Comment 3 for bug 1276678

loading systemd at system startup fixes the suspend issue on lid closure - but causes a lot of others, like compiz crashing and extremely high system load.
...so doesn't really work for me.

dmesg gives me the following:

[14821.222906] systemd-logind[4923]: Lid closed.
[14821.223061] systemd-logind[4923]: Suspending...
[14821.232498] systemd-logind[4923]: Failed to execute operation: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 1
[14821.232562] systemd-logind[4923]: Suspending...
[14821.235940] systemd-logind[4923]: Failed to execute operation: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 1
[14821.236026] systemd-logind[4923]: Suspending...
[14821.240097] systemd-logind[4923]: Failed to execute operation: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 1
[14822.835248] systemd-logind[4923]: Suspending...
[14822.851516] systemd-logind[4923]: Failed to execute operation: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 1
[14824.812898] systemd-logind[4923]: Lid opened.

so it obviously is linked to systemd. syslog also seems to complain about systemd:

dbus[3397]: [system] Activating service name='org.freedesktop.systemd1' (using servicehelper)
dbus[3397]: [system] Activated service 'org.freedesktop.systemd1' failed: Launch helper exited with unknown return code 1

at the same time suspending works excellently via dbus:

dbus-send --print-reply --system --dest=org.freedesktop.UPower /org/freedesktop/UPower org.freedesktop.UPower.Suspend

do i necessarily need systemd?

let me know if i can help any further for bug testing.