Over at The Times, Nick Clegg argues that Labour has run out of steam and of ideas, and that its supporters are turning to the Liberal Democrats. Here’s an excerpt:
have heard people claim that the local and European elections were a missed opportunity for the Liberal Democrats. I disagree.
Of course, as in all elections, there were losses as well as gains. In a contest when the voters wanted to give the Establishment a kicking, it is hardly surprising that we suffered some losses in the South West, where we have been the governing party for 20 years.
And in a Euro election in which many voters cast protest votes for fringe parties, no mainstream party leapt forward. But the Liberal Democrat and the Conservative vote remained broadly static, with both parties winning one extra MEP.
So I repeat my belief that the Liberal Democrats can replace Labour as the progressive party in British politics.
Political parties are not facts of life, cast in stone for ever. They change, waxing and waning with the times. It may not happen overnight: it took Labour 23 years from its formation in 1906 to become the biggest party in Parliament.
The Lib Dems are now the dominant political party of urban Britain, running the majority of big cities outside London, while the Conservatives remain invisible in northern city politics. And we are present throughout the South and South West just as Labour disappears from these regions altogether. This is the platform from which we can overtake Labour.
You can read the article in full HERE.
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