Poiltics for Grown Ups

Shirley Williams used to be a senior and well respected figure in the Labour Party until as a original member of the famous 'Gang of Four' she established the SDP (Social Democrat Party) which was relatively successful for a while before merging with the old Liberal Party and forming what is now the Liberal Democrats.

So depending on your point of view, Shirley Williams and her fellow gang members were either responsible for ushering in Margaret Thatcher and 18 unbroken years of Conservative Government - or from saving the Labour Party from itself since during these long years of opposition Labour managed to reinvent itself, first under Neil Kinnock then as New Labour with Tony Blair.

All of which means that Shirley Williams has seen it all in politics and is more able than most perhaps to see the political wood for the trees, as in this case where she completely rejects the notion that ditching Nick Clegg will improve the prospects of the Liberal Democrats between now and the general election in 2015.

As Tony Blair said the other day, the Lib Dems problem is that they fought the 2010 election having positioned themselves to the left of Labour, but having made a pact with the Conservatives they have ended up in a Coalition Government that is well to the right of Labour.  

And there's no real answer to that except being straight with people that the Lib Dems faced a choice and chose to enter government with one their political opponents, which is hardly surprising for a party that believes in PR and the kind of power sharing that goes with the territory under a fairer voting system.

Unless I am missing message something, Shirley Williams appears to be telling her troops to grow up and stop complaining because this is what grown up politics, especially coalition politics, is all about.   


We need Nick Clegg – demanding his resignation is absurd

The Liberal Democrats are lucky to have such an able and committed leader – and one with a lot to be proud of



By Shirley Williams - The Guardian

'Nick Clegg and his colleagues in the coalition have been blamed for many of its actions, even those they privately opposed.' Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Nick Clegg has been a principled, honourable and brave leader of the Liberal Democrats. He has borne criticism, even insult and abuse, with remarkable grace, maintaining a political position based on reason and on strongly held values. Such politicians are rare. It would be absurd to demand his resignation now because some parliamentary candidates think that bowing to a populist anti-Europe campaign would somehow win their seats for them. As for polling in four seats reported today by the Guardian, the survey was conducted throughout April, undermining its credibility – and was clearly commissioned and leaked for political purposes.

Ukip, as Kenneth Clarke pointed out today, won the support of a little over a quarter of those who bothered to vote, more precisely 27% of the 34% who did. It was apathy rather than passionate opposition to the European Union that characterised an election in which so few voted. Ukip supporters are in general older than the population as a whole, and older people are more likely to vote. That may be one reason why Ukip has so few policies that address the problems of the future – climate change, inequality, poverty and lack of education (especially of girls) in large parts of the developing world.

It is also notable that attitudes in the UK towards the EU are changing remarkably. In its recent (May) monthly poll, Ipsos Mori found that 54% of Britons would vote to stay in the European Union if a referendum were held now, compared with 37% who would vote to leave. In November 2012, prior to David Cameron's pledge to hold a referendum were the Conservatives to win the 2015 general election, 44% said they would vote to stay in the EU, while 48% said they would vote to leave.

Nick Clegg and his colleagues who are ministers in the coalition government have been blamed for many of its actions, even those they privately opposed. I was never enthusiastic about a coalition with the Conservatives, but the benefit to the United Kingdom of establishing a stable government at the height of the financial panic that overwhelmed the western world in 2009 and 2010 was and is incalculable.

Significantly, Liberal Democrat contributions to government policy have not been attributed to them or have been neglected in the media. These include taking millions of low-paid people out of income tax, the pupil premium for disadvantaged children in their early years, delivering cash rises in pensions, and creating 1.6m new apprenticeships.

Maybe the Liberal Democrats should have spoken out more loudly about those policies with which they disagreed. I for one believe both the bedroom tax and the ending of the disability living allowance should have been vigorously opposed. In coalition governments elsewhere in the world minority partners make their views widely known. But discussions on such issues are not grounds for walking out or overthrowing able and committed leaders. Tough times require a much more responsible and thoughtful response than that. Nick and the Liberal Democrats will win back lost ground, as they have before, and will win respect for doing so.