Should Lib Dems go for a Coalition? Daily Telegraph
12 May 2010
By Paddy Ashdown
For many of us in the Liberal Democrats, this is a rather unexpected moment. And a somewhat nerve-racking one, too.
For decades, our party worked towards a realignment of the Left; an alliance with Labour that would reshape politics and bring in a new and more modern form of government. Now we find ourselves in coalition not with the centre-Left, but with the centre-Right. What happened? And can it work?
Well certainly, there are many who are sceptical. In my old constituency office in Yeovil, the calls coming in have been half in favour, half against. Those who oppose the deal, some of whom voted Lib Dem to keep the Conservatives out of office, will look at the situation and think that it is a disaster. Perhaps they will even consider their membership of the party. It will be especially galling for those Liberal Democrat candidates and campaigners who came second to a Tory last Thursday (and, of course, vice versa).
I’ll admit that I was sceptical, too. A deal with the Labour Party would have been easier, more comfortable and far more consistent with our strategy of realignment – and it was this which I worked for over the past few days. But some of the old Neanderthals in Labour wrecked that opportunity, and have now turned their party back towards tribalism.
We Lib Dems could then have abandoned Nick Clegg’s promise to work with others in the national interest, moved back to our comfort zone, sat tight and done nothing. That would have been the simpler thing to do. But it would have been the wrong one.
The Tories, under David Cameron, seemed to understand the demand from the electorate for a new kind of politics better than many in Old Labour, and responded to it with speed, understanding and a good deal of statesmanship. Those of us who learnt our politics in opposition to the Tory party of the Thatcher era found this surprising, and in some cases even quite hard to deal with.
But our negotiators, and those from the Tory party, showed that these were different times, by producing a remarkable coalition document which contained commitments to political modernisation, voting reform, fair taxes, such as the £10,000 threshold for income tax, a clean environment and civil liberties, all of which any Lib Dem can be proud.
Of course, there are things in here which are much more difficult for us, such as Europe and nuclear power. But you can’t build the new politics of partnership without making compromises. There is, too, a huge task ahead, and there will be many bumpy moments. Whether this coalition will work depends not on its shiny newness on the morning after it was made, but on how dog-eared it will look after four years of tough, hard, wearing decisions at a time of national crisis.
Will the deal hold? Well, there will undoubtedly be some outriders who want to see it brought down. But their numbers may be fewer than we thought. It is significant that the meeting of the Lib Dems’ ruling Federal Executive and our MPs and Lords was virtually unanimous. And if our leader was able to get a majority there, he will probably get the same welcome at our consultative conference in Birmingham this weekend. He certainly deserves it.
Meanwhile, Labour is about to begin a knock-down, drag-out, blood-on-the-floor battle for the heart and soul of the party. Just as the Tories did in 1997, it will probably go back, lick its wounds, and arrive at the wrong conclusion, by moving away from the centre ground.
Sadly, for the moment at least, the great project of the realignment of the Left is over. Surprisingly, the changes Britain need appear to be coming from the opposite direction – a direction which I never expected, but Disraeli probably would have.
So a little euphoria is justified; because something many thought impossible has been done. Something that creates an opportunity to provide not only the stable government that the nation needs, but real change and the possibility for a new kind of politics.
None of this, however, should hide the fact that there will be difficult times ahead. There will be divisions. And harsh words. And real tensions. And lots and lots of tough choices.
But bankable goodwill has been created in these past few days; a remarkable coalition document has been produced, of which both sides can feel proud; and real statesmanship and vision have been shown by two young leaders. These ingredients give us about the best start we could have for the hard journey ahead.
I refuse to use the tired old clichés about “new dawns”. But I have to confess that I find myself still blinking with surprise at where we have got to, and how it has come about. And perhaps a little more hopeful than is rational about what is now possible, if we can continue as we have started.