‘Governing from the middle for the middle’ was the message of Nick
Clegg’s unapologetic speech to Lib Dem conference. His effort to redefine the Liberal Democrats continued as he tried to move the party away from its traditional yoghurt-weaving concerns and
instead focus on appealing to ‘alarm clock Britain.’
Clegg’s view is that the left wing protest votes that the party used to get are gone for the foreseeable future, repulsed by coalition, and that the Lib Dems need to reach out to new voters. The calculation is that Labour is seen as being for those on benefits and the Tories for the rich, so the Liberal Democrats should try and seize the middle. Hence the emphasis in the speech on raising the income tax threshold and how the Lib Dems stand up for those who don’t have a lobbying group.
This being a Lib Dem conference there was a long section on electoral reform from Clegg who was wearing a Yes to AV lapel pin. He attempted to frame AV as a way to make MPs work harder and claim fewer expenses. But I suspect that Clegg’s intervention on the topic are a double-edged sword for the yes campaign.
Clegg again contrasted how Lib Dem run councils are implementing the cuts to how Labour ones are doing it. He received one of the loudest rounds of applause of the speech when he said that ‘Anyone who sacks a member of staff or shuts down a public service for political purposes is a disgrace to politics and a disgrace to Britain.’
One thing to watch in the coming weeks is where the government goes on health reform. It does seem that it is getting ready to offer further concessions in an attempt to appease critics of Lansley’s plan.
Comments