With the unsettling aftermath of the Scottish
referendum, that should have put the issue of Scottish independence to bed for
some time, the UK finds itself taking stock after a general election, with a new
Scottish separatist presence in Westminster, and Holyrood as all but a
one-party soapbox intent on tearing the UK apart.
The Conservative majority came as a surprise, and
one that is fairly good news in terms of the stability of the nation, but the decimation
of the Lib Dems in Westminster was unsettling: It’s a shocking indictment of
the attitudes of some of the members and voters that abandoned the Lib Dems
after they joined the Conservatives in office after the 2005 General election.
Also, it should not be forgotten that the Liberals
made the difference between the UK having stable government in a time of great
global uncertainty in the aftermath of the 2008 crash.
Labour and, more generally, the Tory-stopping
brigade, attacked the Liberal Democrats in droves, not least over the
'betrayal' of students over tuition fees. To be fair, you could argue that it
was an idle promise that they never dreamt they would be in a position to
actually make decisions over, and Nick Clegg also had the good grace to apologise
unreservedly over it, something that doesn’t happen that often. Beyond that there’s
room for a certain amount of indignation on their behalf that they were being so
viciously attacked by Labour at a time when the country was still reeling from
the impact of the 2008 crash, particularly when Labour was the party that
introduced tuition fees to the UK in the first place.
The reality is that Labour is a mess that will
never be able to properly disentangle itself from the influence of unions in
the UK and, while I respect the need for trade unions to represent the people
that get most put upon, the nature of global enterprise and the financial pressures
on national governments has made their influence on the Labour party positively
damaging to the long-term interests of people in the UK.
Despite the massive setback for the Lib Dems, at
least in terms of seats, their time in office could yet prove valuable, both
for them and the country: It has been massively beneficial to them in
establishing their own identity as a party, in contrast to their prior role as Labour's
poodle. The time may be right for them to provide a credible and coherent party of opposition in the UK in their own
right. This small party has gone through a painful (and unintentional on their
part), process of divesting itself of the members that existed solely to attack
the Conservatives, and is now left with a kernel of activists with a much more
positive idea of what they want.
The Liberal Democrats will very soon have a new
leader in parliament and that leader will be complemented by two excellent leaders in both
the Welsh (Kirstie Williams) and Scottish parliaments (Willie Rennie).
If they play their cards right, the Liberal
Democrats can seize the initiative here, but it’s essential that they move
forward speaking for their own ideas, and do it with the dignity that so many
of their MPs have displayed over the years.
As this new chapter begins, with the Lib Dem
membership poised to elect a new leader, whoever is elected could have a far
greater opportunity than he might think at this point.
The Liberal Democrats may be down for the moment, but they're definitely
not out.
