“This is the opportunity for the British people to have a decent, strong opposition – something that they currently do not have.”
The traditional function of the third party in British politics has been to sweep up the protest vote, thus protecting the parties of power
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. A Wikipedia summary of far right ideology: "The far right is commonly associated with persons or groups who hold extreme nationalist, xenophobic, racist, religious fundamentalist or reactionary views.The most extreme-right movements have pursued oppression and genocide against groups of people on the basis of their alleged inferiority." Lib Dem […]
Wednesday, 12.30pm: It’s the final day of the Liberal Democrat conference, and so the final day of our intermittent live blog totting up all the anti-Tory positioning going on. And, in terms of rhetoric, it’s probably the quietest day so far: the overriding theme of Nick Clegg’s forthcoming speech is that the Lib Dems are […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. David Singleton at PoliticsHome reports an interesting development: The Lib Dems' President, Tim Farron, has drawn up plans to establish a "reference group" made up of grassroots party members, which would oversee coalition negotiations if the 2015 election were to result in another inconclusive result. The proposal is set […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Today's papers have reported Tim Farron's remarks on Sky yesterday, where his interview followed an earlier one with William Hague. The Foreign Secretary had been questioned about the current atrocious events in Syria. Farron said: “Isn't it ludicrous you were talking to William Hague about many undemocratic countries overseas […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Below is a selection of prominent Lib Dems' reactions to David Cameron's veto at the European summit this week. Sharon Bowles, the Lib Dem MEP who chairs the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, has made several strange remarks yesterday and today. In an interview yesterday, she said she wants […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter It's the conference season, and the annual gathering of Lib Dems gave senior Libs the opportunity to bash the Conservatives, bash the rich, bash government policies, and bash anything else likely to get a smile out of the downtrodden activists in attendance. We can review who has moved up […]
By Matthew Barrett and Tim Montgomerie On Wednesday, we reported that Tory MPs at the 1922 Committee wanted to "get those yellow b**tards", in reference to Liberal Democrats who were criticising Andrew Lansley's NHS reforms, having voted for it before. In today's Mail on Sunday James Forsyth writes that 10 Downing Street is at the […]
Tim Montgomerie According to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg the President of the Liberal Democrats also likened the Thatcher years to "sustained slavery". This is juvenile stuff and leaves no higher rhetorical gear for real outrages. It is of course panic in the Lib Dem ranks. Farron's colleague Tavish Scott – leader of the Lib Dems […]
Tim Montgomerie During the leadership race Ed Miliband wasn't nice about the Lib Dems but he avoided knocking them during his first speech as leader and has today made a direct overture to a party that, at the grassroots level, leans left: "To those who are reluctant to abandon ship but are concerned about the […]
The Government can help them keep going by revising its guidance – which, thankfully, it has promised to do.