocious person to work with. The sycophancy she indulges in and the sycophants
she surrounds herself with amidst a non-existent ideological cadre is a caricature of bad politics. Her leadership instincts are essentially New Labour. If this were a professional organisation someone with such poor interpersonal skills would never have made it through a human resource filter to the detriment of Liberalism's soul. This is something I’ve told her to her face.
A lot of the negative campaigning from my camp came from individuals who choose to support me due to their personal dislike of Elaine’s leadership style rather than a belief in my own. My personal animosity towards her amplified the schadenfreude which occurs naturally in elections. I hate that I took so much pleasure at the expense of others for what I realise now is an insignificant prize and I hope that the relationships that have broken down during this election are not damaged beyond repair.


Joining the LibDems was and still is one of the best things I have ever done in my life. The people I have met have been some of the most exceptional and courageous people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. And some of those I have met have been the extreme opposite...

However, my allegiance is to Liberalism first and to the Liberal Democrats second. I think the LibDems are failing the many young people in this country who self-define as liberals. After the next General Election I will be writing a letter to the Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats which will include my recommendations for an alternative to Liberal Youth.

In the words of a man significantly wiser than myself: “Elections are like thunderstorms; sometimes a lightning strike is fatal, sometimes they clear the air...”

Here's hoping for a bit of both.

Regards,
Sara Scarlett


Later on she resigned her position as a Vice Chairman of the organisation:

This is definitely game-changing but TB can't quite work out how yet. Either it will lead Sara to pick up even more support against Bagshaw, or it will make a Bagshaw victory distinctly pyrrhic.

Haha whatever next.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Sara, Sara, have you no shame?

The last thing ANY Liberal Democrat should be doing is trying to piss off Cowley Street...

Not a big fan of TB but I would like to thank him for making things a little more open...so people are more aware of the insanity.

Will S
said...

Haha, this is good fun. Keep up the good work.

John M Ward
said...

Meanwhile, LibDem councillor Roger Matthews in Canterbury, Kent has been charged with corruption.

Anonymous said...

Hehe, I haven't seen this level of sustained immaturity since...well, the last two Lib Dem leadership elections, actually!

So, it's "calamity" Bagshaw all the way!

davidc
said...

the sisterhood seems to be under some sort of strain!

Declan Lyons
said...

The whole thing is a farce, but very amusing!

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