Britain | Liberal Democrats

Not dead yet

The Lib Dems may be dying, but liberalism is not

POOR Nick Clegg. The former leader of the Liberal Democrats is a decent, courageous man. He went into coalition with the Conservatives in 2010 with the noble intention of stabilising Britain’s economy. Yet on May 7th his party was pulverised at the polls. Though he kept his own seat, 49 out of 57 Lib Dem MPs lost theirs. They were overpowered even in traditional heartlands like Scotland and the south-west, by the Scottish National Party (SNP) and their own erstwhile Conservative allies. Three Lib Dem cabinet ministers lost their seats, and Mr Clegg immediately resigned as leader. “They are back to where they were in 1970,” says John Curtice, a political scientist at Strathclyde University.

What went wrong? Lib Dems could point to five years of restraining the Conservatives on a range of issues—from helping to sink a “snoopers’ charter” to preventing the scrapping of the Human Rights Act (both of which might now be pushed through by the Tories). Yet, for some core Lib Dem voters, the mere act of joining the Tories in coalition was treachery. Others were alienated by the compromises that followed. Mr Clegg paid dearly for breaking his promise not to raise university tuition fees. All proof, says Mr Curtice, that “you cannot win an election if people do not trust you”. (The same was true last week for Labour, he suspects.)

For floating voters, the party failed to enunciate a clear message. And by entering government with the Tories in 2010 it had already lost its place as a protest party—a position now occupied by UKIP, the SNP and the Greens. The Tories had lost voters at by-elections but many of them returned last week, spooked by the possibility of a Labour government backed by the SNP. Few Lib Dem deserters came back. Now the party is picking up the pieces and trying to rediscover what it stands for. Some have suggested it go back to its roots as the party of Gladstone and Lloyd George and change its name back to the Liberal Party. Others, such as David Steel, a grandee, say the party needs to regain its left-of-centre edge. The best person to do that as leader would be Tim Farron, who retained his seat in the Lake District and did not vote for the tuition-fees rise. The other main contender is Norman Lamb, an older, Cleggish type. Optimists point out that thousands of people have joined the party since its electoral wipeout. But the Lib Dems were knocked out of contention in many Parliamentary constituencies (see article). They also lost many of their local councillors, who make good footsoldiers.

Another explanation for the Lib Dems’ terrible performance is that they are no longer necessary. In a tearful farewell speech, Mr Clegg lamented the demise of liberalism and the “fear and grievance” evident in the rise of Scottish and English nationalisms. He vowed that he would not allow “decent liberal values” to die.

But they have not. The Tories ate up Lib Dem votes partly because they have swallowed much of the party’s ideology. The Conservative embrace of causes like gay marriage means liberals do not have to vote Liberal Democrat these days. Indeed, although the Tories still have plenty of illiberal edges, David Cameron, the prime minister, has called himself a liberal conservative. Tony Blair had absorbed much liberalism into the Labour Party. Even the SNP, though illiberal in its nationalism, is pro-gay marriage and pro-immigration.

It is true that a significant minority is anti-liberal. UKIP secured 12% of the vote (though only one seat) by kicking back against the globalised, multi-ethnic society that Britain has become. Yet overall, Mr Clegg lost not because liberalism is under threat but because it has become mainstream. Indeed, the metropolitan assumption that liberalism conquers everything is part of what UKIP so dislikes. That will be small consolation for Mr Clegg as he watches the triumphant Mr Cameron trying to balance those competing forces. But it is hopeful for Britain.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Not dead yet"

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