Being invited to submit a post to the aggregate blog of a political party is like being a cuckoo receiving an invitation by carrier pigeon to rest in a nest normally occupied by hungry, chirping chicks. But since Ben Lloyd and Ali Goldsworthy have been so generous in contributing articles to WalesHome this week, blogging for Freedom Central is an offer it would have been churlish to refuse. As Ali wrote on Tuesday, Lib Dems “support the freedom of the individual, it’s why we trust that they will make the right decisions.” In that spirit, I hope my decision to contribute a post to Freedom Central is the right one.
WalesHome has published several articles on the Lib Dems this week. We also covered the Plaid conference, and will publish articles on Labour from tomorrow onward and then on the Conservatives the following week. Last Friday I kicked things off when I wrote this piece which took a somewhat revisionist tone on the prospects of the Lib Dems in Wales.
“Despite the calamity of the European election this year, the Welsh Lib Dems have an opportunity to prove whether they can really motor forward. In 2010 they should be judged not just on whether they hold their current four seats or whether new targets like Swansea West and Newport East fall to them; but also on whether they can further boost the total number of Welsh electors voting for them. Beyond this, in 2011 they also need to make several Assembly gains and get close to if not beyond the double figure which has remained a paper goal until now.”
“Don’t assume the Lib Dems are irrelevant in Wales. And don’t judge Kirsty Williams on this year’s Euro Election result. Give her two years and two elections to show what she and her party can do. She may just surprise you with a result that’s a lot more credible than the very edge of what’s possible.”
Having said that, I’m not sure that the conference this week has helped the Liberal Democrats make any real breakthrough in Wales. To be frank, perhaps the best bit about the conference was the additional profile it provided to party leader Nick Clegg. Without a doubt it was his conference. Every day his prominence was assured, culminating in a speech on Wednesday which seemed to tick the right boxes for the party faithful. His performance was uncontrived and personable, even if it did not make the hairs on the back of your neck rise. Ali speculated on WalesHome that Clegg had several challenges to convey in his keynote address. She reflected that:
“Honesty and integrity in our policies and our politics is another plank of Nick’s speech we hope to see tomorrow.”
My assessment would be that he did manage this in his speech, even though some other reviews are comedically less flattering. It is always a difficult act to pull off a crowd pleaser to the audience while also speaking to the country at large, but Clegg achieved this balancing act. There was no moment of blinding oratory, but it was strong on substance, marking out the Lib Dem style of politics. Even more, I liked the balance in the speech, with the focus kept on their own policies and vision rather than devoting too much of the speech to knocking their opponents.
Yet there were downsides to the conference too. The clarity with which the party was able to articulate its policy on raising income tax threshold to £10,000 was not matched by other key announcements. Despite Peter Black’s attempts at clarification I am a lot more confused today than I was a week ago about the Lib Dem policy on tuition fees. Similarly, as Betsan recorded from Conference, the party also fudged the way it unveiled its new million pound tax. And don’t even get me started on the St Athan and Airbus announcements that Vince Cable made before the conference even began.
So at the end of the Lib Dem sojourn I feel I know Nick Clegg a lot better. But I feel like I know a lot less about what the Lib Dem are really proposing and – most particularly – how those policies would be implemented in Wales. That is quite surprise from a federal party that usually has detailed answers on policy divergence in different parts of the UK. Unless there’s a lot more clarity of purpose, then the party will not get anywhere near “the edge of what’s possible.
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Daran, a cuckoo is the wrong analogue. A cuckoo in the nest would throw out all those noisy chicks, and I know you are too much of a democrat to do that!
You can surely forgive the federal party for playing it (fairly) safe at the Bournemouth in advance of a general election. Because so many of the resolutions reaffirmed existing policy, the media concentrated on personalities, even though that policy is distinct from the two conservative parties in so many respects.
I would disagree on one point: Nick Clegg was not the only leading figure to have his profile raised. Vince Cable also had his standing enhanced. If the worst that our enemies can say about him is that he wasn’t the first person to warn about the financial meltdown, then he will be our trump card at the election.
Frank if you think Vince Cable came away with his reputation enhanced I would hate to see what you think is a damaging week for him. He has been totally undermined by his own party. There is no doubt this was a bad conference for the lib dems but it was a terrible conference for Vince personally.
Fair play to you for posting Darrens thoughts which whilst in part are negative of the conference are fair refelction i think.