Reaction to Nick Clegg's victory

PRESS RELEASE: 18 DECEMBER 2007

 

Welcoming Nick Clegg's narrow victory in the Liberal Democrat leadership contest, the editor of The Liberal magazine, Benjamin Ramm, called on the new leader to demonstrate "a compelling vision of Liberalism for the 21st Century", and "to revive Britain's liberal heart with a bold and ambitious programme for change". The Liberal has outlined three crucial areas of focus for Clegg's '100 days':

(i) Vision

Why Liberalism -- and why now?

Nick Clegg's response to this question conveys a belief in the genuinely radical nature of the liberal project. The new leader must work to challenge the superficial overtures made to liberal Britain by Cameron's Conservatives with a coherent strategy for communicating why Liberalism is the only political creed capable of meeting the challenges of the day, whether they be environmental, economic or civil libertarian. It is crucial that the Liberal Democrats regain the mantle of aspiration -- both in an individual and societal aspect -- and cultivate an understanding of how and why the LibDems are philosophically distinct from Labour and the Tories.

(ii) Identity

During the campaign, both candidates spoke of their desire to further the cause of Liberalism, and evoked the achievement of Liberals: it is our belief, as stated in Towards a Liberal Future, a document published shortly after Sir Menzies Campbell's leadership victory in March 2006, that "for consistency and clarity as much as for intellectual honesty, it is time to match the word to the deed", and that the party's name should revert back to 'The Liberal Party'. Liberal Democracy -- a term evoked by the previous two leaders -- is a system of government, not a political philosophy, and registers its emphasis on democracy rather than liberalism: if the party is to re-energise a populace alienated from the political process, it ought to possess the courage of its own convictions.

(iii) Campaigning

Upon being elected leader, Sir Menzies Campbell promised a thorough review of the party's approach to campaigning, but little has changed since early 2006, and the disquiet regarding Lord Rennard's ultra-localist approach is growing. These concerns, as first articulated in an editorial in The Liberal in autumn 2005 (copy attached), relate to the lack of a coherent and easily-digestible national 'narrative', and the tendency to approach General Election campaigns with a by-election mentality. It is time for the party to radically revise the way in which it communicates its message and re-consider how a third-party must manoeuvre itself in a media age.

 

The Liberal is an independent quarterly publication devoted to a renaissance in liberal politics and the liberal arts. Contributors to the magazine include Christopher Hitchens, Helen Suzman, Harold Bloom, Garry Kasparov, Germaine Greer, George Monbiot, Marina Warner, Martin Rees, Matthew Parris, Francis Wheen,  Jeremy Thorpe, Shami Chakrabarti and Simon Sebag-Montefiore, along with a number of senior Liberal Democrats, including Nick Clegg, Chris Huhne, Menzies Campbell, Shirley Williams, Simon Hughes and Susan Kramer.

 

To contact the Editor, or for further information, call Susannah Gowers (Deputy Editor) on (020) 8444 1944 or 07779024624.