{"id":134462,"date":"2024-09-14T11:16:16","date_gmt":"2024-09-14T11:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/14\/smiling-lib-dems-plan-to-make-the-most-of-election-success\/"},"modified":"2024-09-14T11:16:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T11:16:16","slug":"smiling-lib-dems-plan-to-make-the-most-of-election-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/14\/smiling-lib-dems-plan-to-make-the-most-of-election-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Smiling Lib Dems plan to make the most of election success"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Smiling<\/div>


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\"PAPA Media<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sir Ed Davey celebrated with supporters on election night as the party won a record number of MPs<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Liberal Democrat smiles will be so broad in the next few days they will stretch from the end of Brighton Pier to the northern French coast.<\/p>\n

The party is gathering for its autumn conference at the Sussex seaside and it seems reasonable to forecast an incoming tide of jubilance.<\/p>\n

A party pulverised to smithereens after its years in coalition with the Conservatives is back and back big time – and they can\u2019t quite believe it.<\/p>\n

A few months back you could get all their MPs in a minibus.<\/p>\n

Now – with 72 of them – you would need a double decker at least.<\/p>\n

The 2024 general election was their best performance since the present day party was established in 1988.<\/p>\n

And, more than that, it saw the highest number of seats won by a Liberal party for more than a century.<\/p>\n

Speaking to some of the party\u2019s senior figures, they are already talking about the next general election.<\/p>\n

Their plan, as one put it to me, is to “finish the job”.<\/p>\n

By that they mean, if not quite wiping out the Conservatives, chipping away yet further at what had long seemed impermeable Tory territory primarily in southern England.<\/p>\n

A splash of hubris, I wonder?<\/p>\n

Maybe, but then again some Conservatives privately are already fretting about how hard it may prove to dislodge recently victorious Lib Dems.<\/p>\n

The party has a reputation at Westminster for their capacity to dig themselves into constituencies and build strong local reputations.<\/p>\n

And, come the next general election, unlike Labour, they won\u2019t have a governing record to defend.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For now, their new MPs are still finding their feet and their voice – as their leader Sir Ed Davey revels in his new-found prominence: a guaranteed spot at Prime Minister\u2019s Questions every week and miles more media attention.<\/p>\n

So what can we expect from this conference?<\/p>\n

Plenty of celebration, yes, plus an attempt to cement a reputation as the party of hope.<\/p>\n

The tone of politics is something Sir Ed has given considerable thought to, after his mix of wild capers, bungee jump included<\/a>, and profound personal reflection – a party political broadcast that focused on the loss of his parents as a child and his disabled son<\/a> – appeared to contribute to their election success.<\/p>\n

The prime minister acknowledged to me the other day that what some see as his miserabilist tone, talk of things getting worse before they get better, <\/a>\u201chas been cast as doom and gloom, and I get that”.<\/p>\n

Combine this with the angry, noisy politics of recent years and Sir Ed hopes he can colonise a gap in the political market for those who want a more positive tone.<\/p>\n

And what about policy?<\/p>\n

Expect them to double down on the NHS and social care. They believe this brought clarity and dividends at the election.<\/p>\n

The leadership has no desire to be a flotilla of small causes.<\/p>\n

Speaking to some of their new MPs I do wonder how long some may be able to resist talking about Brexit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Once unabashedly bashing of Brexit, the Lib Dems managed to pretty much avoid talking about it during the election.<\/p>\n

How long might that last, particularly if sluggish economic growth persists allowing pro-Europeans to point to analysis \u2013 such as this from the Office for Budget Responsibility<\/a> about the economic impact of the UK\u2019s departure from the European Union?<\/p>\n

What does Liberal Democrat success look like?<\/p>\n

For me, this is the most intriguing question for the party.<\/p>\n

What does it do in this parliament, how does it make an impact?<\/p>\n

An avowedly anti-Conservative party now confronts a Labour government with an imperious majority.<\/p>\n

How can or should it get noticed and effect change?<\/p>\n

This is a big, open and not-immediately-obvious-to-answer conundrum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Watch: Ed Davey bungee jumps for latest stunt<\/figcaption><\/p>\n
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But for now, for them, it is a nice conundrum to have, after a near decade of near irrelevance.<\/p>\n

They will make the most of this moment and perhaps little wonder.<\/p>\n

In the last 15 years, the four biggest parties in UK politics have all experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.<\/p>\n

Labour went from their biggest defeat since 1935 in 2019, to a stonking majority in July.<\/p>\n

The Conservatives went from a huge win in 2019 to the worst in its parliamentary history.<\/p>\n

The Scottish National Party had 56 MPs in 2015, every seat bar three in Scotland.<\/p>\n

They now have nine.<\/p>\n

And the Liberal Democrats went from coalition government in 2010, to near wipe out in 2015, to Himalayan political altitude now.<\/p>\n

Who knows what is around the corner for any of them.<\/p>\n

They all conclude it\u2019s worth smiling when you can.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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