Political opportunism at its most cynical

I’VE received my latest copy of “Airbrushed news” – Lib Dem Brecon & Radnorshire by-election literature.

The leaflet covers the last 30 years of Lib Dem activity with the exception of the Lib Dems’ time in coalition government with the Tories. You would have thought that any political party which had served in government would be proud to talk of its record, but apparently not the Lib Dems.

This is probably because they are courting the centre/centre-left vote and the last thing they want the electorate to be reminded of is their active championing and support for austerity cuts which condemned thousands to economic hardship and decimated our public services. Current leader Jo Swinson happily served as a junior employment minister in the Tory/Lib Dem coalition government and voted for the U-turn on tuition fees, the public sector pay cap, the bedroom tax, etc.

The Lib Dem candidate for Brecon & Radnorshire and other members of the party presumably kept quiet whilst their leaders took the sword to public spending, but are now emerging blinking into the light saying they want to address the problems caused by their own actions. Their distancing themselves from their role in the austerity programme is political opportunism at its most cynical.

Centre and centre-left voters in the constituency are desperate to be rid of a Tory candidate seeking re-election in a by-election caused by his own actions; desperate not to have a Brexit candidate who used to be a Tory; but are not that desperate to vote for a Lib Dem party that has treated the electorate with, at best condescension and at worst contempt. Neil Stone Brecon