This year’s Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton was, not for the first time and not for the last, dominated by existential questions about the party’s future. While such psychological puzzles might be the subtext at other conferences, the Lib Dems can be trusted to put them front and centre, with one fringe session titled “Who and what are the Liberal Democrats for?”
To listen to the leader, Sir Ed Davey’s speech today, it was clear who he thinks the Liberal Democrats are: they are a bulwark against both Labour’s tax and spend instincts and the hard right. The dominant theme of fringe events, however, was a debate over whether it is enough to be simply ‘none of the above’, the best of the rest. There was palpable frustration amongst some that they are not being more ambitious and building a more coherent national platform.
Andy Burnham taking office as Prime Minister offers the Liberal Democrats a chance to reassess how an approach of ‘constructive opposition’ married with ‘holding Labour’s feet to the fire’ has succeeded so far.
Where exactly these opportunities lie was the focus of much of the fringe discussion. There is clearly an appetite amongst the members for Sir Ed to throw them some… if not quite red meat, then at least responsibly sourced salmon.
On areas like EU relations and criticising the Trump administration, the party has the advantage of a strong position and the luxury of not being in government. The Prime Minister is largely constrained on these issues, as his meeting with the President at the UN today shows. Sir Ed, on the other hand, was free to demand that we rejoin the EU customs union in his speech today, and to criticise the American President during a surprise appearance at a reception for the EU Ambassador.
Feelgood statements do not a policy platform make, however, and the work of developing a convincing programme for government was clearly still in progress.
In front of a corporate audience to rival those enjoyed in the coalition years, there was much discussion of how the party can drive growth, but precious little to differentiate itself from other mainstream parties. The pledge to raise the personal allowance to £15,000 will no doubt be welcome, but the wider political question is whether that is really so different from something the Conservatives would say, while raising a 40% tax threshold which is currently “holding back teachers and nurses” was very Labour language.
The party has the air of a boxer trying to scope out its next opponent, the fight that will make it a household name again. Is it their traditional rivals? Or should they be going for the heavyweight challenger in Clacton (occasionally)? Are the Greens an attainable scalp? Resolving this strategic question is surely a prerequisite for a move forward in any direction; otherwise, they will be stuck tinkering.
Around Brighton’s restaurants, pubs and karaoke bars there were questions being asked about Sir Ed Davey’s leadership. But who is the alternative? The party is not blessed with a surfeit of household names and while there are audible murmurs of support for Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde, Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney, and Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper, none seem willing to go over the top quite yet.
This quiet but very present discontent will rumble on into the winter.
Forty five years ago, in 1981, David Steel told a boisterous conference of Lib Dem ancestors the Liberal Party to “go back to your constituencies and prepare for government,” perhaps the most well-known soundbite associated with the party until Nick Clegg pledged not to increase university tuition fees.
What many, Sir Ed perhaps among them, forget, is that the party did not enter government for thirty years after that: it takes more than vibes to win an election.
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