Local elections (part ii)

[caramel_betty]

Following on from my post of a few days ago, there is a wider problem with the Lib Dems. As a party, we are totally abysmal at getting messages across to the public when you scale up to a regional or national level. This is a cause of problems in the coalition, and being compounded by the coalition

Comments

[amuchmoreexotic]

You're writing like it's still a matter of media strategy and presentation, rather than political action. I don't necessarily blame the Lib Dems for striking a compromise deal to get more influence - but now it's become clear that the Tories want to push through a lot of far-right policy that wasn't in their manifesto ('reforming' away the NHS for the benefit of private-sector rent seekers, using the deficit as an excuse for kicking the little people even as they hand out tax cuts to corporations), the only decent option left for them is to push the button and blow apart the coalition

[caramel_betty]

It's not a question of media strategy being able to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Absolutely, the choice of policies needs to be right - be it coalition or not, health service changes or not, tuition fee changes or not

[amuchmoreexotic]

Sure, they need to come up with a good media strategy for when they blow up the coalition, but the problems they have at the moment are mainly down to what they've done, not how they've presented it.

I think a good strategy would just be to say that they've realised the Tory plans are too dangerous and extreme, and they can't work with them any more. Maybe they could actually cite the impact on single mothers and nurses and firefighters, rather than trying to "drive the debate" past them. Coupled with Clegg apologising and resigning, that strategy might give the Lib Dems a chance to get back in power sometime this century.

[tyrell]

"compromise is not betrayal"

Except it is, when the Tory policies are this extreme.

Liberal voters see Tory policy as toxic. Let's say it's at +100% on a scale. A compromise which lets a modified NHS platform through which is only 70% toxic, or 50%, is still too much for Liberal voters. They need 0% before they stop being scared and angry. They want -100% out the other side before they'll feel that the Lib Dems have implemented a Liberal policy.

So they can't win. The *perception* will always be that any compromise has enabled an illiberal law (which it has). The LDs only stop being partly responsible for it if they vote against everything and loudly proclaim the principles their voters want them to promote.

We don't need non-ministerial LibDems communicating ideals. We need ministerial LibDems being seen to implement ideals in defiance of Tory policy, or they will never be trusted or voted for again.