MOVING FORWARD FROM HENLEY

The Henley by-election needs to be a moment to stop and reflect on a number of really fundamental issues. Most immediately I'd like to consider:

(i) why we did not get a much better result after all the effort which went in
(ii) why the usual campaign plan of throwing paper at an electorate until they raise their hands in surrender seems increasingly to be stuttering
(iii) why much of the tenor of the campaign was attacking the Tories rather than presenting what we stand for
(iv) why we got a candidate - lovely man, very able, clearly - in from Plymouth when there was a perhaps less charismatic but perfectly able local candidate to allow us to add that line of attack to our campaign
(v) how we can challenge the empty but strangely compelling Tory juggernaut before it gathers too much speed to be stopped

More strategically, it would be worth reflecting on a number of issues, including:
(i) whether the current party image, which is now quite old, could reasonably be revamped just as the other main parties have done in recent years with much success
(ii) what are our key messages, our 'unique selling points'. We're all for freedom, justice, liberty, kindness to goldfish and apple pie but any fule kno that people vote on bread and butter issues. That may grate with many of our idealistic members (who I am not seeking to fault here: I, too, honestly subscribe to the ideology at the heart of who we are, wonderfully demonstrated by the number of volunteers who came to Henley) but it would be worth considering very seriously what Joe and Josephine Public think of when they think 'Lib Dem'.
(iii) how we win a future General Election. I remain mindlessly ambitious because I think it's the only way for a serious party to operate. St Paddy aimed for the stars when we were so low in the opinion polls that special numbers had to be created for us, which inspired us and made voters take us seriously. That remains compelling.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Henley campaign. It was nice to feel a special sense of involvement for a campaign local to me, although I put in only a fraction of the time and effort of many others, to whom I doff my imaginary hat.

However, I cannot conceal my crushing disappointment at the result. My fundamental question is how many more such disappointments must occur before we start to look at our historically successful but now faltering campaign machine.