The 'we' in question being my party, which has seemingly spent much of the weekend naval gazing over a hypothetical motion that's potentially going to conference at the end of this month, the wording for which we haven't even seen yet. If that isn't peak Lib Dem, I don't know what is.
But seriously, wtf guys?
Of course we should advocate being a member of the EU.
But we should also not make it the only thing we talk about - which unfortunately it felt like it was, pre-general election 2019 (doesn't that feel like a life time ago already?)
We should absolutely be talking about the looming Brexit deadlines, but the danger with that is that it perpetuates the cycle of fear mongering and doom and gloom that has unfortunately characterised our side of the argument. It's a no win situation electorally at the moment, but to give up because of that is honestly cowardly.
I still maintain that there is a positive way to campaign for membership of the EU. Even in these grim times when there is honestly very little to feel positive about. But the window on that is closing, rapidly, as we lose more and more ground to the right, and the far right, who are winning the argument on so much at the moment that it's a wonder we aren't all exhausted into submission.
However, there is a huge chunk of the electorate, or potential electorate, who most major parties are failing to inspire, motivate and engage with. Because for so long the accepted wisdom on the route to victory has been paved by a combination of squeezing voters, getting them to switch, and suppressing them into not voting (this tactic is real although it is the absolute pits and I hate it). Rather than, you know, leading the way on issues, and winning people's actual support. Getting people to vote for you, not against someone or something else. I'm of course talking about the many, many people who either aren't registered to vote, or just don't vote. We should not be accepting this as par of the course if we want a well functioning, inclusive democracy. We should not be content for these people to be left out.
And that's where the chickens have come home to roost. You can only ignore people for so long before they decide to switch off completely, or else suddenly emerge at the polling booth and do something nobody in conventional politics expected. But then we have the nerve to berate them for not voting or for voting the 'wrong' way? We act in a way that makes people think that voting doesn't matter, won't affect change, and then wonder why they don't listen when we tell them their vote matters in terms of keeping us in the EU, or else decide to stick it to us by voting against the perceived establishment?
It amazes me that more people don't see it this way.
And sadly, this whole Lib Dem EU identity debate characterises the hole that I see us falling into already. It's been painful to watch our new leader already dig us into a deeper hole, and to suggest that the topic of EU membership won't be on the agenda by 2024 is combination of capitulating and denial on a scale that I just cannot deal with. Are we really going to sell the futures of younger generations off that easily? All for the sake of maybe winning a handful more seats in 4 years time? No thank you.
Thar's without considering that it's actually the right thing to do, to work with countries who are our neighbours, as part of a formalised arrangement, on matters that concern all of us. Because we are stronger when we work together. It's not a good thing to try and do things alone, especially when the challenges we face are so all consuming - if climate change wasn't enough to convince people of this argument, then surely the current pandemic should be.
But herein lies the problem. Political discourse has become a slanging match. It's about winners and losers, about picking sides and not wanting to lose face by admitting a mistake. Seeing only polarising view points and leaving no room for nuance. And that type of culture has permeated from our political institutions, into the press and the media, and thanks to social media, has now successfully filtered its way to the population at large. Talking about issues is no longer about exploring ideas, learning new information that might challenge perceptions, it's about getting one up on each other. Making us lose sight of the reason why we do all this politics stuff the first place - supposedly to make people's lives better.
You don't win hearts and minds by shouting at people, but you also don't win them by ignoring people, or giving them conflicting and confusing messages. Which is why, if we want any chance of being recognised as the party that all along knew that being members of the EU was a good thing, then we need to not muddy the waters by contorting ourselves into some middle of the ground compromise that will please no-one, and will continue to make us a laughing stock. Very many people don't know what the Liberal Democrats stand for, let's not distance ourselves from the first policy that we've been known for since the abandonment of those 'no tuition fees' pledges.
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