High Peak Liberal Democrats

When Canadian Liberals dealt with big defeat: merger, a new party or something else.

After becoming Leader of the Liberal Party in Canada, Justin Trudeau wrote an autobiography "Common Ground". The early chapters cover his life as the son of a Prime Minister, then his career as a bouncer, ski instructor and high school teacher. The book moves on to how he became a non-party political activist, then a Liberal candidate and (by just a few hundred votes) an MP in 2008, then party leader in 2013.

To me, a very interesting part of the book is that which deals with events after 2011.

In 2000 the Liberal Party was in government with 172 seats. They fell to just 34 seats and third place by 2011. He says about that:

Some blamed the Conservatives' negative attack ads… many were convinced [defeat] was the result of [the Liberal Party's] leadership. The truth was a lot more difficult and painful to face: [the voters] gave the Liberal Party the drubbing it had earned.

In power… the party had become focussed on itself rather than on [people] who supported it, elected it and faith in it.

After the election Trudeau and like-minded MPs, candidates and activists held a 3-day retreat to discuss what to do next.

He freely admits that merger between the Liberals and the NDP (Canada's Labour Party, who had come second in the election) was seriously considered. Such a move was endorsed by former Liberal Prime Ministers and former NDP leaders. Some said it was the only way to beat the Tories under first-past-the-post.

They also considered starting a completely new party without negative baggage associated with the Liberals. Trudeau writes:

Was the Liberal Party in the way? Did our continued existence perpetuate Conservative rule and therefore imperil much of what [we] had fought for?

A hard pragmatic view led to the conclusion that a brand new party could not build the infrastructure to win the next election. He and his colleagues would instead fight for leadership of the Liberal Party and reform it - a project which was ultimately successful in Trudeau becoming Prime Minister at the next election.

The key point is that the group were not focussed on tribal loyalty to the Liberal Party as an end itself. Trudeau argues that a self-centred attitude within the party is what had led to its downfall. The party's focus had to be on the public not on the party.

If we were going to win back their trust, we were going to have to earn it. We had to prove we were in it for the. We needed a new mission, new ideas and new people. The first step was to refocus the party's mission where it belongs: on the needs, hopes and dreams of ordinary people.

The "something else", once merger or a new party is rejected, is focussing on voters. Looking out instead of in, reconnecting party and public.

"Common Ground" is a book to add to your summer reading list.

* Antony Hook was #2 on the South East European list in 2014, is the English Party's representative on the Federal Executive and produces this sites EU Referendum Roundup.

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