Lib Dem hypocrisy

Upon assuming leadership of a political party that had been all but annihilated by the electorate, some politicians might consider it wise to be humble, to pause and reflect on the meaning of that rejection, and act accordingly. Tim Farron is not such a politician.

The new Liberal Democrat leader addressed his battered party at its annual conference. He does not lack passion and his faithful audience were duly pleased. But to more objective observers, Mr Farron’s speech was an act of the most staggering hypocrisy. As he denounced the Government’s housing policy, his aides confirmed that Lib Dem peers in the House of Lords will vote against the Government’s Housing Bill, whose measures include the extension of the Right to Buy scheme, allowing housing association tenants to own their own homes.

This is unacceptable. A party that was repudiated by the people at an election will attempt to use its (disproportionately large) membership in the unelected House of Lords to stop the elected government enacting a policy which was endorsed by the electorate at the ballot box. For any party to do this would be bad enough. But for the Lib Dems, it is particularly egregious, since it constantly and piously lectures others about the need for constitutional reform, especially in the Lords. Only in July, Mr Farron righteously denounced the upper chamber as “undemocratic”. Now he believes that same chamber should be encouraged to stand in the way of a legitimate government implementing a manifesto promise. Mr Farron, like all Lib Dem leaders, presents himself as more noble and principled than other politicians. His actions suggest quite the opposite.