Nick Clegg’s knighthood won’t save the Lib Dems – only a strong policy on Brexit can do that
As a political party we can and should be proud of our achievements in government – but it’s addressing the present and changing the future that matters, not celebrating our past glories
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Your support makes all the difference.Nick Clegg is getting a knighthood – vindicating many Lib Dems who feel that public recognition for the former leader’s role in the coalition government is long overdue.
So why as a fully-paid up member of the Clegg fan club am I not getting excited about this? For Lib Dem supporters Clegg’s knighthood might perk us up, but it is not going to make Brexit less likely, improve the life chances of the poorest in society, or help ensure the NHS is fully-funded. Sadly it won’t help us win elections or change Tory policies. As a political party we can and should be proud of our achievements in government – but it’s addressing the present and changing the future that matters, not celebrating our past glories.
Political credit is not transferable and Clegg has ruled out a return to frontline politics. Just because he is being belatedly recognised will not change minds or Lib Dem fortunes in the future. Politics is dealing with the world as it is, not as you might like it to be.
Vince Cable was right when he said at Lib Dem party conference “Our party is not just a coalition partner of the past, we are the government of the future”, but to become a credible party of government again we need first to become a credible party of opposition. To survive and to grow we need to win arguments, votes and seats.
The most important argument which we must win is Brexit. Leaving the EU has largely been defined as a story of “Blue on Blue” with rebel Tory and Labour Remainer MPs getting most of the plaudits. But this is our battle – we are the only party fighting for the UK to remain in the EU. Having a small parliamentary team means Lib Dems must pick our battles and team up with those who share our views – as our MPs did successfully on the EU Withdrawal Bill.
Where Lib Dems have shrunk in parliamentary representation we have grown amongst our party membership to over 100,000. Two-thirds of party members joined between 2015 and 2017, encouraged by our pro-Remain stance. An engaged membership offers a huge opportunity for our party to get our message out far and wide to those alienated by the Brexit process.
Locally, next year will be crucial for the Lib Dems, with council elections and potential parliamentary by-elections in the offing. Council candidates will be elected and re-elected on their community efforts, not past history.
In his conference speech last September Cable said he was “impatient for success” and a “great deal of resilience, energy and self-discipline” will fuel our recovery.
I agree with Vince that the country needs hope and realism from a political party. The Lib Dems can offer both but to win they need to focus on the future, not the past.
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