Saturday 5 January 2013

Laws to write manifesto?

“Sources in Westminster” (as they say in the proper newspapers) have informed Liberator of a strong rumour that David Laws is about to be given the job of writing the Liberal Democrats’ 2015 general election manifesto.

Is this what Nick Clegg means by getting his message across? The symbolism of appointing Laws would not be lost on Clegg, given Laws’s notoriety for holding views on economics well to the right of most party members.

The party’s 2011 policy document Facing the Future suggested that the next manifesto was likely to be a rather timid affair (which is why David Boyle and I wrote a more robust alternative). That prospect now seems attractive compared with a document written by Laws.

Meanwhile, it seems that the party is trying to take the credit for Liberator’s leak of the ‘message script’. In today’s edition of the ‘Letter from the Leader’ e-mailed to party members, Nick Clegg writes “We also got a bit of attention after the party’s central message for spokespeople was featured on the BBC.” Is this what they mean by ‘damage limitation’?

Clegg goes on to argue:
There’s nothing unusual about political parties wanting to ensure they get their message across, and our key argument – that the Liberal Democrats are building a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling every person to get on in life – is one that I hope some of you are already starting to recognise.
A good test for the validity of any argument is to ask whether anyone would seriously propose the opposite: “We are building a weaker economy in an unfairer society, preventing every person from getting on in life.” I don’t think so.

POSTSCRIPT: Update here.

1 comment:

  1. The "We are building a weaker economy in an unfairer society, preventing every person from getting on in life.” is almost exactly what this coalition is doing. The only difference is that a few very lucky ones (namely the cabinet & their chums) are doing rather nicely whilst the rest of us can go whistle...

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