I've had it with the Lib Dems — I'm leaving

The importance of the third party in British politics is constantly shifting. Our system does not follow the two-party American model where the majority of voters are defined by their allegiance, or the central European mix of movements from across the spectrum. Labour and the Tories hold a command of Parliament, but their tendency to avoid the extremes closes down space for a third party. It is  hard to break through, but equally difficult for either of the main party leaders to ignore a strong third party when it arises.

The Lib Dems have, throughout their thirty-two year existence, always taken the spot of an outsider, and this natural state is the largest part of their appeal. They succeed, as they did under Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy, as being a conduit for (mild) anger at the perceived establishment, and a general voicing of disquiet at the monotonous swing between governments, especially when their platforms are so close together. Predictably, they prospered during the Blair years, when a strong anti-Iraq War stance helped them gain seats in Cornwall, mid-Wales and northern Scotland. The appeal of Ashdown and Kennedy was that of leaders intent on enshrining the liberalism they knew from the former Liberal Party itself. They were socially liberal and economically restrained.

Where do the Lib Dems stand now? Eleven seats in Parliament, the fifth leader in five years to be announced after an upcoming leadership contest and facing the hard reality of a political climate made more polarised by Covid and Brexit.

I joined the party a few years ago, largely on the basis of their place as the main liberal movement in this country.  The party’s founding principles don’t reveal anything special or in any way surprising, but the most important idea is: “We will at all times defend the right to speak, write, worship, associate and vote freely, and we will protect the right of citizens to enjoy privacy in their own lives and homes.”

It seemed odd, then, that Ed Davey reported Nigel Farage to the police earlier this month, for going to the pub on 4th July. Beyond the details of the case, the sight of a leading figure in a Liberal party reporting someone for going out, suggests he’s not very liberal at all. Never mind, some will say; Davey is standing to be leader and sees the social media bandwagon as a way to gather supporters. (Davey has also been trying to shore up his support in the party by distancing himself from the Coalition government in which he served as Energy Secretary.)

Party members should worry about this tendency, which represents a larger problem. The party’s unquestioning support for the lockdown, perhaps the most illiberal measure ever introduced by a postwar government, undercuts the party’s identity.  Promoting themselves as the major liberal party should involve defending the idea of liberty itself .

The Lib Dems have been on the right side of the “culture war”, but there has been an embarrassed silence on the issue of free speech. They have nothing to say on “cancel culture” or religious extremism. I wonder whether the Liberal Democrats of today would have defended Salman Rushdie in 1989, or whether the current leaders would do as Nick Clegg did in response to the Charlie Hebdo attacks of 2015.

When Tim Farron was questioned for his devout, orthodox Christian opinions, he came under pressure for not conforming to the dogma of the culture war. He resigned soon after. Instead, the Tories have taken up the banner of free speech and liberty, which has obscured the importance of the Liberal ideal yet further.

The Lib Dem leadership election will be contested by Davey and Layla Moran. The prospect of either leading the party is not promising. Neither seems interested in learning from Jo Swinson’s calamitous leadership. Swinson scored a huge victory against Davey in last year’s vote — but now Davey is the favourite. The vote itself shows the party’s swift decline. At such a low point, and with little hope of a return to relevance, I’m leaving the party before it goes any further downhill. I may be back some time, but now I would urge other members who really care about what liberty means to do the same and to continue the fight for Liberal principles from the outside.