On a local level, they are generally no worse than Labour Councillors - and sometimes rather better.
The problem is mainly on the national
scene.
The Liberal Democrats have long enjoyed,
and taken full advantage of, the misapprehensions found in large portions of the
electorate that they are the 'middle ground' between tories and Labour. They
never correct anyone who believes this deceit.
(This was perhaps last true in the days
of the old Liberal Party under the leadership of Jo Grimond in the 50s and
60s.)
No. Today, the Lib Dems are a leftwing
party - 'extreme soft left' if that makes sense - which means that they can even
outdo most Labourites in terms of political correctness.
I am convinced from the voters I have
talked to who have voted for this party that the majority of these have precious
little grasp of what the party actually represents.
Most would certainly disagree with them
on the majority of issues if they had bothered to find out what exactly they
were voting for.
Such voters are easily detached from
loyalty just by showing them what they have voted for.
The real Lib Dems know
precisely what the party's agenda is. It is far more leftwing than the average
British voter can easily take and is similar to the more leftist elements found
amongst the American Democrats.
This is a PC kind of leftiness and has
little in common with the political movements and objectives of the working man.
There's the rub!
When supporters of this type fall out
with their party, they are far more likely to defect to the near stalinism of
the Green Party - although some will move to Labour when it seems a better
anti-tory gesture.
So. Who are these Liberal Democrats (so-called)?
They largely consist of actors,
academics, ivory tower dwellers, bureaucrats, artists, government employees who
do not have to encounter the real world, intellectuals, the liberal elite, the
'soft' professions, and liberal christians. They also include many of the
'chattering classes' of Kensington and Chelsea.
Dave Cameron is one of these but in
fairness to him, he perhaps possesses a tiny amount more sense of fiscal
responsibility.
In sheer numbers, real Lib Dems are
not massively common - but they do wield a social power way beyond the impact of
their basic support because of the 'shared vision' with many significant others
in the LibLabCon.
So, which ordinary voters do
they actually represent?
A VERY good question for which I have no
answer whatsoever!
