Tim Farron has to recreate a party that is true to itself againThe Liberal Democrats are back at the seaside for their first annual conference after two seismic events. The party was at the epicentre of one – May’s general election,when its parliamentary base was devastated. As for the other – the extraordinary elevation of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader – the Lib Dems are interested observers.
The combination of shock and aftershock define the challenge facing Tim Farron, named over the summer as successor to Nick Clegg. There is no silver lining around the loss of 49 out of 57 MPs, or coming after years of attrition in local government. The task here is tedious reconstruction from the ground up,combined with the job, no easier, and of defining what purpose the Lib Dems usefully serve. But in the case of Mr Corbyn,there is an opportunity, first advertised with premature optimism by Mr Farron in Friday’s Guardian.
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Source: theguardian.com