Flickr/Liberal Democrats. Some rights reserved.
Nick Clegg, the outgoing leader of the Liberal Democrats, argued in his resignation letter that ‘the history books will judge our party kindly for the service we sought to provide to the nation at a time of great economic difficulty and for the policies and values which we brought to bear on government – opportunity, fairness and liberty…’ This sentiment was clearly rejected by the electorate as the Lib Dems suffered a swing against them of 15.2%, amounting to a loss of 49 of their 57 seats.
The general explanation for this demolition is convincing. The party abandoned its traditional supporters – students, recent graduates and middle class professionals – in joining the Tory-led coalition government. This explanation leads to a deeper analysis: there is no space for the Lib Dems’ brand of centrism in British politics. And worryingly for whomever the party chooses to be Clegg’s successor, the nature of the new minor parties demonstrate there is little space for the Lib Dems in British politics at all.
