The success of the Liberal Democrats in Derby grows and grows. This week saw the defection of large numbers of Labour activists to the Lib Dems in Derby South - Margaret Beckett’s own constituency.
I’m always very wary of mass defections, particularly when they appear to be due to a single issue, and Colin Ross, Iain Sharpe and Jonathan Calder share that view. But having spoken to members of the party there, it was apparently made very clear to the defectors before they decided to switch parties, that they should not do so just because of Lebanon. Fine, that it was the final straw, but they had to decide to switch because they support the aims of the Liberal Democrats more generally. Assuming this is the case, then the defection will be a huge boost to the party there.
Labour have argued that the dispute is really about the failed ambitions of some of the defectors rather than a principled move. I don’t know whether that is true or not, but Labour’s selection battles in Derby have been messy for some years now, which perhaps hints at a wider discontent within the party. In Derby’s all-out elections in 2002, Labour deselected their leader, mayor, chair of planning and a few other senior councillors, many of whom were the best councillors they had. This was all orchestrated to help the ambition of one Labour councillor (Hardyal Dhindsa) who wanted to be leader and so needed his people on the council if he was to succeed in that. Unfortunately for him, his people got elected, but he then lost his own seat in Boulton, accusing the electors of being racist. If the latest defectors are moving because of a similar dispute then the Lib Dems may be gaining some people with thwarted ambition but they could also be some good people. It will also be a benefit that it is not just because of the Middle East that they are gaining defectors.
I find it amazing that the party in Derby has grown so much. When I moved to Derby in 1999 the party had three councillors. When I was elected to the council it was the first time we had gained two councillors in one year as we went up from four to six. In the all-out elections of 2002 we doubled that to 12. In the year I stood down in 2003 we made further gains and became the ruling party. The party has not been without its setbacks but it is now firmly on a roll, with it now picking up seats in areas it hasn’t come close in before.
I was surprised when the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition with the Tories back in 2003 (although I think it was done out of the neccessity for there to be some form of stable coalition) but I was even more surprised to see the Tories and Labour form a coalition. The impression I get is that this coalition has not gone down well with a lot of people in Derby and the cuts that the council is having to make to keep the council tax down are even less popular. What it does seem to have done is change the mood in the council chamber quite a lot. When I was there it was generally fairly calm and although there were of course rows, it wasn’t usually nasty (except when the leader of the Tories spoke). But now things have changed and the success of the Liberal Democrats has clearly rattled both of the other two parties. What I find bizarre is the way that Labour and the Tories accuse the Lib Dems of running a dishonest local election campaign. Of all the Liberal Democrats I have worked with the ones in Derby are probably the most honest, fair and principled of the lot.
The boundary changes at the next general election will be quite substantial in Derby and the majority of the Lib Dems’ best areas move from Derby South to Derby North constituency. But despite this I will not be surprised to see a Liberal Democrat MP in Derby at the next general election. As I stood there in 2001 it makes me think how different my life could have been had I not moved away.
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