Them Ole Liberal Democrat Blues.

It seems rather unimaginative to be dragging up the Lib Dems again but, they are a lot like an itch that needs scratching or anointing with Anusol, so here we go.

On the topic de nos jours the party used a subtle catch phrase for the European elections, ‘Bollocks to Brexit’, in case you didn’t know. It was memorable, even catchy but cheap, worthy of The Donald himself.

Its sentiment was and is also massively divisive at a time when the country needs encouraging to come together.

However, it received praise for being ‘clear’, which is apparently all a party needs to be in these times of the short attention span. Having a policy or idea that takes no more than 10 seconds to express is good enough for many people it seems.

To be fair to the Lib Divs they are not the only party to make use of snappy phrases, although theirs was the only obviously vulgar one, and some have more substance despite their memorability. ‘For the Many not the Few’, encapsulates a political philosophy succinctly and memorably. To hear Iain Dale, a smartarse conservative commentator, describe it as ‘vacuous’ on television, also in May, was rather disgusting, especially from a person partly notable for having a police caution after he ‘tackled a protester to the ground’ when the old man tried to upstage Dale’s book promotion.

Lib Ds are only doing what political parties do but their smug morality hides their deceitful hypocrisy. They see their commitment to remaining in the EU as their Unique Selling Point, even though it isn’t unique at all, being shared by at least 3 to 4 other parties. The desperate cleaving to this particular has-been party, by people who believe that it’s ‘Remain’ or nothing, is only because the others are nation-specific (SNP, Plaid Cymru), nice’ish but with no real chance (Greens) or useless (TIGS or some similar name).

This is cynical opportunism, no more, offering no real change for the country. The Lib Fibs are wedded to the neo-liberal policies which have been the basis of EU politics for the last decade and more and have led to the austerity riven country that we have now. A change of political outlook is needed, in or out of the EU.

This change is not offered by the LDs whoever they choose as their next leader to follow the supreme hypocrite Vince Cable. We have on offer Jo Swinson and Ed Davey, an unsavoury pair to be sure:

Jo Swinson

* When a coalition government minister, voted 849 times with the Tory whip, the 8th highest score amongst both LD and Tory ministers and ahead of luminaries such as M Gove and J Hunt.

* Said, on the Andrew Marr programme, that “we did need to make cuts.” In other words the policy of austerity was the right one despite even the IMF(?) now saying it wasn’t.

* Backed the erection of a statue to Margaret Thatcher.

Ed Davey

* When a coalition government minister, voted 832 times with the Tory whip , the 9th highest score amongst both LD and Tory ministers.

* Now castigates the Tories for their ‘hostile environment’ policy but voted for the very bill that led to this in 2014.

* Often made the case for free markets first as business and then energy minister. He was a contributor to the ‘Orange Book’, which sets out ‘liberal solutions’ to societal issues often stressing the role of choice and competition, that is, the ‘solutions’ that have led to the state the country is in now.

As for Shropshire…

Back in the day, we had The Singing Nun, The Singing Detective and the Singing Postman and now the lucky people of Bishop’s Castle have The Singing Councillor, aka Jonny Keely with his campaign song ‘Hev Yew Gotta Vote, Boy?’, to be heard again in 2021 no doubt. Personal experience has revealed JK to be unreliable in keeping his promises of following up issues or even returning emails. His profile in local papers via letters and so on is, for someone supposedly representing the populace, very low.

This cannot be said of Andy Boddington who communicates with his Ludlow flock – baaa! - on an all too regular basis especially via his blog. Much of what he covers, such as planning issues, is of interest and, often, importance.

Sadly, Mr. B also has a Pavlovian reaction to passing bandwagons. A recent one being climate change and conservation, this last in the shape of a protest about the netting of hedge to keep out birds.

I’m sure that the Green Party welcomed his efforts on this topic in the Council Chamber but might be wondering why it took him so long to wake up to the subject. Could this be something to do with the recent visit by a Scandinavian schoolgirl?

His effort to turn the netted hedge into a publicity and photo opportunity failed when people who really cared took the actual ACTION needed and removed the net.

And, following the lead of his national colleagues he adopts a servile attitude to the local Tory MP, Philip Dunne, describing him as ‘erudite’, writing a fawning letter on his success in the last General Election and sympathising with his ‘uncharacteristic gaffe’ when he was sacked from his ministerial role.

In contrast Mr. B’s attitude to people who do try to oppose the destruction wreaked by the Tories as manifested in the benighted ‘Future Fit’ plan for Shropshire’s health service is one of condemnation, decrying their ‘shouting’ during the Future Fit Rubber-Stamping meeting. Of course, his view is coloured – yellow – by the fact that his party whole-heartedly supported the 2012 Health and Social Care Act which set the path that FF has followed. Think before you vote.

– Bob, your uncle

Shirley Williams and then Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, vote on the contrived and manipulative NHS reform bill at the party conference in Gateshead, 2012.