There’s an interesting interview today in the Scottish herald with former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace, assessing the party’s prospects ahead of next May’s Holyrood elections. Here are some snippets …
On the Scottish Lib Dem experience of power-sharing:
We were told in 1999 when we entered coalition in Scotland with Labour we were going to get whacked and it didn’t happen. We’re not going to sit back. We’ve got an election campaign to fight and we will have to fight it on explaining why we have done things.”
On the UK Coalition between the Lib Dems and Conservatives:
I don’t think people should feel betrayed because before the election we indicated we were prepared to work with other parties if we didn’t get a majority. It shouldn’t have come as a shock to anyone. If you’re prepared to stick with it and have confidence in what you’re doing, then there’s no reason to be afraid, shy or bashful in selling this.”
“We shouldn’t suddenly say this is all our responsibility, getting us in this financial mess. It wasn’t our responsibility. We were the responsible party going into coalition government, knowing what the challenges were. It would have been irresponsible to run away from that. I don’t underestimate the electorate’s capacity to recognise where the ultimate responsibility for the mess is. It’s not ours.”
On next May’s election in Scotland, Wales and English councils:
I’m not going to say this is easy or it’ll be sweetness and light, and I don’t underestimate how tough it will be. But equally I don’t join the doom and gloom merchants who say it’s going to be dire, it’s going to be desperate. If we did, it probably would be dire and desperate. We’ve got to be out there on the front foot.”
On the controversy over holding the AV referendum on the same day as other elections:
Many countries combine polls in that way. It’s an insult to suggest we couldn’t cope with it. The first Scottish election took place when there was military intervention in Kosovo and the campaign for the second Scottish election was coincidental with the war in Iraq and no-one suggests issues of health and education were overshadowed or properly debated in those election campaigns. However much the referendum on AV is important, it does not rank alongside the war in Iraq in terms of a competing agenda in the media.”
You can read the interview in full here.
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13 Comments
“I don’t think people should feel betrayed because before the election we indicated we were prepared to work with other parties if we didn’t get a majority. It shouldn’t have come as a shock to anyone.”
There is a big difference between working with other parties and entering a coalition which forces you to support their highly centralising, undemocratic policies (such as the Academies Act). Those of us who were shocked were those of us who heard Nick Clegg say that he would never join a Conservative government and believed him. I voted for you on that basis – and yes I do feel betrayed.
It is a coalition government, not a Conservative Government. And a lot of it is de-centralising and democratic (though not as much as you would get with Lib Dem majority and more – in some fields – than we got with Labour). Get over it.
Henry
“It is a coalition government, not a Conservative Government.”
As I am sure you know well, when Clegg said ‘never’ at the 2008 conference he was not talking about never leaving the Lib Dems to join the Conservative Party, he was talking about never formally entering into government with the Conservatives – in exactly the kind of coalition he is in now.
Oh and by the way, ‘Get over it’ is not the way you will win back my vote or the votes of the many like me.
Out of interest, what could the party do to win back your vote, Nigel?
IainM
Thank you for asking. First the retrospective view – the party would have kept my vote if it had worked with a tory government but not joined a full coalition. Although I am naturally left of centre (despite my disapproval of many things over the last 13 years) and would in theory have preferred a Lib Lab agreement, I really don’t believe it was practical.
Starting from where we are, rather than where I’d like to be, I believe the Lib Dems should look at each piece of legislation as it comes along and agree to support it (as per the agreement) only if it doesn’t cross certain lines. Using the example I quoted above, although I believe the Academies Bill should have included a role for the Local Authority (e.g. appointing the SIP) I could accept this being dropped. My line in the sand would have been a requirement to consult with staff and parents before beginning the academy process and to accept the outcomes of the consultation. If a school cannot convince its own parents of the right of doing something, it shouldn’t be doing it).
I also believe the Lib Dems would benefit by being able to talk about these lines publicly and thus show the difference from their partners.
as a first time lib den voter i have to say how disapointed i am the a so called pogressive party as turned out to be nothing more than a right wing party
Nigel, I think Clegg makes it clear he doesn’t rule out coalitions in that speech, when you read the following lines to the part saying he’d never join a conservative government. He argues against one party rule,not against coalitions. That’s how I always took it. As he says exactly the same thing about Labour, I’m confused as to how it can be taken to ruling out coalitions entirely. Especially since they’re something Lib Dems believe in, at least if you want PR. We just ended up in a coalition situation without PR.
As to your second post, you’re right we need to keep the lib dem line clear and distinctive. It’s why I was delighted with Simon Hughes and his actions to make sure we do. As you say we won’t get everything our way, or even the majority. We are the smaller party in this coalition after all. If we can get concessions and compromise over things we don’t like, that’s what a coalition is about in the end.
Rich
While I accept what you say about being the small party in the coalition, I think the Lib Dems forget sometimes that Cameron needs them. I think it is likely that Labour will forge a considerable opinion poll lead (at least in the short to medium term) as the cuts and tax rises hit. If this is the case, Cameron will be absolutely dependent on the coalition. He will have no option of cutting and running (and calling an election which he would then lose). I hope that the Lib Dem leadership has plans for how to play what will then be a very strong hand.
I really believe that telling peeps to get real, get with it, etc is stupid when in effect you are asking them to get with the flat earth society.
@Nigel
One of the very few cogent arguments against voting reform, and hence more representative parliaments, and hence a greater propensity for coalition governments, is that it risks giving the minority coalition partner disproportionate influence on the legislative agenda; colloquially: “the tail wagging the dog”.
What you seem to be suggesting is that the Lib Dem tail should wag the Tory dog vigorously, because “Cameron will be absolutely dependent on the coalition.”
Quite apart from giving coalitions a bad name, does it not occur to you that the Lib Dems’ 57 MPs have no mandate for such an abuse of power?
it is insulting to tell those of us who are shocked at what has happened to our votes to “get real”. I made the fundamental mistake of believing Clegg when he talked about the danger of immdeiate deep cuts. That was a mistake that many of us will not make again. And AV means that we will never know who we are voting for, so my vote is lost on that too. There is also the issue of when Clegg changed his mind, if he actually did. He is being found out as a liar and a cheat. What amazes me is the number of lib dems who have also gone back on everything they ever said. I work with the vulnerable in society and we are now preparing to slash services for the homeless, elderly, women escaping domestic abuse, the elderly, people with learning disabilities etc etc etc. It hasnt started yet, wait till the next financial year. This list of victims of the Lib Dem coalition will come back to haunt you. The NHS fiasco alone is a resigning matter. Nobody ever agreed to the wholesale privitisation of the NHS. And believe me that is exactly what is happening.
Many lib dems are good people. How can you do this??????????????????????????????????
“What you seem to be suggesting is that the Lib Dem tail should wag the Tory dog vigorously, because “Cameron will be absolutely dependent on the coalition.”
Quite apart from giving coalitions a bad name, does it not occur to you that the Lib Dems’ 57 MPs have no mandate for such an abuse of power?”
Quite right. Far better to screw the poorest in society who have nothing at all. As long as you retain your democratic purity thats all that matters.
@alan
Quite right. Let’s just kill as many Conservatives as we can. This democracy stuff is so overrated.