Five things we learnt: Lib Dem Party Conference 2015

Wednesday 23rd September

Pagefield’s resident Liberal Democrats, Geoff Duggan and Fred Azis-Laranjo, were down in sunny Bournemouth over the last few days for the Lib Dem party conference. Here they explain five things they learnt.

Happy members, morose MPs

After the catastrophic collapse of Liberal Democrat support at the last election and the resulting decimation of the parliamentary party, the first conference was always going to be a mixed bag. There was a small group MPs and ex-MPs around, but a lot of the ‘big beasts’, who were once seen by some as the intellectual core of the party, stayed away.  The few who did attend were decidedly morose, with an almost palpable sense of ‘what was and might have been’; few took part in fringe events or other speaking opportunities. The members were a totally different story, however: energised, with a renewed sense of purpose and clearly comforted by the fact that “the only way is up”, in the words of Nick Clegg. Much has been made of the fact this conference had the highest ever number of members attending and from the packed out fringe events (and even round-the-block queues!) it certainly appeared to hold true.

 

Old vs New

Roughly 20,000 new supporters have joined the party since May and it showed. There were a lot of fresh faces about and a lot of fresh thinking to go with it. This was perhaps best highlighted by the One Member One Vote (OMOV) motion, which having passed means that all members attending conferences from Spring 2016 will be able to vote on both policy and the make-up of party committees (currently about 40% of members cannot vote). It was an issue that was manifestly of much importance to new members, several of whom gave passionate speeches in favour of it along with presenting other interesting ideas about digital democracy and deeper reform of the party’s structure and organisation. The few dissenters to OMOV were all longer-term supporters clearly feeling aggrieved that their voice now carried less weight in the party. Still, despite some simmering tension the party is nowhere near a Labour style situation with a new tranche of members radically changing the direction of the party. There is still far more that unites than divides, with all members no doubt appreciative of the sense of purpose and enthusiasm the newbies brought to conference.

 

Holding a candle for Clegg

When Clegg kept his seat in May, there were suggestions that privately he would have preferred to have lost. Not because he didn’t want to serve, but because of the pain and embarrassment he felt at how badly the party had done. Whether or not that is true, one thing was certain: he was back with a bang, and more importantly, there was a distinct lack of animosity from members who might begrudge him taking the party into coalition with the Conservatives. His speech was optimistic, eloquent and rapturously received by the crowd. His fringe events were full to bursting. He was in obviously good cheer. And when talking about the EU he was at his animated best. As an issue very close to his heart, Clegg will no doubt have an important role in both the Liberal Democrat as well as wider cross-party campaigns to keep Britain in the EU. He is still recognised by the party as a great communicator and intellectual force and, as Farron’s speech made clear, the party will not turn their back on him or his legacy.

 

Europe, I love EU

With the recent Labour wobbles on the EU and their final position on it far from clear, the Liberal Democrats are now the only party unambiguously pro-Europe and it was a running theme in fringe events and conference hall speeches. With such a clear message, the Lib Dems will be looking to use the issue to their advantage: both to raise their profile and stake their claim to the middle-ground. One of the recurring subjects was EU ‘myth-busting’ and countering misconceptions about both the alleged benefits of leaving as well as some of the more surprising positives about being part of the bloc. This included, for instance, close scrutiny of the examples of other European countries who aren’t part of the EU, namely Switzerland and Norway, who both have to adhere to nearly all EU laws yet have zero influence over them. With most polls confirming that the majority of voters still believe Britain’s interests are better served as part of the EU, the referendum provides a clear opportunity for the party to try and reach out to some of those who left in the last election.

 

Back to the Centre: The Corbyn Factor

Although Tim Farron was undoubtedly the more left-wing candidate in the recent leadership election, Corbyn’s rise and the ramped-up conservatism of Cameron’s government – no longer constrained by coalition – has left the centre ground of politics wide open for the Lib Dems. This was a clear theme throughout conference and was typified in Tim Farron’s exhortation to members to vote against a motion that effectively called for nuclear disarmament, instead arguing that a more nuanced approach which could achieve widespread consensus was needed. His main speech was even clearer, and a direct challenge to Labour, stating that he wanted to get the party “back into power” because “you cannot change people’s lives from the glory of self-indulgent opposition.” The challenge for Farron is to match the passions and excitement whipped up by the Corbyn campaign (including on some issues traditionally close to the Lib Dems hearts’ e.g. human rights, civil liberties) whilst presenting an authentic and genuinely Liberal alternative that appeals to both those on the right and the left.

 

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