How not to break the mould

"Break the mould" was the slogan of the SDP/Liberal Alliance after the defection of 28  (yes 28) Labour MPs to form their Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981.  A sole Conservative joined them as well.  Together with by-election successes  (Roy Jenkins at Glasgow Hillhead, for example) and the existing 11 Liberal MPs the Alliance eventually totalled  around 40 MPs, but , in the first General Election to follow, in 1983, although our Alliance polled 25% of the vote (against Labour's 28%and the Tories' 42%) only 23 Alliance MPs were elected, just six of whom were members of the SDP.

The First Past the Post electoral system is a killer.

The reasons we failed to "break the mould" are many and varied, but I think  the main one is that only one of the bigger parties fractured.  The Tories held together.  Loyalty is their secret weapon.

When the Alliance was formed in the early 80s both major parties were hugely unpopular. Mrs Thatcher's economic policy of a  monetary and fiscal squeeze  caused unemployment to rise above 3 million and reduced the UK's manufacturing base by a fifth. Labour under Michael Foot were reputed to have a series of wildly left wing policies which included nuclear disarmament (good idea) and leaving the European Community (very bad idea, and still is).

However, the Tories recovered their popularity as a result of  of Mrs Thatcher's "successful" Falklands War, whereas the Labour party didn't until Tony Blair and Gordon Brown came along.to make them electable with  their  triangulation and "third way."

Consequently only half the "mould " was broken: there never were any significant Tory defections, either in parliament or a grass roots level.



So "two party politics " was effectively restored, although the growth of the Liberal Democrats (the merged SDP and Liberal parties) to 22% of the vote and  62 seats in 2005 and the Nationals in both Wales and Scotland dented things a bit (at least until 2015 when we Liberal Democrats  were back down to 8 % of the vote and only 11 MPs)

 It is good to see the two party system now crumbling at both its edges but I cannot see the present defectors being any more successful than we were in the 1980s, at least if they continue with with their present lack of either organisation or policies.  They seem to be evolving haphazardly rather than with a plan.

Their biggest mistake, in my view, so far at any rate, is to fail to resign their seats and fight by-elections.  This is perhaps wise on their part becasue they would undoubtedly lose, but their failure to face the music of their convictions  merely enhances public cynicism towards politicians.

In my view a better approach would have been:

1. To concentrate on one issue and one issue only, opposition to Brexit.

2. Not to resign from their parties, but to say that, regardless of party instructions, they would speak and vote to do all in their power to stop Brexit, either by voting to withdraw Article 50, (the best approach),or  to put any deal achieved to a People's Vote, with staying in the EU as the alternative (a messy second best.)

If their parities then chose to withdraw the Whips (ie expel them ) that would leave them on the moral high ground: they could claim that they were not in the wrong, but effectively and honestly fulfilling their duties in using their judgement for the good of the country.

This approach could have produced far more support from both sides.  maybe it still could.

If and when the Brexit issue is (even temporarily) settled, they could then go on to consider the future. Do they really have enough in common to form a new party, or should they switch the single issue and campaign for proportional representation by single transferable vote in multi-member constituencies, (the best idea, I think) or should the revert to their parties to try to obtain reform from within?