AS exhibited by their disastrous General Election performance, the popularity of the LibDems is not exactly sky-high.
One of their remaining MPs has done his utmost to continue their downward trend by wading slap bang into the middle of an Old Firm debate – a sure-fire way to maintain your unpopular status.
Farron put his foot in it after replying to associate editor of the Spectator Toby Young, one of the few people in the UK who could realistically claim to be less popular than the LibDems – a man who stopped believing in the friendship "myth" after only four people turned up on his stag do.
Young claimed that Boris Johnson and top schemer Dominic Cummings “knew better” than to think their gaffe-littered election campaign was going badly.
Former LibDem leader Farron replied: “You are half right at best – BJ and DC are basically Celtic: anyone can win the title if your opposition is abysmal ... and then you get humiliated in Europe.”
You are half right at best - BJ and DC are basically Celtic: anyone can win the title if your opposition is abysmal.... and then you get humiliated in Europe. https://t.co/MecpMOt9oJ
— Tim Farron (@timfarron) December 17, 2019
Big mistake, Tim.
As it was quickly pointed out, Celtic topped their Europa League group this year. In fact, Scottish teams have performed so well in Europe this season that they need just two more wins in the competition to virtually guarantee an additional Champions League qualifying spot in the Scottish Premiership.
Fact check: Celtic won their Europa League group and beat Lazio home and away ;)
— Nick Eardley (@nickeardleybbc) December 18, 2019
(Football point - no political analogy intended)https://t.co/hWA4GhwOtA
I’m sure Neil Lennon will be dashing off to Lib Dem HQ for some top tips on achieving continued and sustained success. https://t.co/aKYFsrostU
— Liam McMonagle (@lmcmonagle) December 18, 2019
Rangers fans, too, seemed unhappy with the assumptions about Celtic’s domestic competition.
Always a good Twitter strategy to compose a tweet that equally angers Celtic and Rangers fans. https://t.co/gsop6sVk84
— Michael Blackley (@Mike_Blackley) December 18, 2019
Sticking with Farron’s theme, his party was soon hit with a supposedly unfavourable Scottish football comparison of its own.
the Lib Dems are Partick Thistle because
— Kieran Hurley (@kieran_hurley) December 18, 2019
- identity based mainly on smug pride at not being either of the other two mobs
- extremely middle class support base
- inaccurate name
- promo built around pushing weird unsettling poster-figure to the front pic.twitter.com/vjwikCqnx2
But that comparison was rejected too. “Not in their wildest Jaggy dreams could the LibDems be anywhere near as good as the mighty Maryhill Magyars,” an SNP inside source chortled.
It seems the LibDems just can’t get anything right.
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