I was not surprised when I opened up Student Voices this week to
find an article written by my long-time sparring partner Jimmy Allen outlining
his response to Muhammed Hussain’s article ‘7
Reasons why I will be voting Liberal Democrats in June’. As ever, here are
some of my responses to Jimmy’s claims:
Brexit
I found Jimmy’s criticism of Mr Hussain referring to Theresa
May’s Brexit plan as pursuing a ‘Hard Brexit’ to be entirely unjustified. To
spell it out: ‘Hard’ Brexit refers to leaving the single market, tearing up the
rights of British people to live, work and study across the 28 member states
freely and not re-joining the European Free Trade Association. I think you will
find that Mrs May is planning on doing this, as she outlined in her Brexit
white paper, so Muhammed is correct to ascertain that the Liberal Democrats are
the only major party (i.e. above 5% in most polls) that are committed to
opposing a ‘Hard Brexit’ and offering the British people a referendum on the
exit deal.
Votes for 16 and 17 year olds
Jimmy is completely
incorrect to assert that because 18-24 year olds have the lowest voter turnout
that we should deny 16 and 17 year olds their right to have a say over the
future of this country. If 16 and 17 year olds can marry, join the armed forces
and have sexual intercourse then they have a right to vote, turnout does not come
into it. I would agree with Jimmy however that low voter turnout is a problem,
but such problems will be fixed through proper education and giving young
people a reason to believe their vote makes a difference (change the voting
system, perhaps?), not by denying 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote
.
Strong Protection of Rights
Jimmy suggested that
the Conservatives would replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of
Rights incorporating everything that is ‘necessary’ from the former. My issue
with that is what the Conservatives will consider ‘necessary’ in that process.
Given that I don’t see many people demonstrating for their human rights to be
reduced, I’m not quite sure what the Conservatives have in mind and why it is
necessary in the first place. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
House of Lords
Later in the article
Jimmy suggests that the Liberal Democrats did not push for further House of
Lords reform whilst in coalition, but he can’t have forgotten the House of
Lords Reform Bill of 2012 surely?
On the point of
Liberal Democrats defending the unelected European Commission and Presidents
I’d point out to Jimmy that we do not do this. We are clear that we want to
stay in the European Union and reform it to address the real ‘democratic deficit’,
but just as we aren’t calling for a Liberal breakaway state to escape from the
unelected House of Lords, we aren’t calling for the United Kingdom to break
away from the unelected European Commission. You must be in the club to change
the club, we’ve consistently argued this point.
Education
On Jimmy’s grammar
school’s point we’d be re-running an old
debate on Student Voices between
Jimmy and I, but Jimmy knows that the reason the Liberal Democrats oppose grammar
schools is because we don’t buy into the myth that they do not discriminate in
selection based upon wealth.
Can you believe what they say?
I’ll accept tuition
fees were a mistake, and that we made few policy volte-face whilst in
government. But comparing the coalition government to today’s government, it
doesn’t take a genius to see the difference the Liberal Democrats made in
reining in the Conservatives. But if we must talk about U-turns whilst in
government, I’d say neither Labour nor the Tories have a great record on that
themselves. Of course, that doesn’t make it right, but the difference is the Conservatives
and Labour’s U-turn’s could have been helped, given they had majorities in
parliament, whereas the Liberal Democrats backs were against the wall being the
minority partner in government.
Tim Farron
Jimmy attacks Tim
Farron for looking like Helga from ‘Hey Arnold’ (I don’t know who that is
either), which I struggle to see how that relates to Tim’s ability as a leader.
On the point regarding Tim’s views on being gay and gay sex, I’d point out that
Tim has clarified that he believes neither to be sinful acts, and he has been
stellar at campaigning on LGBT+ rights since he became leader.
If Jimmy does not
believe people should vote the Liberal Democrats then I respect his right to
hold that view, but what I expect in return is any criticisms of the party or
its representatives to be substantiated in fact. Unfortunately, Jimmy’s article
failed to meet my expectations.
Callum Gurr is a writer for Student Voices and student at the University of Birmingham | Twitter: @callumgurr
A Response to '7 Reasons NOT to Vote for the Liberal Democrats | Callum Gurr
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