Lembit Opik

[poliphilo]

I once shared a lift with Lembit Opik. He's not someone you forget. He radiates laddishness and self belief. When the Life Force was being doled out he got a bigger than average dose.

His defeat in his Montgomeryshire seat was one of the anomalies of election night. If national trends had applied he would have held the seat- or lost it to a small swing. There's no way he should have been trounced the way he was. Clearly this was personal.

I'm not sure what it was that did for him. Perhaps it was his appearances in Hello and the News of the World. Perhaps it was his imaginative expenses claims. The self belief carries with it a sense of entitlement.   The laddishisness can morph into sulky petulance. His private life lacks dignity.

But I'll miss him. They're a grey lot our politicians; the spotlight intimidates and flattens them. It's good to have a few cards, coves and geezers in the mix. We'll miss our cheeky boy. 

Comments

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Have you ever visited Montgomery? It's a seriously weird town with a deep and subtle weirdness that I still haven't quite put my finger on. However, I can really see that Lembit Opik would annoy the inhabitants with his celebrity lifestyle. Also, he dumped our lovely Welsh weather girl Siân Lloyd, breaking off their engagement to have a relationship with a Cheeky Girl.

The new Tory chap has a face like a grim undertaker and to quote WalesOnline:

While farmer and former AM Glyn Davies posts photographs of the magnolias brightening his garden on his blog and boasts of his grandchildren, departing MP Lembit Opik has been more at home writing salacious columns for the Daily Sport and dating one half of the Cheeky Girls pop duo.

Mr Davies, a 66-year-old grandfather, has built himself a reputation in the largely agricultural constituency as a former council chairman, Assembly Member of eight years and president of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales.

In a seat that has been safely Liberal since the late 19th century, the swing that deposed Opik in favour of a Conservative was almost 14%.

I really don't think he was the right candidate for the constituency, which is very rural.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

No, I've never been to Montgomery, but from my limited knowledge of rural North Wales I can begin to imagine it.

I read Sian's kiss and tell memoirs in TNOTW. Lembit seems to have been a very annoying boyfriend.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

If the Lib Dems could find him an urban constituency with a younger and more trendy population, I'm sure he'd do a lot better. :)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't suppose they have many safe seats in trendy metropolitan areas.

[sovay]

When the Life Force was being doled out he got a bigger than average dose.

He almost killed himself paragliding; he's got my attention.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

He's a bit of a swashbuckler. We could do with more like him.

[loxian.livejournal.com]

They said on the BBC that it's 'very Chapel', his constituency. That doesn't sound very Lembit Opik.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Not a good match at all.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I thought he gave a very good account of himself on Have I Got News for You last night.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I missed that- damn.

He's a very smart guy. He knows how to handle himself.