Author Archives: Adam Robertson

Ed Davey should lead a ‘Cordon Sanitaire’ towards Nigel Farage and Reform

By Adam Robertson | Fri 23rd August 2024 - 10:36 am

The recent rioting in England and Belfast, has seen Nigel Farage and Reform trying to use the riots for political purposes to fuel people’s prejudices regarding immigration and racial tension within local communities where tensions are already high. Farage is not responsible for the primary causes of the riot as has been suggested, but he should be condemned for using the riots for political purposes and trying to polarize and stigmatize different parts of our community. It could be that Nigel Farage, is trying to emulate Enoch Powell, as has been suggested in Jason Cowley’s Reaching for Utopia. I will leave that for others to judge whether that this is the case or not.

How should Ed Davey respond to Nigel Farage trying to use the riots for political purposes? Firstly, I want to commend Layla Moran’s performance on various media outlets, by being constructive and offering support to the Government and the Police through the difficult days of the riots, which we hope to have now passed us. Sadly, it will not bring the three young girls killed in Southport back, or the untold damage done to communities throughout England and Belfast.

However, Ed Davey should lead calls for a ‘cordon sanitaire’ around Nigel Farage and Reform. A ‘cordon sanitaire’ is the refusal of one or more political parties to cooperate with other political parties considered radical or extreme. It can be argued that Reform falls into the ‘radical right’ and other parties should not join in a Coalition with them or have an electoral pact with Reform. With our politics becoming more European, despite Labour winning a landslide, these things must be thought through.

Therefore, Ed should call on other parties to join the Liberal Democrats in a ‘cordon sanitaire’ against working with Nigel Farage and Reform. I can see Labour and the Green Party willingly prepared to join a ‘cordon sanitaire’ against Reform. The Conservatives will have a dilemma on whether to be part of a ‘cordon sanitaire’ against Reform, which I will touch on at the end, although all six leadership candidates have refused to allow Nigel Farage into the Conservative Party. I think also morally it will be correct for Ed to lead calls for a ‘cordon sanitaire’ because as Liberals, we believe in an open, cosmopolitan society.

The Conservative leadership election which could consign the Conservatives to history?

By Adam Robertson | Tue 23rd July 2024 - 10:17 am

Embed from Getty Images
In October, I talked about the Liberal Democrats last year becoming the Official Opposition by 2025. It led to a dynamic debate within Lib Dem Voice, but nonetheless it is a crucial debate that we need to have on the direction of our party, if we wish to be a party of Government again. It is an important debate we need to have as we are in the midst of a possible realignment within British Politics, as the Conservative Party could be ‘consigned to history’.

I want to talk now, in more depth, about the second seismic political event in my October article: the Conservative Party leadership election. The first seismic political event was the General Election, where Ed Davey deserves credit for running a fantastic campaign in getting us 72 MPs. The Conservative Party leadership election deserves more attention as it is going to be the most consequential leadership election since the 1922 Committee has been formed. It could change the political landscape, as consequential as when Labour replaced the Liberals as the main centre-left party during the early 20^th Century.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged conservative party | 51 Comments

Could the Liberal Democrats be part of the Official Opposition by 2025?

By Adam Robertson | Wed 4th October 2023 - 12:46 pm

In politics, we see a ‘paradigm shift’ occur generationally, which we are now seeing with the Conservatives in office, but not in power. Labour is a party heading for power, but not yet in office. Where do we as Liberal Democrats stand in this generational event, or could it be an event of a political realignment which usually happens once in a century?

Antony Hook has started a serious debate about our long-term vision after the General Election. This article seeks to furtherer this debate, and will prove to be controversial to some readers. However, as Liberals we believe in free debate, as this is a fundamental right in a free and fair society and it is in this spirit, this article should be read.

This article presumes that there will be two seismic political events next year, on which I will focus on the second one:

General Election
Conservative Leadership Election

With Keir Starmer likely to be Prime Minister after the General Election, the Conservatives will have a leadership election, which will lead to a civil war within their party. As Conservative Home points out, One Nation MPs have fallen out with the Conservative Grassroots. This has been further illustrated by Tim Montgomerie, who wrote that

He (Nigel Farage) got quite the reception. I’m convinced party members would choose him as leader if they could.

Rishi Sunak has even left the door for Nigel Farage to return to the Conservative Party. It is evident that Farage is seen as the doyen of Conservatism, and Liberal Conservatives may need to find a new political home after the General Election.

Despite One Nation Tories pledging to hold Suella Braverman (or Liz Truss) to account if she is elected, they are more likely to have more in common with the new cohort of Liberal Democrat MPs who will be elected at the next General Election, as they will be representing their traditional heartlands.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged conservatives and political realignment | 47 Comments