The past week has seen a series of Liberal Democrat interventions, boldly calling for stronger links between the United Kingdom and Europe. Ed Davey reads every word I write, apparently…
But seriously, it’s nice to see our Party making the weather on Europe, and interesting to see the media response. And it’s not that there’s any sense of desperation – we are, after all, the largest third party in Parliament for a century or so – but the approach is consistent with our core beliefs over decades. In the absence of a credible centre-right political force in this country (and I’m really not suggesting that we fill that vacancy), offering positive reasons to support us has to be a good thing.
The suggestion that we need to rebuild our relationship with the European Union is obviously linked to the rather menacing threat of tariffs on imports from whatever countries offend Donald Trump on any given day, but I am surprised to hear British politicians who say that we should prioritise seeking a trade deal with the United States. And yes, a decent trade agreement with the world’s largest economy would undoubtedly be helpful but is any such deal viable with an “emotionally erratic billionaire with the temperament of one of those kids in Willy Wonka”?
Interestingly, as an aside, we’ve been found by a Trump supporter overnight. He left a somewhat rambling, angry comment on a piece we published more than eight years ago and that he evidently didn’t read first. He displays a sense of angry triumphalism which does leave me wondering if there are any circumstances whereby he, and those like him, would ever be happy and whether there is much hope for bipartisanship under such conditions. We’ll see, I guess, but I can’t say that I’m optimistic.
The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has published its report on “Economic Inactivity: Welfare and long-term sickness”, which notes that rates of economic inactivity grew significantly during and after the COVID pandemic, and that this will have significant impacts upon the public finances unless addressed. As liberals, we’d obviously prefer people to be able to become less dependent on the State, but given that most “reforms” start from the premise that you need to cut spending sooner rather than later, we have to argue the case for wider reforms that provide meaningful incentives to those who would return to the workforce if they could.
That inevitably means looking at flexible working arrangements that reflect variable health, welfare systems that effectively assess very high marginal tax rates as people increase their hours and persuading employers that there is genuine talent out there that is being missed by seeing what people can’t do rather than what they can.
I’m still working through today’s ’running list’ as I write this, but we will have a preview of the week ahead in the Lords, whilst Vince Cable has written in his usual erudite manner about the tale of TikTok in the United States.
Finally, it’s the sixty-fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech today. It was, it seems, so much better then.
So, welcome to another Monday. May it be all that you hope it to be…
* Mark Valladares is the Monday Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice.
12 Comments
“The suggestion that we need to rebuild our relationship with the European Union is obviously linked to the rather menacing threat of tariffs on imports from whatever countries offend Donald Trump on any given day”
There’s a much bigger reason – which is the threat from Putin. We know he wants to claim “victory” in Ukraine and quite possibly move on to other eastern European states; and we know the Europe (including the UK) cannot rely on the US to support us. So Europe (including the UK) has to get its security act together – and fast.
We can make the political point that the Tories – supposedly the party of national security – have run down the armed forces, and point out that Farage – supposedly the high priest of national sovereignty – is standing by silent when Trump refuses to rule out invasion of a Commonwealth county – as well as being someone who thought that Boris Johnson would be a great Prime Minister
“In the absence of a credible centre-right political force in this country (and I’m really not suggesting that we fill that vacancy), offering positive reasons to support us has to be a good thing.”
My fear is that if the Lib Dems refuse to fill [the credible centre-right] space we guarantee the return of a Farage/Bedenoch coalition next time. That will be very bad for the country and for Liberalism.
Besides, there’s nowhere else for us to go. The Green Party has the “crazy radical of the left” space sown up (*) and if we present the same as Labour, there’s no reason to prefer us other than tactical voting. The country needs a practical, fiscally prudent, internationally responsible and socially liberal party. And we have form for this in 2010-2015.
(*) For the avoidance of doubt, the environment is the most important problem of all and has to be dealt with. But the Green Party’s impractical idealism (I’m tying to be polite) is not the answer.
64th anniversary of JFK’s inauguration speech, surely? 😉
(And I’m not sure times were better then. The Vietnam War was ramping up, the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile crisis were about to happen, UIK cities were suffering smoke and pollution levels that would seem unimaginable today (the Great Smog of London was a very recent memory), we were basically living under the continual threat of nuclear war with the USSR in control of and ruthlessly suppressing all dissent in much of what is today Western Europe, etc., etc.). I would say an awful lot has become better during those 64 years.
As to the EU and US the biggest feeling that makes so many not want to be in the EU is that they do not want to be tied too closely to any other nation or group of nations. On that point, we can surely make a strong attack on Farage, who is likely to be all too happy with very close ties to the USA.
Another factor in convincing people of the need for close relations with the EU is to show that Lib-Dems believe in both internationalism and localism; this is pertinent to the debate now raging over local government reorganisation with no plan for moving government resources away from Whitehall to local government and a strong proposal to abandon District Councils rather than resource them better.
@ Simon R,
Quite right – that’s what happens when you’re up against a deadline…
@ Tristan Ward, “In the absence of a credible centre-right political force in this country (and I’m really not suggesting that we fill that vacancy).
Coming as I do from the Grimond generation of Young Liberals, and having read a succession of your posts on amongst other things pensions, me-thinks thou doth protest too much, Tristan. All the visible indicators suggest you would prefer the Lib Dems to be that ‘credible centre-right political force’. Am I correct ?
” The country needs a practical, fiscally prudent, internationally responsible and socially liberal party. And we have form for this in 2010-2015.”
Remind me – how many LD MPs were there in 2010-15? And how many after 2015?
Somehow, I don’t think our voters were very happy about it.
@ Simon R I grant you some things may have got better, Simon, but at least in 1960 we had the inauguration of a U.S. President who (whilst not perfect in every way) could fire the radical conscience of the younger generation.
I attended the 60th Anniversary Dinner of the National League of Young Liberals in the House of Commons on 23 November, 1963 – just one day after the assassination. I can’t overstate the grief and distress hanging over that dinner – it was chaired by Jo Grimond with the two surviving daughters of Asquith and Lloyd George present – who Jeremy Thorpe persuaded, as only he could, to get in the same taxi afterwards.
In short, Simon, if the Lib Dems are not radical and humanitarian in their instincts then they amount to nothing.
@Tristan Ward: In the 2000s, when we were pivoting towards the centre-left, we held up against the Tories and gained seats from Labour. It was only when the Tories moved back to the centre ground that they became electable again. And therein lies the danger of us moving towards the centre-right. In 2010 and especially 2015 we started to look indistinguishable from the Tories, leading many Blue Lib Dem and Yellow Tory voters to decide that they might just as well vote for the Tories as the more prominent centre-right.
Farage/Badenoch type right-wing populist policies do not appeal to our Blue Wall type voters in general. They appeal much more to Blue Labour and Red Tory voters (i.e. the Red Wall). Our potential voters don’t tend to like any irresponsible politics, whether of a right-wing or a left-wing flavour. Unfunded tax cuts are no more acceptable than unfunded spending commitments.
D Trump. Wait and see. Respond when there is something he or our Govt has proposed. Don’t panic. Just make GB great again… use the USA when it’s in our interest to do so for the duration of his Residency.
Encourage the UK and the rest of the world to buy from counties that ARE doing what they can to reduce emissions. That will include China.
Leaving the EU was a economic mistake, justified by a mandate that demographics suggest would have vanished by the time of triggering article 50 and the negotiations were badly botched. But I think it’s important that we remember that the EU itself is a far from perfect organisation and the blame for the resulting agreement doesn’t lie solely with the Conservative government, but also the EU which has pursued a dogmatic and, at times, the frankly spiteful approach of a spurned lover to negotiations and mutual recognition agreements. There is no question of being able to rejoin the EU at the the moment on “Thatcher terms”. Joining a “customs union” would likely involve submitting to EU’s Common External Tariff, as Turkey does. And then we have questions on how to manage protectionist tariffs, for example Chinese BEV tariffs to protect EU troubled car makers. Unfortunately, the realistic time for a EU/UK reset is when the EU is much clearer why it also needs a reset relationship with the UK for political and economic stability and is ready for compromise on dogma, or to reform, which is sadly a decade off.
Our relationship with the eu is going to continue to be a thorn in our side until we fix it by rejoining. The economic turmoil that we are witnessing will only make it more urgent. History will look favourably upon politicians who see this truth and act upon it.