I disagree, I think it's a masterstroke. The Lib Dems are the only party who are positive that the UK's position as part of the EU is A Good Thing.barcode wrote:I have a feeling Nick will regret every wanting a public debate with Nigel Farage.
Positioning himself as such means effectively anybody who be impassioned enough to vote 'Yes' in a referendum on the EU can pretty well use the European elections in May as that referendum. I solidly believe the rise in UKIP is down to a noisy minority made up (mostly) of idiots and partially of self-concerned rich people (for whom Human Rights etc. are A Bad Thing). I've never seen Farage do particularly well in any debate programme.
Remember also that the Lib Dems are thought to have almost nothing to loose. Some have been predicting they loose the vast majority or perhaps even the entirety of their presence in Brussels; with UKIP becoming the party with most UK seats. The thought of the latter is enough for me to vote Lib Dem, even though I don't feel ready to vote for them at a council or government level.