- Published
Discontent bubbles not far from the surface as the Liberal Democrats gather for their conference this weekend.
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Democrats → publish → conference
Two years on from their best ever general election result, conversations with those on the party's frontbench, its MPs, and backroom staff reveal a frustration at what many see as a failure to capitalise on that success.
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many → reveal → success
Polling by YouGov in the build up to the conference highlighted the Lib Dems "have seen no real growth in support since the last general election" and if anything have slipped back.
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Dems → highlight → anything
"We lack the ability to say something new or interesting," said one senior Lib Dem MP.
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MP → lack → something
A frontbencher said: "With the possible exception of our position on Trump, you could characterise most of our press lines as 'a Lib Dem spokesperson said, steady on now, gently does it'."
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it → say → lines
Others describe the party's approach as "boring" and are spooked by the rise of the Green Party under Zack Polanski.
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Others → describe → Polanski
They insist this conference will be a "gear shift".
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conference → insist → ?
Daisy Cooper, the deputy leader, told me it would be "a gloves-off kind of conference".
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it → tell → conference
"You'll see a bit of fighting talk," she said.
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she → see → talk
The party's leadership met over the last few months and discussed whether to copy Polanski's punchy, social media-focused style but decided it wouldn't appeal to the well-heeled areas of southern England that form the Lib Dem heartlands.
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that → meet → heartlands
Those involved in that decision point to Polanski's recent struggles and feel vindicated.
But at all levels of the party there is an acknowledgement they lag behind other parties on grabbing attention on social media, highlighted by Andy Burnham's "social first" approach.
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they → point → approach
The party has only recently rolled out training for its MPs on making social videos, something senior figures despair at.
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figures → roll → videos
"When we have a success we're very good at getting a leaflet sent out to supporters straight away," one senior MP said.
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MP → have → supporters
"But we don't do that for socials."
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we → do → socials
Digital and social media will be a focus of at least 17 fringe events at conference, as the party tries to improve its online communications.
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party → try → communications
But others worry that social media is just the medium and the problem is with the message.
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problem → worry → message
'We need to be angry'
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We → need → ?
One MP raised the majority of voters (52% according to YouGov,) who view the party as "weak" in recent polling; and the tendency to say it's unclear what the party stands for (43% believing the party was weak, to 18% thinking it was strong).
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it → raise → %
"We need to become bolder and more radical," a senior MP added.
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MP → need → ?
"We need to be angry on behalf of our constituents."
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We → need → constituents
Another Lib Dem MP said: "We are stuck fighting the guerilla politics of local campaigning.
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We → say → campaigning
There is no broader articulation of what a vision for Liberal Britain is."
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vision → be → Britain
Even those most loyal to Davey admit the party was struggling to offer a clear and coherent message.
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party → admit → message
The Lib Dems' success at the last general election was, the party's own strategists believe, because voters wanted to remove the Conservatives and the Lib Dems benefitted from that anti-Tory sentiment.
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Dems → believe → sentiment
"We haven't yet answered why people should vote for us rather than against the Tories," admitted one senior advisor.
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advisor → answer → Tories
In an election many think could produce a hung parliament with no party in overall majority, the Lib Dem ambition is to be kingmakers to block a Reform government.
"If you're a serious political party you exist to be in government," the same senior adviser said.
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adviser → think → government
Lib Dem strategists are confident they can retain most of the 72 seats they won in 2024.
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they → retain → 2024
Their sights now are on the 27 others where they came second, most of which were won by the Conservatives.
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most → come → Conservatives
The party's leadership characterise the last two years since the general election as "stage one" when a largely new intake of MPs bedded into their constituencies.
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intake → characterise → constituencies
"Stage two is winning the air war and describing exactly what Liberal Britain looks like.
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Britain → win → what
You'll see a lot of that at conference," said Cooper.
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Cooper → see → conference
Of her boss, party leader Sir Ed, she said: "He's not just nice guy Eddie.
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He → say → boss
I think you're going to see him being a bit more gritty because he's a real fighter."
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he → think → ?
She added Davey saw the battle with Reform UK as the "fight of our lives".
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Davey → add → lives
Critics within the party point out that promise of fighting talk to take on Reform UK accompanied the last Lib Dem conference.
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promise → point → conference
Yet little has changed in the party's national standings.
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little → change → standings
There is a sizeable group of Lib Dem MPs, and members of its frontbench, who openly question whether their problem is not with the message, nor the strategy, but with Davey, the leader.
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problem → be → Davey
"I think he's holding us back," said one of the party's spokespeople who is planning a tilt at the leadership if a race is triggered.
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race → think → leadership
"The atmosphere is ripe for a leadership challenge," another MP, talking of the frustrations in the party, said.
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MP → talk → party
"But we don't have a Wes Streeting," they added, referring to Labour's defence secretary whose challenge to Sir Keir Starmer undermined his leadership.
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challenge → have → leadership
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
