Why Charlie Must Go: "Come and 'ave a go if you think you're 'ard enough" doesn't cut it.

The farce of the Lib Dem leadership is moving apace.
Following yesterdays Public Statement, where Charlie admitted to the world that he was an alcoholic his inadequacies have moved the top of the news agenda.

Before I get stuck in to Charlie, I should be clear, he has my empathy and sympathy for his alcoholism. I had a problem with alcohol, and have been on the waggon for 6 years. I have some little understanding of what he and his family have been going through. Yesterday's statement must have been very difficult to make, and those 2 months without beer must have been tough. I also like the man, and he has achieved a lot for the Lib Dems in the past. But it is the distant past.

But, it is not as David Steel said on Radio4's World at One, "a private matter". It is a very public matter. His alcoholism has been one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood, and has underpinned much of the criticism of his disasterous performance.

Does being a recovering alcoholic disqualify somebody from doing a his job? In general no, but Charlie told us yesterday that for much of the time he has been doing his job he was not in recovery. He was an alcoholic. Two dry months is to be commended on a personal level, but not a professional one. Even George Best managed a year before they would give him a liver...
Indeed, on the lunchtime C4 News bulletin we were treated to Lembit Opik citing the fact that George Bush is a recovering alcoholic as evidence that alcoholism is no obstacle to power! Now that is beyond desperate. Oh, and by the way Lembit, alcoholism is not a "lifestyle issue" it's a fucking serious medical condition!

What has also become clear is that Charlie kept the extent of the problem from all but a select few around him. The problem with that is the fact he has repeatedly lied through his back teeth, and dispatched others to lie for him.

His supporters have been telling us that he has come clean, and he was under no obligation to disclose a medical problem. Except he didn't come clean in his own time, he came clean because he was told that the press were going to out him, and that forced him to make a statement. He had absolutely no choice.

What is clear is his absolute determination to hold onto his own job. Yesterday's statement was designed to circumvent a no confidence vote amongst MP's, and put his leadership to the membership, where he feels he has more support. This is a colossal misjudgement.
MP's are furious that they have been forced to stand against him, and that those frontrunners who have said they wouldn't stand against Charlie are de facto barred from running. This crude blackmail has not gone down well. To the extent that senior Lib Dems are now tearing strips of Charlie in public.

Aren't these traits characteristic of an alcoholic? Lack of judgement, desperation and unrealistic expectations? Does Charlie really think he will be able to beat an insidious illness, that will be constantly referred to by his political collegues, his political enemies and the media if he pulls off this leadership election in the face of serious opposition from his own parliamentary party by a scam? I can't think of a set of circumstances more likely to make a recovering alcoholic fall off the waggon.

Piling on the pressure, Vince Cable is to deliver a letter this afternoon signed by half the Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet, telling Charlie they have no confidence in his position with the clear message that he should step down and allow the party to move on. Today the first of these, Andrew George, made his intention to resign if Charlie doesn't do just that by monday, and BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson is reporting that the other signatories have had discussion about resigning en masse.

I take no pleasure kicking Charlie when he is down, but I will, and I will continue to do so untill he wakes up and smells the coffee. I was one of not enough ex Labour supporters who wasted my vote on the Lib Dems in the general election. They are keen to tell us that they have more MPs than they have had for 80 years, and the party has never done so well. Excuse me? In the face of a Blair govenment that was almost universally distrusted and loathed, a Tory party on it's knees and in disarray, the Lib Dems would have us believe that an extra 10 seats is a result? It was pathetic, and I belive that one of the reasons that the Lib Dems did not pick up a significant number of Labour votes was because of the problem with the leadership and credibility.

If their performance in the May election was poor, their performance since has been apalling. Charlie told us this is the era of three party politics. I'm sorry, but for three party politics, the third party has to take part. Again, the issue has been Charlie. When they have wheeled him out, he has either been pissed, or he has appeared to be pissed. That is why it is a public, not a private matter.

For gods sake Charlie, read the writing on the wall. Your recent performance, certainly over the last 12 months has been terrible. You are battling an insidious illness, that you have repeatedly lied about, and which underpins that terrible performance. Your chances of beating that illness are by definition slim, and are vastly reduced by the stresses and pressures of doing your job at the best of times, let alone with the parliamentary party against you. Give yourself the time to recover, and salvage some dignity from this. You are humiliating yourself by your pathetic attempts to hang on to your job.

Walk away now, get well and come back to politics. It is your only real option.

Once again, for the record...
[Skip to 4 mins into the clip]

More on the Lib dems and Carlie's recent performance archived here.