Towards a party of government? 2008–10

Abstract

From the beginning of his period as Leader, Nick Clegg sought to downplay the division within the Liberal Democrats between ‘social liberals’ and ‘economic liberals’. However, policies such as channelling savings from public spending into tax cuts suggested that he was more inclined towards the latter. In an effort to achieve balance, the Party created a new think-tank, the Social Liberal Forum, which recognised the valid role of the State as an enabler of individual freedom, though it still found room for criticism. Clegg himself, in a pamphlet titled The Liberal Moment, attacked Labour’s State-driven approach as ‘fundamentally flawed’ and highlighted recent infringements in civil liberties. The Liberal Democrats did well in local elections throughout 2008 and 2009. When Gordon Brown finally called a general election for 2010, the Party built its manifesto around the theme of ‘fairness’, including ‘fair taxes’ and ‘a fair chance for every child’. They also pledged to phase out university tuition fees. Clegg’s performance in the first televised Party Leaders’ debates was strong, and the Liberal Democrats ultimately won 57 seats, with 23.6 per cent of the total vote.