They say that to be a Liberal you have to be an incorrigible optimist. Yet, even with a record number of Lib Dem MPs, it’s hard to be optimistic in a global political environment witnessing the onward march of populism. 

But what if discovering a seam of hope and optimism and representing it in British politics was in fact the best way of countering the rise of populism? With a tired and irresponsible government making way after 14 years for a new administration with an awful inheritance that’s made some errors in its first few months, it’s difficult to see where any optimism is going to come from. Then again, if any is to emerge, it’s likely to be from that optimistic creed known as Liberalism.

That is the underlying premise behind the latest in the series of Green Book podcasts, which has seen discussions among leading liberal figures on a range of subjects. For the series’ first post-election podcast, the subject was the less easily defined issue of ‘hope and optimism’, and the discussion brought together the Lib Dem health select committee chair Layla Moran, the former minister Lynne Featherstone, and the professor of history and liberalism Timothy Garton Ash, with me as moderator.

Again hosted by LibDem Podcasts, listen in to their discussion on all the main platforms or watch here: 

With such an all-encompassing theme, the lively discussion featured a range of different topics, including whether restating Liberalism is the antidote to populism, the need to listen respectfully and learn where people are coming from, the feeling of freedom, separating wealth from power, and even how Liberalism flourishes when the pre-frontal cortex is engaged.

One of the areas for hope and optimism that probably warrants closer scrutiny is the Polish election of autumn 2023. Prof Garton Ash, whose wife is Polish, said the success of Donald Tusk’s progressive centre-ground coalition was particularly remarkable given how much the state apparatus had already been seized by the populist Law & Justice party (PiS). He says there is much that Liberals in the UK could learn from Poland, notably how social media was used to get the biggest-ever turnout in Polish history, more women voting than men, and more young people voting than old (“unheard-of!” Garton Ash described it as).

Moran made a heartfelt point that the Lib Dems mustn’t make the classic Liberal mistake of doing everything intellectually. “EQ matters as much as IQ,” she says. “Liberals have always tended to put IQ at a premium and forget a little bit about EQ, and the magic comes when you put them both together.” 

Featherstone argued there’s a core of goodness in our nation – commenting that even when out canvassing on a rainy, dark evening, after about five doors you start to enjoy it, and by the time you get home your faith in human nature has been restored, as behind the those doors the vast majority of people are good.

Chairing the debate, I was strongly aware that talking about finding hope and optimism can so easily feel like motherhood and apple pie: of course we want to be hopeful and optimistic, but we have to have good grounds for feeling positive. Yet the discussion produced enough reason to be hopeful that it can serve as a springboard for the Lib Dems to find ways of offering the electorate something they can get excited about, which might just be the best antidote to the hate and despair that fuels populism.

For more on the Green Book initiative, visit our website here where you catch up with all our previous episodes. Our podcast series brings external experts together in debate with Lib Dem party insiders to explore a liberal response to the challenges facing the country.

* Chris Bowers is a two-term district councillor and four-time parliamentary candidate. He writes on cross-party cooperation, was the lead author of the New Liberal Manifesto, and is unofficial coordinator of the Yorkists.