Monday, January 12, 2009

Hubris calling Watson... Hubris calling Watson

Oh what a bouffant buffoon Graham 'Toady' Watson is. The leader of the Liberal Democrat Group (ALDE). He has launched his election campaign as the next President of the European Parliament.

There are a few small problems with this.

Firstly he launched it on Euronews - hardly somewhere where he will be noticed.

Second, he is fibbing when he claims that this is the,

"first ever public campaign for the presidency".
Nope that would be the campaign of Jens-Peter Bonde last time round. The 'Fair Chair' campaign was specifically a public campaign.

Then there is the fact that he will not have the support of either the socialist group or the EPP. Leaving him writing begging letters to UKIP MEPs for support. Now given that he says on his campaign website,
"If elected, I will work with MEPs of all persuasions and with Council and Commission for a stronger European Union. The ideal of a united Europe is under attack and I intend to lead a counter-offensive. "
I suspect that the letters to the Ind/Dem Group are, at best, a waste of paper.

But most importantly he hasn't been elected yet. His seat hangs in the balance if the results of the opinion poll in the Sunday Telegraph are anything to go by. To win a seat in the South West, where he pretends to be based requires about 15%. The poll has the Lib/Dems at 14%.

So he spending a whole bunch of money on a website based in Texas (bought on December 2nd) to run for a campaign he has a very real chance of being unable to prosecute due to not being elected as an MEP, let alone President of Parliament. He is playing a very dangerous and hubristic game here.
Update
I pottered along to Watson's section of YouTube and noticed that the last 17 weekly podcasts have average viewing figures of 37 views.
Given that many will be from his own office... well it doesn't bode well does it?

3 comments:

Witterings from Witney said...

Gawain,
Only goes to show the thought processes/decision making capabilities/logic of a Libdem! Mind you, for LibDem read Conservative, and/or Labour, politician!

Anonymous said...

"Backroom deals in smoked filled rooms". He certainly won't get elected for his use of English.

Gawain Towler said...

Anyhow, these days they have banned smoking from the Parliament

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