What to do about Charles Kennedy?

So what’s up with with Lib Dems? Charles Kennedy has been rubbish as a leader for years now, but it’s only now they have some competition in the form of David Cameron they decide it’s time to do something about it.

Charlie fights back by declaring he’s an alcoholic, hoping the ever-so-nice Lib Dems will give him a sympathy vote come leadership election time. Now, my initial reaction is that you don’t fire a guy simply for having a disease: I thought we’d moved on as a society from that point. However, he claims not to have had a drink in two months now, yet he’s continued to be a rubbish leader the whole time, so I think we can conclude he’s a rubbish leader and an alcoholic, not a rubbish leader because he’s an alcoholic. So he should be fired, rather than using his disease as an excuse.

The problem is that the Lib Dems don’t have any obvious replacements. They’re all so nice. There’s no Paddy Ashdown or David Owen equivalent, who not only really wanted to be leader but who had experience of leadership. Even that guy who has nine black belts (I dare you to name that Lib Dem politician!) is too nice and lacking in charisma. So before giving Charlie the push, I think a bit of searching needs to be done to find a decent replacement. Otherwise, the Lib Dems are going to be back in the also-ran position, without any to give their economic policies a much-needed modernisation or the British public the idea that they should be elected for any other reason than not being the Tories or Labour.