‘The politics of the centre is more relevant and necessary than ever’
I definitely believe that the Liberal Democrats are on the right path. I was one of those who joined following the referendum result after being a lifelong Conservative voter. Since the election I have have been dismayed at the direction the Conservatives have taken, lurching further and further to the right, heaping hardship on those can least afford it in order to secure their future electoral ambitions, and all but forgetting those at the margins. It would appear that some are more “in it together” than others.
It became crystal clear to me that the coalition was a success simply because the Lib Dems were at the cabinet table to curb the worst excesses of the Tories, for which they paid an unfairly heavy price in 2015. We now find ourselves at a political crossroads where populism is taking hold yet over 40% of voters describe themselves as being neither left nor right. The progressive politics of the centre is now more relevant, and necessary than ever.
Voters will gravitate towards a united party and the Liberal Democrats seem to me to be the only party - save the SNP, for very different reasons - united across a broad spectrum of policy. it is also abundantly clear that the vacuum in opposition caused by the civil war in the Labour party is bad for our democracy and leaves the space open for a progressive political agenda which I firmly believe is beginning to resonate with voters. This is not just about Brexit.
Giuliano, 47, company director
‘Recovery is a long and arduous process’
The party is rising from the dead, but not at the rate it should be doing so. With everything that happened in the 2015 election, the party lost a lot of talent and with that a lot of its mainstream visibility. Simply getting any coverage is difficult enough as it is, sadly when we do we lack figures with the charisma of previous notables such as Charles Kennedy or even Danny Alexander and Lynne Featherstone to get the points across.
There have been multiple occasions in the past 16 months that have absolutely cried out for a strong liberal voice, yet instead we find ourselves hijacked by other parties claiming to be liberal, including George Osborne recently which is absolutely laughable. There are some real positives, membership has almost doubled, the positioning on the EU gives the party a flagship policy that will attract votes in years to come, and at a local level the Lib Dems are thriving and this is where the party could really recover, but its a long and arduous process which is not being helped by a complete lack of engagement with conversations on a national scale.
Andrew Hunter, 25, Teacher
‘We Lib Dems can be far too polite’
There are two big ideas in the party right now: Mark Pack’s core vote strategy, and co-operation with the other parties, as in ‘The Alternative’. Both together amount to a plan to gain seats and use them to give Britain genuine democracy.
So long as the Westminster system continues to function on 19th century lines, there’s not a lot we can do unilaterally. But if we can exploit the splits in the Labour and Tory parties to build a blocking minority with the SNP to keep Britain in the EU, prevent boundary changes, and cause other problems for the government, we might build enough of a profile to make a come-back next election.
We’ve already had some spectacular council byelection victories. Between these, commentators in the media re-evaluating the Lib Dem role in the coalition, and collaboration with the Greens as well as MPs in the Tory and Labour parties, it looks like people are beginning to recognise that the Lib Dems are a force for change again.
Tim Farron needs more mainstream media time. Of course, Labour is the official opposition, their civil war is fascinating stuff, and we have only 8 MPs; but who else is standing up and pointing out unequivocally that the duly elected democratic representatives in the two big parties have no clothes?
There has to be a way for us to grab media attention: the kind of stunts UKIP specialised in. I think we Lib Dems can be far too polite.
Toby MacDonnell, 25, postgraduate student
‘Tim Farron looks a fish out of water’
I’ve not been impressed with Tim Farron’s leadership so far. I think the party has lost touch with its core values. By insisting upon a second referendum they risk never closing the Europe question. It is at best naive and at worst putting populism before people.
The focus on Labour hasn’t come across well or served any particular agenda, because under his leadership the party hasn’t really served an agenda and doesn’t seem to be pushing any issues apart from the EU. If he were to back up his criticism with some actual points or highlight some issues he might actually get somewhere.
I think Tim is a very passionate person and I rejoined the Liberal Democrats to vote for him but, honestly, his leadership so far has been at best underwhelming and he frequently looks like a fish out of water.
He has tried to play the part of the serious opposition but comes out with endless mindless soundbites. While he speaks well when addressing party supporters, he offers no internal leadership and just swings with the wind. He appears not to have registered with the outside world at all. He might as well be Mr Cellophane because everybody just looks right through him.
Anonymous, 24, researcher
‘The party requires a leader with gravitas, experience and charisma’
I do not think that we should ever have another referendum again and hence do not support us campaigning for a second one. Unfortunately the broken promises, participation in the coalition and consequent poor showing at the last elections makes it very difficult for the Lib Dems on their own to have much influence. A joint platform of pro-EU politicians, trade unionists, scientists, bankers and industrialists should be established to explain Lib Dem as well as other points of view to the general public.
The party should focus its energies on making sure that reciprocal freedom of movement for all UK and EU citizens is retained, that we remain in the single market and that we have an associate status that gives us some influence over EU decision making. The lack of meaning behind the pronouncement by the government need to be exposed and the population appraised of the benefits of belonging to the single market. The clear focus must be on young people and we need to apologise for the drastic mistakes made over policies and promises.
I wish the debate could be carried out in a more civilised, factual and positive atmosphere. The political system is not working and I believe that a change to a full proportional representation based electoral system needs to be implemented.
The party requires a leader with gravitas, experience and charisma. Unfortunately I see no-one amongst the LD MPs who fits that bill.
Stephen Bustin, 61, professor of molecular medicine
‘The Lib Dems are the only sensible option’
We were hung out to dry by a ruthless Tory party and a lazy electorate in May 2015, leaving much good work in government in tatters and some fantastic politicians out of a job.
For Tim Farron to have encouraged 77,000 people to become members of a party with only eight MPs left in Parliament is a testament to his honesty, vitality and impeccable character.
With ever increasing political doom and gloom and parties and the electorate becoming ever more tribal, the Lib Dems remain firm as the only sensible centrist, liberal option.
We could do with a general election to help that improvement, but I think if Tim can keep our principled agenda in the foreground - fighting against Brexit and the general injustice of ongoing Tory rule - whilst Labour ties itself up inknots, we could well emerge as a credible voice in opposition once again at the next general election.
Tom Williams, Singer, 38
