THERE was a letter in this publication last time that suggested the Liberal Democrats are something of a busted flush. Nonsense fashioned in ignorance!

The Lib Dems had some of the stand-out ministers in the Coalition. They fought hard but without power. They became disillusioned – I know from personal experience – about the centralisation of power in Downing Street and especially in the unnamed cohort of advisers perpetually at war with the professional Civil Service.

Now, we didn’t do well with one leader and in one election but that was a little local difficulty and about character, not our capability on the ground.

Liberal Democrats today are the thought leaders, the integrating, bringing-together policy developers, the innovators across local government – and watch us put the people and the work into these by-elections as no other party. Imploded? What tosh!

We all know it. You can see it, feel it, watch it, hear it – the Conservatives from Cameron to May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak are the busted flush, bereft of all but dog-whistle policy.

You can see it on the face of their decent people – disappointment, disillusion, despair, disgust. Their less decent people continue to fib, carry on in their strange and marginal broadcast entities, defend the indefensible, promote the impractical and call for the unimplementable.

I give you the threats of floating hotels and deportations; I give you sabre-rattling and yet the weakest British Army in 200 years; I give you the destructive incompetence of attempts to manage public sector pay and conditions. I give you an NHS hugely stretched in primary care and GP access – a big issue here – but an NHS yet ripe for fragmentation and commercial cherry-picking; I give you rivers not of blood but of you know what. I give you one-side traded deals and the sheer wrecking-ball of Brexit. Caused by them, designed by them and implemented by them, alone and unaided.

I talk to small businesses. There are thousands in Dorset. They don’t have the wherewithal to compete in distant and unfamiliar worlds. They have the products, understanding and contacts to address the markets of people who like the same things, have the same values and essential culture.

Tell them ‘Go change’ and they say ‘Why? What for? More risk and uncertainty, more cost and more sleepless nights? No way. I’ll bumble along for a bit and see what happens.’ What a great recipe for growth and a dynamic economy!

Whereas, your Hedge Funds like a bit of uncertainty, doom and gloom. These deliver their margins because they can bet against success and upturn. Worse, some have significant influence through donations and the old school tie.

Time for a change. Time to make your mind up. Time to tick the better box on July 20.

MIKE CHAPMAN
on behalf of Liberal Democrats across the Blackmore Vale