Liberal Democrats: a vision for society

The Lib Dems have succeeded in introducting socially just measures and protecting civil liberties, even with a hostile coalition partner, argues Graham Colley

In the run up to the May general election, SJ will run a series of articles featuring legal practitioners in support of their chosen party

'Stronger Economy. Fairer Society. Opportunity for Everyone' is not just the slogan that appears with the Lib Dem bird of liberty logo: it flows from the vision that Liberal Democrats have for society.

Liberal Democrats are guided by a vision of social liberalism. Lib Dems believe in liberty, but know that if liberty is to be enjoyed, the background conditions of social justice (sufficient education, wealth, health, and so on) must exist. The liberties of others must also be respected, as must the rights of groups, multiculturalism, freedom of information, internationalism and sustainability.

Stable economy

Before looking to May's general election, one has to remember the sense of foreboding of economic disaster that existed in 2010. The banking crash and the excesses of the credit boom and public expenditure explosion of the Blair years were all too apparent.

In 2010, instead of going into a coalition, Liberal Democrats could have sat back and criticised from the sidelines, as an unstable minority government of Tory or Labour suffered at the hands of the markets.

The Conservatives were not natural partners. Lib Dems also knew that junior coalition partners never get the credit and usually get punished by the voters. They needed only to look to the fate of the Free Democratic Party in Germany or the 'Lib-Lab pact' of the late 1970s.

But, an unstable government would have caused lack of confidence and higher interest rates. Liberal Democrats went into the coalition not because it was popular but because it was right.

By entering the coalition, Lib Dems provided the necessary stability to allow the British economy to come through perhaps its worst ever crisis. Few would have thought that, over the lifetime of the coalition, the economy would begin producing such positive results, with Britain being at the forefront of the international growth league.

Social justice

A junior coalition partner cannot 'rule the roost'. Lib Dems have, however, had a remarkable number of successes in introducing socially just measures. Lib Dems have put vision into practice, which has often been recognised by exciting the antipathy of the Tory right. Among the Liberal Democrats' successes are:

• concentrating on the needs of the very young and achieving advances in free childcare, nursery education, free school meals and the pupil premium;
• encouraging a massive expansion in apprenticeships - 2 million in this parliament;
• fighting the Conservatives to deliver tax cuts worth £825 each to more than 26 million people by raising the personal tax allowance to £10,600, and lifting more than 3 million people out of paying tax altogether;
• Lib Dem pensions minister Steve Webb has brought in the most fundamental reforms to pensions in a generation. In addition, the guarantee of the 'triple lock' ensures the state pension rises each year by whichever is the higher of earnings, prices, or 2.5 per cent; and,
• Lib Dem environment minister Ed Davey worked to ensure the environment stayed at the top of the agenda, including doubling offshore wind electricity, even though it was not a Conservative priority.

There was no manual for a coalition government in Britain, and certainly mistakes have
been made. To put the coalition agreement on student funding above the election pledge was
a political mistake for which
Lib Dems have paid the price. Notwithstanding that the new student finance settlement is better for many, especially the poorest, the fact is that a pledge was broken.

As chair of the Lib Dem Lawyers, I have often felt that I have been in constant opposition to Chris Grayling's Ministry
of Justice and the devastation
of legal aid, translation and probation service changes, 'secret courts', and the attacks on judicial review.

However, Liberal Democrats have led on successes in civil liberties:

• abolishing Labour's ID cards;
• destroying the national identity register;
• abolishing control orders; and
• allowing innocent people to have their records deleted from the national DNA database.

Had it not been for the Lib
Dems, the Conservatives would undoubtedly have repealed the Human Rights Act.

So, why should solicitors and SJ readers vote Lib Dem (rather than giving them a kicking)?

• Lib Dems approach politics from a philosophy - social liberalism - rather than from what the spin doctors or PR people think is vote catching;
• Labour cannot be trusted on the economy and the Conservatives cannot be trusted to build a fairer society. Liberal Democrats have shown that they can control the excesses of the Conservatives and they are prepared to take the tough economic decisions that Labour would avoid; and,
• Lib Dems have shown they can bring in policies which reflect their liberal concerns, even with a hostile coalition partner. If part of another government, Lib Dems will seek to continue to work towards their vision of a 'stronger economy, fairer society, with opportunity for all'. SJ

Graham Colley is chair of the Liberal Democrat Lawyers Association

@GrahamColley