Young Turks

Been following some of the blog comments on Ming Campbell's forced retirement...got a better perspective on internal Liberal politics ...found the comments re the 'Young Turks' particularly illuminating...these apparently are newer right wing members of the Liberal party who previously might have found their political home in the Tories. To the despair of the traditional Liberal they have infiltrated the Lib Dems, presumably in the belief that the Tories are a dying breed and political advancement lies elsewhere....(Labour suffered from this too in the '90's).

I'm told it is widely known on the Council rumour mill that the Liberal councillor for the Forth ward used to be a member of the Young Tories...if true, presumably she would be called a 'Young Turk' too.

Politics is a funny business...individuals start off at one point and for various reasons find themselves moving around on the political compass...I imagine it is seldom as a result of a 'damascene' revelation, more likely a set of expediences and compromises where they can get what they want by following another path. I think of all the people I know who have 'crossed the floor' ...with only 1 exception most have changed because they were threatened with extinction by their Party of first choice.

How much harder to stay and fight on...some might call it foolishness, others honourable. It will be interesting to see if Gordon Brown revisits his offer to Ming Campbell to join his government: even more so, to see if Ming accepts...