Author Archives: Sam Collins

The Independent View: Norman Lamb and Liberalism – a conversation at the Institute of Economic Affairs

By Sam Collins | Tue 23rd February 2016 - 10:41 am

2015 was a tale of two leadership elections, with the Liberal Democrat debate between Tim Farron and Norman Lamb overshadowed by the seismic shift in the Labour Party. But while Jeremy Corbyn winning the Labour leadership has led to a fundamental debate on the future of the Labour Party, the victory of Tim Farron may prove the more important – particularly if the time comes for the Liberal Democrats to seize back the liberal mantle in British politics.

The Liberal Democrats, like the Liberals before them, have always held a useful counter-balancing position, able to simultaneously attack Labour for their illiberal and statist economic policies – which Jeremy Corbyn has exacerbated – and the Tories for their big-state social policy and genuflection to the security and surveillance services. Should Momentum get too much for Labour and cause splits, and should the Tories finally be split asunder over Europe (or both cast out their ideological non-believers in an orgy of blood-letting that would do la Terreur proud), the Liberal Democrats must be placed to pick up voters from both.
So, what are the Liberal Democrats for? Has the party done enough to take up the torch of liberalism? Is the party still the party of Gladstone, or has it become reconciled to playing a bit part in the great debates?

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged and | 22 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Richard Church
    I joined ULS 50 years ago this month, at Reading University, but didn't join the Liberal Party until a year or so later. The things that attracted me? Industria...
  • Tim Rogers
    Interesting polling by YouGov last week had a massive 91pc of LibDem voters drawn to a closer relationship with the EU short of full membership or CU or SM. It ...
  • BigTallTim
    Congrats Simon. I can only claim 45 years activism, having joined the SDP at its launch. Including the pleasure of being a Councillor for 26 years - 1986-96 and...
  • Geoff Reid
    Interesting to hear of Simon being Treasurer of the Union of Liberal Students. I was the North Regional Treasurer of ULS in 1967. After my appointment the bank ...
  • Ruth Bright
    How lovely Simon. Congratulations. Here's to the next 50!...