In the UK we have special legislation (the Fixed Term
Parliament Act) which stipulates that there should only be an election once
every 5 years. The fact that on Dec 12th 2019 we will have our third
election in 4 years demonstrates just how staggeringly successful this piece of
legislation has been. This coming election will be the most important UK
general election for a generation. Hanging on the outcome is not just the UK’s
relationship with Europe, but whether the UK stays as a ‘united’ kingdom.
Depending on how the votes land there is a very credible series of events that
could unfold which would lead to the end of the England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland union.
For overseas readers unfamiliar with the UK political
parties, there are two main parties: the Conservatives (often called the
Tories) on the right, and Labour on the left. There are a handful of smaller
parties, the biggest of which is the Liberal Democrats, who fill the centre
ground and are unapologetically pro-Europe (I am a proud Liberal Democrat).
If the parties were processes on a sewage treatment works
then the Tories would be the de-ragging and grit removal chambers at the head
of the works: excellent in theory, and when they work they can be
brilliant. However they just can’t be trusted to do what they claim. In my 28
years working in the wastewater sector I am yet to see a headworks working as
it was designed. An unnervingly large amount of clumpy shxt always
manages to seep through.
Labour on the other hand are like a secondary treatment
process (think Activated Sludge). Big, bold, mechanical, able to treat pretty
much anything that might come down the pipe. However they have a tendency to be
inflexible, and are eye-wateringly expensive to operate. (I resisted the
urge to refer to lots of hot air).
Finally there are the Lib Dems. They are the primary settlement
tanks, nestling neatly between the Tory screens and the Labouresque nutrient
removal. They quietly, robustly, reliably do their job removing the bulk of the
solids from the wastewater. They arguably provide the most important stage in
the whole treatment process, yet attract almost no attention whatsoever.
Overlooked and under-appreciated. The LibDems currently have about 15% of the
popular vote, yet just 3% of the seats in House of Commons (20 out of 650). The
last Liberal Prime Minster was David Lloyd George. In 1922.
The defining policy for the Lib Dems in 2019 is to ‘cancel
Brexit’. It is a bold, high risk stance and will either alienate or resonate
with voters. I am proudly European and am thankful for the freedoms that being
part of the EU has brought me over the years. The European Union clearly isn’t
perfect, but it has given us 50 years of strong trading relationships, travel
freedoms and multi-country environmental controls. It was my grandparents
generation who voted for our entry into Europe in the 1970s and I am extremely
grateful to them for their foresight. I worry that my grandchildren will look
back at the 2019 election and be disappointed.
Being a fully paid up Lib Dem I did my duty last weekend
and posted 300 leaflets in my neighbourhood. It was a gloriously cathartic
exercise, with two notable events. The first was when I met a man vigorously
cleaning his car. I didn’t recognise him at first, but it turned out he was
someone I have spent the last 15 years sharing a swimming lane each Saturday
morning. I didn’t recognise him with his clothes on. My second encounter was
with a lady in her 30s who, upon taking the Lib Dem leaflet from my hand said,
with a definite flirtatious smile, ‘Better than the Tories…but
not as good as Labour’. We chatted for a few minutes and she wished me good
luck. Both of the above exchanges were surprisingly cordial, despite our
differing political views. I came away thinking (perhaps naively) that if all
sides could adopt an open mind and a big smile (and could visualise at least
half of their opponents naked) then we could probably find a workable solution.
As it happens I will not be in the UK on Dec 12th.
I am trusting that my wife, who does not share the same political allegiances
as myself, will deploy my proxy vote carefully. I will be in Madrid,
co-chairing the EU Water Innovation Conference (https://www.eip-water.eu/eu-water-innovation-conference-2019-0).
As of last Friday there are 850 people registered to attend (tickets are
free…). Rather splendidly for a LibDemer like myself, the conference will
celebrate all that is great about EU: the collaboration, the policy making, the
leveraging of learning, and the innovation breakthroughs.
Unfortunately the conference ends too late for me to make it
back to the UK that evening. I will therefore be watching the election results
alone in my hotel room. I am realistic about the results. I doubt the Lib
Dems will sweep gloriously into power, but I hope we will make some gains and
perhaps be a tempering voice on whoever does. We have more in common that binds
us than we do which divides us. However, as noted by the exchanges with my
neighbours, even our differences can be rather fun to unpick.
