by Elliot Keck, head of campaigns
Sir Ed Davey represents the worst of British politics. Before you accuse me of hyperbole, let me expand. He’s not a fascist, or a communist - the two extreme ends of the political spectrum which were responsible for the mass slaughter of millions in the 20th century. He seems like a decent chap, in fact.
But fascism and communism are not serious forces in British politics, fortunately. Instead, what we’ve been subjected to for years is a form of meek centrism which has put the nation on a precipice. What I mean by “meek” is not in the demeanour, or rhetoric of the politician. Instead I’m referring to the policy approach, which seeks to avoid at all costs difficult, unpopular decisions. A disavowal of trade-offs. It’s not to dismiss centrism out of hand. A brand of politics which seeks serious and, where necessary, radical solutions to the country’s problems from both ends of the spectrum could be defined as centrism.
The Lib Dems are the model of the former. In a rambling, incoherent speech, their leader was able to produce absolutely nothing of substance. There were conspiracies about how much coverage different parties get from the media, and endless attacks on their political opponents. Forceful in rhetoric, yes, but completely devoid of a serious contemplation of the trade-offs the country faces.
It revealed the bankruptcy at the heart of this brand of politics. With the economy at breaking point, the policy agenda the Lib Dems are attached to is no longer viable. It relies essentially on the ability to avoid difficult decisions. You can keep pumping money into services without reform, while relying on growth to deliver the revenues you need to avoid major tax rises. The good nature of the British people will mean that you don’t need to worry about immigration. Renewable energy will mean both an end to nasty fossil fuels and also lower energy bills. A meek centrism, or best-of-both-worldsism.
This has all come crashing down. We are clearly moving towards the laffer curve, the point at which higher taxes do not lead to more revenue, alarmingly quickly. Even worse, borrowing costs are pointing to a major fiscal crisis coming down the tracks. Inflation is picking up, yet growth is stagnant. Renewable energy is much, much more expensive. Immigration is threatening the social fabric, and the survival of our liberal democracy.
That’s how to explain Davey’s speech. He knows he has no answers. Lib Dems know they have no answers. They would like to spend more money, but have no proposals on reforms to the tax system that would do this without crippling the economy. They would like cheaper energy bills, but have no interest in abandoning the dogma of net zero. They would like their cuddly, liberal, high trust country, the one defined by cricket pavilions, village greens and fish and chip shops. Yet they have nothing to say on the mass migration that threatens to irreparably alter that ideal.
All they have is their endless whingeing about the mean bullies that threaten our way of life. The Elon Musks, Nigel Farages, Donald Trumps. The fact that Ed Davey used most of his speech to drone on about the mainstream media on the one hand, and to promote absurd conspiracy theories about his political opponents on the other hand, is a delicious irony given that is precisely what he loves to accuse Trump and friends of doing.
The truth is the country is in need of radical solutions, on issues including immigration, energy, the economy and of course tax. That doesn’t mean you can’t, for example, critique the proposals as they come up - whether it’s Reform UK’s plans for indefinite leave to remain, or the Tory plans on energy. But if your answer is the meek centrism espoused by Ed Davey and the Lib Dems, then let someone else take the stage. We cannot afford to waste time anymore.