A significant trick will have been missed by the left if we focus all or our ire with the coalition on the Liberal Democrats. The sense of almost visceral hatred, at the alleged betrayal is for my money misplaced and is meaning that the left are missing a trick in respect of who the enemy really are.
For my money the Liberal Democrats really didn’t have too much choice after the election given the mathematics of the parliament. There really wasn’t a credible possibility of a workable Lib/Lab coalition and for the Liberals they only really had an option of a coalition with the Tories.
I don’t think there is any particular need for the left to focus it’s attentions on the Liberal Democrats. Simply by getting into bed with the Tories they have caused themselves terrible problems at future elections. We won’t need to work hard on attacking the Liberals to pick up the votes of disillusioned left leaning Lid Dem voters. That is going in part to happen as a matter of course as the pain of the Government cuts starts to bite.
Labour can also achieve far more on this front by stopping being so profoundly illiberal on civil liberties; and no longer following such a hawkish, US aligned foreign policy. Addressing the reason why so many progressive people abandoned the Labour party will do more to attract new activists and voters than attacking the Lib Dems.
The truth is that the enemy are the Tories, they are the ideological drivers for the savage cuts, the Tories are the people who have an in principal, belief led, commitment to the idea of the maintenance of an unequal and unfair society. The Tories are the people the left need to be focussing our ire and energies on.
Labour, Unions and the wider Left cannot afford to let the Tories off the hook for what they are doing, and focussing on the distraction that is the alleged “betrayal” by the Liberal Democrats is meaning the left is wasting valuable time and energy.
Lastly the other thing we cannot ignore is that it is quite possible that there could be another hung parliament after the next election. These are unusual times, and if the Arithmetic is stacked slightly differently next time, a Labour win the most seats and the biggest share of the vote but not a majority we may well need to form some sort of a pact with the Liberal Democrats.
So lets forget Clegg, Cable et al, and start using our gun powder on the real bad guys. The PM, Michael Gove, Lord Ashcroft and most of all George Osborne.
I can see your logic, however we need to attack the Lib Dems specifically for the campaigns against things like the new NHS legislation when it comes before Parliament this autumn. The only way the legislation can be beaten is to ensure enough Lib Dem MPs vote against it. Be under no illusion, the bill will lead to the end of the NHS and we need to defeat it.
Paul Cooney
Huddersfield Health UNISON Secretary
Hi Paul,
Whilst I understand what you are saying my worry is that by getting hung up on trying to get Lib Dem MPs to vote things down (something I very much doubt will be successful, another blog entitled “Why I think the coalition will probably last” might be on the cards.) we are missing the trick by failing to act against the real drives of these decisions.
Put bluntly against all the cheering around Lib Dems poll ratings people seem to be forgetting that the Tories are improving in the polls. 43% now. If there was a general election tomorrow they would probably get an absolute majority. I also really think that anyone who thinks that majority Tory government wouldn’t be worse is kidding themselves.
In fact with the left targeting Liberals so much we are allowing them to become a handy pressure valve for the Tories they are taking the heat now, and if things start improving economically after 2-3 years they will take the credit. The lib dem vote collapsing will only be a pyrrhic victory if the net result is an absolute majority for the Tories with the right and the hawks empowered.
The Lib Dems did have a choice. They could have said No to the Tories. Or they could have vetoed certain of their more extreme policies. I’m ashamed to asmit I was happy to give the coalition a chance, but there are way too many extreme Tory policies being forced through. I think the Lib Dems have lost so much support that, even with a new voting system, they will end up with far fewer MPs next time.
Hi Ted,
No doubt, but looking at it from their perspective, a fundamentally unfair system that prevents them, or any other new party, from making real progress. They have a once in a generation opportunity to a) get a reform referendum and b) show coalitions can work thus assuaging the fears that many have about changing the system.
They could have said no, but then pretty much there whole Raison D’etre would have been blown. There would be no point in them existing. Further by missing this chance for change we would also (at least IMHO) lose the chance for change that would allow other parties of the left, or Greens to make a real impact in UK politics.
So they could have said no, but for me that would have been game over for them anyway.
Isn’t there a tactical reason for attacking the lib dems? The more pressure they come under and the more damage they see this coalition doing them, the more likely the coalition is to collapse?
But to what end right now? If the coalition were to collapse now the likelihood in a re-run election if you look at the polls is majority Tory government. And probably one that would give them (at least in their minds) a much stronger mandate for savage cuts (read “class warfare”).
I see little value in bringing down the coalition if it is not going to bring a different shade of government in. And the “team to beat” at the next election is the Tories not the Liberal Democrats. The left needs to stop this tribalistic response to them and think about how the increasing poll rating for the Tories can be arrested.
“the more likely the coalition is to collapse?”
Sure, and – partly due to the Conservatives being the only party to have the funds for another election campaign, and partly through the two-party squeeze – end up with a majority Tory government that would rely on the rabid right wingers that are now kept under control through the Lib Dems being in the coaliton.
Because after the bile piled on us it’ll take all but the most Lefty Lib Dems a long time to even consider propping up a Labour government.
Hi LDK,
On the coalition thing, my view is that after an election Realpolik is always going to rule.
If the artithmatic logic is for a Lib/Lab pact after the next general election then it will happen.
Ralph, those us of in the forzen north are actually quite used to coalition government down at Holyrood. I agree that the left should lay off a bit but not let them off scott free. They entered this alliance and they are now responsible for the neothatcherism that is coming forward. I tend to agree with Ed Millibands stance that any alliance with liberals cannot be led by Nick, he seems so keen on this whole cuts project and there is something not ringing true to me.At all times they could have let the tories form a minority government as the SNP have in holyrood after the mess of the 07 elections. I think at the moment the Liberals are the softer target, there is division and fear in their ranks, but I think the greatest damage could be done by hitting the tory right, they are still lacking the red meat they crave and are more likely to turn on the government than the weak and changeable liberals …
Indeed, but given their political objectives I really don’t think letting the Tories form a minority government. This is a once in a generation opportunity for them to get reform and demonstrate to the English public that coalitions can work.
If they passed it up, they might as well have packed up their bags for the next 25-30 years.
I also think that whilst we have to be effective opposition and attack the enemy; I think it is worth remembering that Labour had also promised savage cuts. A Lab government, or a LAB/LIB coalition and pact would also be doing nasty right wing stuff.
“cannot be led by Nick, he seems so keen on this whole cuts project and there is something not ringing true to me”
Why? Nick Clegg AND Vince Cable have been calling for savage cuts for a year or more now – just because many lefties thought we didn’t really mean it doesn’t make it so.
[...] Time to stop wasting time hating the Lib Dems. [...]
[...] blogged Recently on why I thought the left were missing a trick by seemingly focussing all of our fire on the Liberal Democrats. The Tories are the enemy, they are the ideological drivers for savage cuts, and regressive ones [...]