How should Lib Dems deal with the Conservative fear-mongering?

Chris Skidmore (a Vice-Chair of the Conservatives 2018-2019) has called out his own party for heading in a  “very dark” direction in demonising those who call for a rapid reduction in CO2 emission as a way of justifying the watering-down of net zero targets.  

Softening net zero targets might well encourage people to think they need not worry about climate change and can ignore the extremes of “Just stop Oil”. It’s a million miles from the responsible course of addressing climate change — and implicitly saying “we have a problem, and a plan to address it.

There are echoes of the same mentality in some of Suella Braverman’s comments before the reshuffle. Talking of refugees arriving by boat in exaggerated language can make them sound like an “invasion” force, stoking people’s anxiety so that they are “grateful” when the government “protects” us. Talking of homelessness as a “lifestyle choice” gives a way to say we can ignore it — when we should be embarrassed at what it implies for failed housing and mental health policy.

The snag is that stirring up anxiety and then presenting oneself as the solution speaks to some very raw emotions and makes it hard to think. In 2019 it seemed inconceivable that a government that had just been found to have illegally prorogued parliament could win a General Election, but the slogan of “Get Brexit Done” spoke to who wanted Brexit and who were fed up with it and in a way that closed down debate. It was very hard to create any discussion of what the promised Brexit would look like, or how it sat with public opinion.

Much more recently, the political scientist Matthew Goodwin has been talking of widespread alienation from politics. Linking that back to what I’ve been hearing on doorsteps in Huntingdon I am hearing people who are worried (not least about the cost of living) and assume that “politicians” are “not listening”.  In that context “we’ll take your worries away” appeals. 

Cutting back HS2 is a good example. There was no debate. No mention of the £15Bn per year that the government’s own Economic Case for HS2 indicates it would add to the British economy if HS2 went as far as Manchester and Leeds, or of the benefits of rebalancing the economy between North and South, or of the environmental benefit increased rail capacity getting more freight off the roads. Instead it seemed to be just “we’ve saved some money”

There is a danger that, as in 2019, the Tories are able to snatch victory by offering things that enable people to worry less — and trap Labour into being reactive.

A possible Liberal Democrat position

The country needs something better than that. We need to find a way to think about the actual problems we face — which needs leadership that earns enough trust to enable thinking. 

At a practical level, we have thousands of councillors who are committed to their communities. Can we find a way to say “You’ve trusted us to have difficult discussions in local government: can we do that nationally?”

As I write this I have the words of the preamble to our constitution in the back of my mind. Those words alone might encourage people to have an eye on the possibility of another way of doing things.

It would be a bit of a stretch to talk of “freedom from enslavement by poverty, ignorance, conformity, or the manipulative behaviour of the government” but, in another difficult time, Franklin Roosevelt’s inaugration address, instead of exploiting anxiety, offered something wiser:

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is… fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. “

 

* Mark Argent was the Liberal Democrat candidate in Huntingdon Constituency in 2019 and blogs at markargent.com/blog.

Read more by or more about .
This entry was posted in Op-eds.
Advert

4 Comments

  • “Softening net zero targets might well encourage people to think they need not worry about climate change”….
    It’s not a question of being worried about it – it’s that the big polluters are carrying on regardless, & your not going to get climate change on the backs of making people poorer ..We will be using fossil fuels for the foreseeable …

  • Is the PM going to announce a General Election this afternoon. There were rumours over the weekend that this would happen if the Supreme Court ruled against the Government.
    Make the election about immigration. However this would surely be foolhardy as elections start on one issue and then everything else comes into play. February 1974 is a case in hand. It would keep the Tory right wing on board but still electoral suicide.

  • Nigel Jones 15th Nov '23 - 4:48pm

    As more in our party are starting to say, our negative campaigning is not enough; we need to show people there is a better way and portray a vision for a better Britain wiht indicators of policies to achieve it. We (and Labour) also need to be leading the agenda linked to people’s concerns of course, but not let the Conservatives to set the agenda and we merely reacting to that.
    We also need to remember there are some potential voters out there who want to know what exactly we stand for and they are not getting that at the moment.

  • Peter Hirst 25th Nov '23 - 4:07pm

    Empowering citizens is a core Lib Dem value. This is especially necessary concerning tackling climate change because everyone can act to help with this. Also action helps to counter any anxiety engendered by it. We must get the narrative right so people believe we can can combat climate change but only if government and civil society do what is necessary in a timely manner.

Post a Comment

Lib Dem Voice welcomes comments from everyone but we ask you to be polite, to be on topic and to be who you say you are. You can read our comments policy in full here. Please respect it and all readers of the site.

To have your photo next to your comment please signup your email address with Gravatar.

Your email is never published. Required fields are marked *

*
*
Please complete the name of this site, Liberal Democrat ...?

Advert



Recent Comments

  • Roland
    Perhaps there isn't a problem with the planning system. A downturn in planning applications could mean developers are no longer making speculative applications ...
  • Nigel Jones
    Change in our area has been needed for over a decade. When on our local cabinet I tried to get progress on a proposal for all district councils to share legal a...
  • Chris Moore
    @Craig Levene: the commentators were wrong. There was a 2% difference in the popular vote. Themes that appeal to some university educated "progressives" - r...
  • Craig Levene
    @Andrew M . What they abandoned Andrew was common sense . Failing to act quickly enough on the border crossings hurt them badly . Ignoring concerns on things li...
  • Zachary Adam Barker
    "Who can be a winner or loser in wars today?" Ask Ukraine....