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 have put vision into practice, which has often been by exciting the antipathy of the Tory right. Among the Liberal Democrats' successes are: