Rebels agree something should happen, preferably after somebody else organises it
LONDON - Ed Davey's position as Liberal Democrat leader has survived an anticipated confrontation after colleagues found out a leadership challenge needs somebody to challenge the leadership. The party's internal temperature briefly rose to the level of a moderately disappointing cup of tea before returning to its usual setting of concerned room temperature.
Lib Dem leadership crisis: what happened at the MPs' meeting
Reporting on a lengthy meeting of MPs, including ITV News on the marathon session, describes complaints without a formal challenge. Daisy Cooper rejected the challenge claims and insisted MPs were behind Ed. Among the underlying tensions are questions about political identity and the party's efforts to keep former Conservative voters. The resulting crisis has left rebels trying to explain whether their objection is that Davey has no clear message or that some of his messages are clear enough to upset them.
The revolt opened with agreement that things couldn't continue as they were. This was followed by a careful discussion of all the reasons they probably would. Several members reportedly pulled off the difficult parliamentary manoeuvre of demanding urgency while naming no action suitable for urgent execution.
A rebel organiser described the gathering as a significant demonstration of feeling. Asked what feeling, he said it was hard to summarise without losing nuance. Asked whether the feeling required a change of leader, he said the group should avoid being pushed into premature definitions.
The revolution will be minuted
Participants agreed the party needed to be bolder. A proposal to say exactly what it believed was referred for further consideration because it might alienate people who preferred to believe something else. Members stressed that attracting a broad coalition of voters was essential, particularly voters who hadn't yet noticed the coalition disagreed with itself. The Liberal Democrats have published plenty of policy; the difficulty is choosing which of it to mention.
Lib Dems and tax: can a tax cut avoid sounding like one?
The tax debate has proved especially delicate. Offering voters lower taxes can be popular with voters, but it creates difficulties for activists who regard popularity won by such methods as ideologically suspicious. The party is now examining whether households could keep more of their income in a manner that feels less like a tax cut.
One campaign strategist proposed calling it a targeted liberation of personal spending capacity. Another worried this sounded too liberal. A third said the word targeted might alarm people who weren't eligible. The meeting agreed to ask residents what terminology would make them most comfortable receiving their own money.
The question of a successor brought further complications. Some potential candidates have ambition, some experience and some the ability to avoid being discussed during an unsuccessful leadership challenge. Finding one person with the desired combination has proved harder than identifying imperfections in the existing leader.
A veteran member said leadership contests could be invigorating but warned that participants might be asked what they would actually do differently. "It's easy to say the party needs a new direction," she explained. "The difficulties begin when somebody produces a map."
The electorate has followed events with the attention normally given to a neighbour reorganising his shed. Residents understand it matters deeply to the people involved and are prepared to acknowledge progress if approached outside a supermarket, but haven't gone as far as rearranging their evening around developments.
What Davey's survival means for other party leaders
Davey's survival nevertheless offers a lesson for other political leaders. A dissatisfied organisation isn't necessarily a rebellious one. Complaining is available immediately, can be done while seated and carries no responsibility for what happens next. Replacing a leader brings paperwork and the risk of finding the replacement also has colleagues. Anyone curious how a challenge actually works can start with Parliament's own guides, though party rules sit elsewhere.
Party officials remain determined that internal discussion should produce a stronger public identity. An eventual position is expected to satisfy former Conservatives, committed liberals, tactical voters and members who dislike whichever policy has just appealed to one of those groups.
The rebels left Westminster promising continued vigilance. Their next meeting will consider whether the previous meeting went far enough. Davey remains in office, protected by the formidable constitutional barrier between believing somebody should do something and volunteering to become that somebody.
Five Humorous Observations
- A leadership challenge needs someone to challenge the leadership. That's the problem. It's like a mutiny where everyone's saying, I think the captain should go, and then nobody wants to touch the wheel. They just stand there in a corridor, whispering, with lanyards.
- The rebel said the meeting was a significant demonstration of feeling. What feeling? Hard to summarise. Does it require a change of leader? Let's not rush to definitions. That's not a rebellion. That's a man ordering at a restaurant.
- They want to cut taxes without it feeling like a tax cut. You know what that is? That's a diet where you eat the cake but you don't look at it. Just give people their own money. Don't call it a targeted liberation of personal spending capacity. That sounds like a toilet.
- The difficulties begin when somebody produces a map. That's it. That's the whole of politics. Everybody's got a feeling, nobody's got a map, and the one guy with a map is a nightmare because he wants to leave on time.
- The country's paying this the attention of a man watching his neighbour rebuild a shed. Yeah, it's important to him. Good luck, Brian. Is there a cup of tea in it? No? Then I'm doing the washing up.
This disclaimer survived a challenge nobody launched. Scenes and remarks attributed to Liberal Democrat MPs are comic exaggeration of real reporting on the party meeting, not anything Ed Davey or his colleagues actually said. For more political satire, please organise it yourself. https://prat.uk/?p=53854
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