Liberal Vision

Je Suis Germaine

I don’t quite know what happened last week but, one morning, Germaine Greer was the philosophical mother of all Women and Equality Officers in every Student Union across the country and by the evening she was the Abu Hamza of the progressive intelligentsia for not holding the ‘right views.’

The way we live now.

For those of you who don’t know, a petition against Germaine Greer giving a lecture at the University of Cardiff has been started on the basis that she has previously expressed views on transgender women that some people find offensive. It is also worthwhile to note that the lecture she was due to give is on a completely different subject.

I disagree with Germaine Greer on so much I couldn’t write a single blog post on it. I am, however, glad she’s held her ground.

This follows a distrubing trend of only those deemed ‘politically correct’ being allowed to speak at University events. The rate it’s going Laurie Penny and Owen Jones will be the only social commentators deemed fit to address the ‘safe zones’ – perish the thought! What annoys me most, however, is that Germaine Greer is an academic, not a politician nor a hate-preacher, but an actual academic.  If academics with challenging views aren’t allowed to speak at Universities why bother having Universities at all?

Perhaps we should be delighted that Universities are making themselves obsolete. They’ve become Victorian parlour rooms where one must not speak of indelicate things lest the Womens’ Officer gets the Vapours…

Housing Crisis Is Pure Government Failure

It’s only a matter time before one government or the next has no other option but liberalise planning regulations so that more housing can be built. The problems of the UK housing market is not a consequence of foreign buyers or immigration. Even with both of these factors there still wouldn’t have been enough housing. It is pure government failure.

For too long, housing policy has been made on a false assumption that we are running out of green space when only 2% of this country is built on. Initially these regulations were designed to protect the countryside and prevent urban sprawl. Instead the government has pushed commuters further into the countryside.

The government failure of housing regulation was designed to prevent a future *possible* market failure… Government regulation designed to stop something that may never have happened. Real government failure has occured in the name of fending off imagined market failure and a whole generation of Britons will suffer because of policy based on a misconception.

Farron’s Speech Prove The LibDems Haven’t Changed

Everyone seems to have liked Tim Farron’s speech. Sorry to be contrarian but I did not…

I fear Isabel Hardman has made some legitimate points in this op-ed. Here are the quotes she picked from his speech:

“A Labourite is someone who feels profoundly misanthropic and dismisses all apparent acts of altruism as ultimately selfish. They believe some people aren’t worth very much and that it’s best to have a jolly good scrap at every opportunity.”

…

“If you love blaming people and shattering relationships. If you say Britain is best when Britain is splitting up. Then guess what. You’re a Tory!”

…

‘A liberal is someone who looks for the best in people, not the worst. We believe everyone is of equal value and that people always achieve more together than they do when they are at each other’s throats.’

‘If you reject the politics of blame and separation. If you say Britain is best when Britain is together.

‘If you say Britain is best when it is outward looking, modern and inclusive. Then guess what. You’re a liberal. Embrace that diagnosis. It is an utterly decent and British condition.’

Basically – everything *good* is Liberal and everything *bad* is Labour and/or Tory.

Unfortunately, what undermines the whole underlying assumption of this speech are that there are things Liberalism is and things that Liberalism simply is not.

But worse than that is the fact that Tim Farron (or his speechwriters) do not understand why people vote for parties other than the LibDems. Nobody goes into the into the voting booth and says: “Well, I’m a heartless cunt who loves shattering relationships so I’ll vote Tory!” It’s incredibly patronising to voters. Almost as patronising as: “You’ve been brainwashed by Rupert Murdoch, you feckless sheep.”

It’s the type of thinking that leads us to this shit…

Didn’t even work amongst people who got this pop culture reference…

Nobody votes for a party despite the fact that they think they are brainless and/or heartless. If you want to run a successful campaign I strongly recommend not insulting the people you’re trying to win over and consider that they have positive reasons for doing what they do.

Since May the LibDem ‘resurection’ has had a very strange tone. #LibDemFightback? Against whom? It seems to be a fightback against the electorate.

The LibDems should be humbling themselves before the people and taking some time to think about why the electorate don’t trust the LibDems or simply think them irrelevant.

92% irrelevant…

But instead they have taken little responsibility for their election devastation and are still working on assumptions that have been wholly invalidated.

It may also be worth considering why so many people who consider themselves Liberal, don’t automatically think their natural home is in the LibDems. Being for everything good and against everything bad makes you a lot of things but ‘distinct’ isn’t one of them.

When It Comes To Political Style, “Authentic” Is A Bad Idea

So what if he’s a Trot who supports the IRA and cosies up to Hamas?

Jeremy Corbyn is AUTHENTIC!!

Has everyone forgotten that you can be authentic and stylish, well-groomed, and well-tailored?

My Grandfather was as working class as they come and voted Labour all his life. He was born in a council flat, went to work in overalls but his Sunday suit was always clean and smart, his shirt was always ironed, and he was always clean-shaven.

The only reason Jeremy Corbyn can be described as “authentic” is because in this context “authentic” is just hipster speak for something that’s shabby and pseudo-vintage.

In my book being authentically sh*t is definitely worse than trying to not to be sh*t but ending up looking unauthentic.

/rant

Things That Are Not Going To Happen (SDP Edition)

1. Labour MPs are not going to defect enmasse to the LibDems.

• One does not leave Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party because he’s unelectable and improve ones electability by joining the Liberal Democrats.

2. The Labour Party is not going to split.

• And even if it did, so what? It did before and that didn’t hinder the Labour party in any way nor did it thrust the SDP into power…

3. The LibDems are not going to rebrand or restructure.

• After the 55th committee meeting on a night when the moon is full, Sal Brinton will decide that she does not have the authority to do anything because nobody in the LibDems takes responsibility for anything, ever. The LibDems will continue to be woeful guardians of both Social Liberalism and Classical Liberalism alike.