Jonathan Todd

That the Liberal Democrats are in a very different position is not in doubt. I think they’ve figured this out for themselves. Labour people don’t need to remind them that not only are they in government with the Conservatives but that this creates a risk of them splitting in some way. Defections of Liberal Democrat MPs and voters to Labour could be part of this mix. But the best way for Labour to encourage this is to concentrate on publicly putting forward the most impressive and progressive alternative programme for government possible and privately launching a Liberal Democrat charm offensive. To rub the noses of the Liberal Democrats in their difficulties is just to come across as crass and unlikely to build the confidence necessary for them to cross the floor.    

Jon Cruddas addresses these issues in his New Statesman interview:

“I think it’s a mistake to attack the Liberals. We should have a much more subtle approach to this, because what we’re seeing is the first major political realignment following the economic crisis. The question is: what is the equivalent centre-left response to this moment of rupture? Attacking the Liberals is wrong. There’s a danger of us spraying too much lead across the forecourt and not really thinking about how we need to regroup. We need to have respect for and show courtesy towards different traditions as part of an overall, plural realignment across the centre and the left – that’s what’s going to be needed. Arguably, the era of majoritarian [sic] victories by single parties is at an end.”

The Conservatives are, however, a different beast. There should be no limit to how much lead we seek to fire across their forecourt. We should be unrelenting in our opposition to them. While Jackie Ashley is right that Labour appears tone deaf when we are too blunt in our attacks upon the Liberal Democrats, the kind of passion which Ed Balls, in particular, has shown in opposing his opposite number, Michael “pipsqueak” Gove, is entirely justified. The more of this we can summon up the more likely it is that the threat which the Conservatives pose to the NHS, schools and all public services will get through to people.