Author Archives: Scott Partridge

How the Lib Dems can lead after the Referendum Result

The three days following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union saw Britain’s political landscape descend into chaos. Whilst both the Conservatives and Labour have been damaged both by intra-party division, the Liberal Democrats have remained unscathed, benefitting considerably from the turmoil the vote to leave has incited.

Division is rife within the Conservatives, with the likelihood of a leader attractive to both pro-and anti-Brexiteers in serious doubt. The 16 million that voted to Remain are unlikely to heed Boris Johnson’s call to “build bridges” with a man many perceive has just chosen isolationism over unity and progress. Likewise, 17 million Leavers are unlikely to vote for Theresa May, who’s second favourite to command the leadership, as David Cameron’s resignation is symbolic of the incompatibility of a Remain captain commanding a Leave ship. Whilst it is arguable that many Leavers have switched allegiances due to the perception that they voted on the basis of intangible promises (emphasised by Nigel Farage and Iain Duncan Smith’s abandoning of the Leave campaign’s promise that £350m would be injected into the NHS), it is likely that many are disillusioned with the Conservative Party as it has become synonymous with fear mongering, fragmentation and mistrust.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 20 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Chloe
    Exactly Jason ; It needs to be called out on all sides. Numerous videos of Young Bob online being attacked by students who've little in the way of any coherent ...
  • Jack Meredith
    @Jason Connnor It's funny, usually I'm the one pointing out the issues of both extremes! My piece is more focused on domestic issues, using an international ...
  • Jana
    “ The normalisation of fascism is becoming a common occurrence” I disagree. What I think we have is too many people shouting ‘fascism’ whenever they ...
  • Jason Connor
    Yes agree with both above. And I'm far more persuaded by the leader of the Unite Union, Sharon Graham. As a trade union leader she recognises that ordinary pens...
  • Jason Connor
    The case for social care yes but not at the expense of diminishing pensions considering the UK state pension is lower than that of most other European countries...