0 Well, That Didn't Go to Plan. General Election
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0 Well, that didn’t go to plan. General election reflections: Simon Hughes, Nick Harvey, Liz Barker, Tony Greaves and more 0 All the presidents’ answers - Mark Pack 0 How we did Unite to Remain - Peter Dunphy Issue 399 - February 2020 £ 4 Issue 399 February 2020 SUBSCRIBE! CONTENTS Liberator magazine is published six/seven times per year. Subscribe for only £25 (£30 overseas) per year. Commentary.............................................................................................3 You can subscribe or renew online using PayPal at Radical Bulletin .........................................................................................4..7 our website: www.liberator.org.uk THE HORROR SHOW SEEN FROM OUTSIDE ..................................8..9 Professional roles meant Simon Hughes had to spend the general election campaign on Or send a cheque (UK banks only), payable to the sidelines for the first time in decades. What he saw of the Lib Dems alarmed him “Liberator Publications”, together with your name and full postal address, to: EIGHT ERRORS AND COUNTING ....................................................10..11 The Liberal Democrats got a lot wrong in the 2019 general election, many of them repeated mistakes never learnt from, says Nick Harvey Liberator Publications Flat 1, 24 Alexandra Grove LED BY DONKEYS ................................................................................12..13 London N4 2LF The general election saw the Liberal Democrats fail to find messages that resonated England with voters, and the campaign was appallingly led. The next leader must be chosen for their ability, not what they are, says Liz Barker THE LIBERATOR HOLES IN THE RED WALL ..................................................................14..15 Labour’s collapse in its small town heartlands could be filled by something even worse COLLECTIVE than the Tories, warns Tony Greaves Jonathan Calder, Richard Clein, Howard Cohen, Gareth Epps, Catherine Furlong, David Grace, NICE PEOPLE DON’T USE BAR CHARTS ........................................16..17 Sarah Green, Peter Johnson, Wendy Kyrle-Pope, Liberal Democrat campaign techniques have become hopelessly outdated and non- Tim McNally, George Potter, Stewart Rayment, political, says Ruth Coleman-Taylor Kiron Reid, Harriet Sherlock, Mark Smulian, SHARING OUT THE SEATS ................................................................18..19 William Tranby, Claire Wiggins, Nick Winch Is Unite to Remain the beginning or the end of electoral pacts asks Peter Dunphy, who was in the thick of negotiations? Liberator (ISSN 0307-4315) is printed by LEADER OF THE PACK ........................................................................20..21 Lithosphere, 110 Mount View Road, London N4 4JX Mark Pack found himself both Liberal Democrat president and joint acting leader in December. The general election disrupted a Liberator with the usual questionnaire to LIBERATOR presidential candidates, so he answers these here. Christine Jardine had also agreed to answer a similar questionnaire 0 was founded in 1970 and is produced by a SCOTLAND REPEATS ITS ERRORS ...................................................22..23 voluntary editorial collective. Nigel Lindsay reports on a Scottish campaign where the line on independence mimicked the Tories, the national leaflets were rubbish and the leader lost her seat. But he sees hope too 0 acts as a forum for debate among radical liberals in all parties and none HOW THE WEST WAS LOST ..............................................................24..25 Over-emphasis on Brexit helped to throw away what was once the Liberal Democrats’ strongest region, says Theo Butt Philip 0 welcomes written contributions on relevant topics, up to 1800 words MIND YOUR LANGUAGE .....................................................................26..27 Talk in public relations-speak and no-one will understand you. Liberal Democrats must learnt speak clearly again, says Tom Barney We reserve the right to shorten, alter or omit any material. FIGHTING THE BATTLE OF BEACONSFIELD ................................28 Sarah Green reports on the multi-party effort to elect Remain rebel Dominic Grieve, a DATA PROTECTION former Conservative minister, in his Beaconsfield seat HOLD TIGHT PLEASE ..........................................................................29 We hold subscribers’ names and The fate of a London bus gives a clue to the new prime minister, says Mark Smulian addresses to fulfil our contract to provide A SAUNTER INTO FANTASY-LAND ..................................................30 copies of Liberator, and to contact Promoting Jo Swinson as the next prime minister was folly, and the leaflets to back this them about their subscription. We do up campaign were rubbish, says Les Farris not pass details to third parties - unless DON’T PUT IT THROUGH A LETTERBOX ......................................31 required by law - with the exception Piles of leaflets once worked, but they’re counter-productive now, and so are mass of our distributor, who deletes the files phone calls. says Mick Taylor used for address labels after use. To alter or remove your details or discuss any BEYOND THE TRIBES ...........................................................................32..33 enquiry please contact: Britain’s role in the world, the climate crisis and redistribution of wealth all call for [email protected] political realignment, says Iain Brodie-Browne TRIUMPHS, FALSE DAWNS, DISASTERS AND LESSONS .............34..35 INTERNET Adrian Slade reflects on sixty years of general elections and think the Liberal Email: [email protected] Democrats should now identify with climate policy Website: http://www.liberatormagazine.org.uk REVIEWS & LETTERS...........................................................................36..39 Lord Bonkers’ Diary ...............................................................................40 Blog: http://liberator-magazine.blogspot.co.uk Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/ groups/6806343091 Picture Credits: Cover design: & Photo Page 28 Christy Lawrance DREAMING THE This had been the right thing to do. The party clearly had a reserve of goodwill among Remain supporters IMPOSSIBLE DREAM and with Leave supporters unlikely to vote for it If ever a politician fell through believing their anyway there was no purpose in trying to split the own propaganda it was Jo Swinson. difference and appeal to them as well. At the start of the election she was unknown to the But during the campaign the clear Remain message public and yet she appeared more or less from nowhere was irredeemably muddied by ‘revoke’. Attempts announcing that she was going to be prime minister to keep the defector MPs in parliament - only two and would revoke Article 50 without further ado. of whom fought their previous seat - consumed The first of these propositions was so self-evidently disproportionate resources in places of questionable unbelievable that it should never have been made. promise. Lib Dem leaders in the past have talked about what Few had a good word to say about the content of the they would do in government, but not claimed they national leaflets but the general election review might were about to enter Downing Street, let alone done so also examine their quantity. when they were new to the role and no one had heard There are widespread anecdotal accounts of both of them. party activists and members of the public objecting to The claim sounded both foolish and arrogant and (see forests being felled by a supposedly environmentally pages 4-7) tanked when tried out by pollsters. conscious party, such was the vast number of leaflets. Finding out who was responsible and how this No cow comes more sacred than leaflets - indeed the became front and centre of the campaign is something party can seem like membership of a leaflet-delivering the general election review should try to establish - but cult - but the review should question whether it is still judging by the embarrassed silences when anyone is effective to drown voters under reams of paper, even asked it may have some trouble. had the content been any good. The problem with ‘revoke’ was different. It made There should also be questions about the targeting. perfect sense that if there was a Lib Dem majority Was this driven by people who seriously believed the government there would have been such a seismic shift party would win 200 seats? in public opinion on Brexit that ‘revoke’ would be both It became well-known there were 40 target seats possible and popular. - reasonable enough in the political context of last But since no-one in their senses thought there would summer. But a further 40 were in a second tier and be a majority Lib Dem government this argument consuming both financial and human resources. instantly fell apart and the whole thing gave the Another topic for review will be the decision to back impression that the Lib Dems had abandoned support Boris Johnson’s call for a general election, which forced for the entirely justifiable second referendum option. Labour to follow suit. Even the most extravagant internal polling reported One idea is that President Macron would oppose any to parliamentarians suggested 200 Lib Dem seats - Brexit extension beyond October and with insufficient still far short of a majority. MPs backing a second referendum it was worth the Yet with ‘Swinson for PM’ and ‘revoke’ both destroyed gamble of an election or Brexit would happen anyway. within days