介绍： The Liberal Democrats: Cleared for take-off
A runway, a resignation and a chance for the Lib Dems to rise
From The Economist 20161029

Audio:

0:00



Goldsmith flies solo
THE government’s long-delayed announcement on October 25th that it intends to build a new runway at Heathrow airport has big implicatio...

介绍： The Liberal Democrats: Cleared for take-off
A runway, a resignation and a chance for the Lib Dems to rise
From The Economist 20161029

Audio:

0:00



Goldsmith flies solo
THE government’s long-delayed announcement on October 25th that it intends to build a new runway at Heathrow airport has big implications for Britain’s economic future. More immediately, it means a by-election in the nearby constituency of Richmond Park, over whose sprawling parks and Edwardian terraces early-morning planes from across the Atlantic fly, low and loud. There Zac Goldsmith, an environmentalist Conservative MP, has resigned in protest at the decision. He plans to stand again as an independent candidate, and on paper he should storm it: his horror at the prospect of another runway is shared by his constituents, who re-elected him last year with 58% of the vote.

But Mr Goldsmith, a languid Old Etonian, also backed Brexit, whereas Richmond strongly opposed it (with 69% against, compared with 48% nationally). That has put him in the crosshairs of the increasingly confident Liberal Democrats, who held Richmond until 2010, oppose Heathrow expansion and loathe Brexit.


The centrist party, which was clobbered all over the country in last year’s general election, is making a comeback in such well heeled, pro-EU parts of England. It has gained support in almost every council by-election it has contested since the referendum. What’s more, in Tory areas it seems to do better the higher the share of the Remain vote (see chart). Hence, too, its storming result on October 20th in Witney, the posh, Remain-voting parliamentary seat in Oxfordshire vacated by David Cameron. There the Lib Dems enjoyed a 19 point swing from the Tories, to finish second.

So Mr Goldsmith should watch out. If the national pattern of Lib Dem success in Conservative-held seats holds, his rivals might gain as much as 30 points. Running as an independent may handicap him further (although he will be helped by the fact that the Tories have opted not to field a candidate against him). And his failed campaign to become mayor of London earlier this year, in which he tried to link his Muslim rival to Islamic extremists, may have got up the nose of liberal Tories.

All of this could hand Richmond to the Lib Dems and thus humiliate the government of Theresa May. That would at least make Mr Goldsmith’s protest rather effective, albeit in a kamikaze way.






Copyright © 2015-2016 Share2China.com | Powered by Flask and MongoDB