Is the Party over?

Over the last few days a number of commentators have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that Osborne’s budget was regressive, attacked the poorest sector of our society and is destined to force another 1 million people out of work. All this at a time when this country is still reeling from the effects of a banker induced recession.

It wasn’t the fault of the poor, the single parents, the people in social housing, students or the low paid that this country went into recession. Nor was it their fault that the structural deficit is now so high. Yet, with typical Tory ambivalence, Osborne has targeted the weakest sectors of society to pay for the indulgences and mistakes of the richest.

And where are the Lib Dems? Apparently nowhere. Last week Simon Hughes indicated that some Liberals would table amendments to the budget to make it fairer – unfortunately, he has now tried to back pedal from this and looks likely to now toe the line. I recently read in Pat McFadden’s blog the following, and I attach it here purely because it describes what is happening so correctly.

The picture of Simon Hughes issuing warnings about the future reminds me of that Monty Python sketch where the knight is having his arms and legs chopped off and after being rendered limbless says something along the lines of , “right, any more of this and I’m going to get really annoyed”.

So where are the Liberals these days? What has happened to their supposed radicalism? Was it really so easily bought? Sixteen years ago the Libs were call for £10 million to be pruned off the civil list; today they support the Conservatives and keep it intact. In the post war years the Liberals called for greater levels of industrial democracy and compulsory profit sharing; but in the budget their direction changed – away from workers and towards the bosses. No doubt their iincrease of the threshold of £2m on which capitalists will pay just 10% capital gains tax, instead of the main rate of 18% was undoubtedly well received by the fat cats in the City.

Remember, this is the party that over the years has fought for penal reform, legalising cannabis, an end to student loans and local taxes. If the Liberal Democrats ever had any ounce of radicalism in their soul (and this now has to be questioned) it died the moment they signed the coalition agreement. Now all we have is real Tories and wannabe Tories ... and sooner or later we will see the two parties either amalgamate, or large numbers of Libs leaving to join their natural home in the Conservative party. The few left will either join Labour or try and sit in the centre ground under the still struggling Liberal party.

Evidence for this was apparent from Ed Miliband’s YouGov survey which now shows only 16% of the electorate support Clegg and his followers. Over the coming months, as the cuts start to bite this downward trend is certain to continue and bring about their demise.

As someone who started their political life in the old Liberal party and then moved to Labour, I will not mourn them.