A Lib Dem Revival

What does it mean to be an opportunist? Is it someone who profits from the misfortunes of others? Or is it someone who simply bides their time before making a decision? In truth, an opportunist is defined as both of those things, and amidst a time of political pandemonium, one opportunistic party is profiting. The Liberal Democrats.

Having been reduced to a measly eight MPs after getting in bed with the Tories for five years, naturally we haven’t heard much from the Lib Dems over the past year. Either because their political influence has diminished, or because they’re choosing not to throw any caution to the wind.

Over the course of the EU referendum campaign, the Lib Dems and their leader, Tim Farron, have fought a small but dignified campaign to remain in the EU. Refusing to be dragged down by other political parties, there’s been no dog-whistle politics and no slanderous or aggressive accusations of their opponents at all. They fought a campaign on issues alone, and had their voices been more prominent, I believe the ‘Stronger In’ campaign would have fared much better.

Crucially, and unlike the Labour Party who have been so distracted by party infighting that they’ve forgotten to stand up for the people and ideologies they are supposed to represent, the Lib Dems are continuing to fight for their beliefs, despite the obvious setback of a ‘Brexit’. They have vowed to take Britain back into the European Union – or to avoid invoking article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – if they are elected in a national election, which may be on the agenda sooner rather than later.

As a result of this, the Lib Dems are now estimated to be roughly gaining a member every minute since the pledge was made, bringing the party’s total membership to around 70,000. Surely now, the Lib Dems are seen as the only viable alternative to ‘Brexit’, and with almost half of voters casting a remain vote in the referendum, there’s potentially a lot of support for a Lib Dem revival.