Will the real liberals please stand up?
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 
I would like to say that Nick Clegg's election as leader of the Liberal Democrats is good news for those of a genuinely liberal persuasion. I would like to say it ... but the jury is most definitely out.
It's all very well for Clegg to say that he wants his election to mark the "beginning of Britain's liberal future", or that he wants to attract those voters who share liberal values but do not currently vote for the party, but the reality is rather different.
In the real world Clegg came remarkably close to losing a leadership contest he was originally odds on to win. His rival Chris Huhne won a moral victory and while they were battling it out acting leader Vince Cable stole their thunder and is now, despite his age, a clear leader in waiting.
All this is going to have a serious impact on how far Clegg can change the culture of a party which is no more liberal than New Labour. Denied an overwhelming mandate for root and branch reform of Liberal policies, Clegg will almost certainly be forced to adopt a less radical (ie less liberal) approach.
In the meantime, the Lib Dem leader is welcome to borrow Forest's new slogan, "Will the real liberals please stand up?" Watch this space.
Reader Comments (9)
I voted Liberal for 30 years. But when nearly every single Liberal MP (55 out of 58) voted for the smoking ban, I'd had enough. Whatever these people are, they're not liberals. They clearly don't believe in personal liberty. And Nick Clegg voted for the ban too.
So to hell with them. I'm not going to vote for them again.
By contrast a majority (94 out of 175) Conservatives voted against the ban. Clearly Tory MPs are more liberal than supposed Liberals.
source
Yeah, couldn't agree more Idlex. Also come from a traditional Liberal family and to-day's lot are a waste of space. Had to laugh at Clegg's speech, you know: "we shall break the two party mold etc. etc".
They might, of course, be able to attract voters if they did decide to be liberal, but we are dreaming for this lot are on another one way trip to the wilderness.
They are all hot air and b*ll**ks.
(Secret confession: was once a Young Liberal. It was a long time ago...Long, long ago...)
A wee bird told me that Nick holds no truck with the SHS crapola.
Now, if we can get him to say that on national TV, he may just attract the baccy vote.
My inspiration with much of life comes from the Bible."Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
Simon - I agree, there is nothing "liberal" about the Liberal Democrats or democractic for that matter.
We need less legislation from government and more enforcement of existing laws. It is the old adage - we need more quality laws than the vast quantity passed by New Labour in the past decade - over 3,000 new criminal acts. It is amazing that a least half the UK population have not been criminalised, fined or imprisoned by now. Fewer MPs would not go amiss either.
If Colin's source is correct, then why did Calamity vote for the ban? Was he just thinking of his own career-prospects and not wanting to rock the boat etc.? Shows a decided lack of backbone to me if that's the case. I note from theyworkforyou.wotsit that he's never rebelled against the party line on anything.
He's inexperienced, has already shown that he's out of touch with his own generation [ claiming never to have heard Nation's Fave Chrimbo Ditty Fairytale of NY] and that he can't think on his feet very well. And what blind faith in the editorial judgements of the Beeb! "Oh, well, I guess if the BBC saw fit to censor the song then they must have had good reason".
"Liberal". Huh. I don't hold out much hope of Calamity coming to save us from straightjacketed conformity to the norms as determined by experts at the IPPR.
It's nannying careerist telegenic twits like him who caused this [historically] wet-lettuce liberal to go Tory for the first time at the last GE. Trouble is, now the Tories have Dave and he's given up the Marlborough Lights in favour of trying to be Blair-lite, I'm not counting my chickens there either. I do accept that Tories tend to have more liberal instincts than the so-called "Liberal Democrats", but no major party's gonna be brave enough to challenge 50 years worth of embedded propaganda against the enjoyment of tobacco, and on behalf of a minority who have gotten so used to being bullied and infantalised by those we elect to represent us that it is considered we'll just lie down and take whatever they throw at us next.
Like prison for using a moby at the wheel... Aaaaargh! Are these people completely insane? [Rhetorickle question, ho hum] Because we all know where that little wheeze is gonna go next now, don't we?
My thoughts as well, Basil, when I heard about it on the news. They'll be jamming networks squawking that if they can't use their mobiles then... fill in the blanks!
I am a regular poster on here and I am the source.Basil. It is sincere. I think you can email from here and if you put your telephone number I am happy to go into detail over the phone but not on a public forum.
ETTG,
Thanks. I've stored your contact details and taken them down from my blog to protect your privacy. I'll be in touch very soon... maybe after the weekend though, as I'm doing a heady round of Chrimbo gigs until Monday.
Fairytale of New York's proving very popular at the mo. :-)