‘CYNICAL’ PLAN BY LIB DEMS TO DIVIDE RIVALS

Published: 14th January, 2011
by RICHARD OSLEY

LIBERAL Democrats discussed plans to win the next election by causing “confusion and division” at the Town Hall, leaked documents reveal.

The party faced allegations of “cynical” campaigning yesterday (Thursday) after revelations that councillors had privately considered not being a “constructive” opposition at Islington Town Hall.

Minutes and PowerPoint slides show that members were urged to “pick a cut and champion it”, interpreted by opponents as a call to jump on the bandwagon whenever a community campaign springs up. And the documents warned that the party should never be “caught defending the Tories”.

Islington South and Finsbury Labour MP Emily Thornberry said: “The Lib Dems are part of the government putting through these terrible cuts. It makes me sad that they are playing games like this at a time like this.”

But Lib Dem group leader Councillor Terry Stacy said the ideas were talked about but not put into practice. “We have been a constructive group. People know it is the Labour group that are making the decisions about cuts to council spending,” he said.

Lib Dem grassroots weapons: set traps and create confusion

Leaked documents reveal the party’s mantra on cuts: it’s Labour’s fault... it’s Labour’s fault...

SECRET Liberal Democrat strategies to cast the party as local heroes amid a barrage of public spending cuts have been laid bare by leaked documents which reveal the “traps and ambushes” the party has in store for its rivals.

The Tribune can reveal how the papers show the Islington party branch sent strict orders to its councillors imploring them “not to get caught defending the Tories”, despite the coalition between the two parties at Westminster.

And the same Lib Dem battle-plan indicated that members plotted to “not be a constructive opposition” in Islington after the party found itself back on the opposition benches following defeat at the hands of Labour in Town Hall elections last May.

Instead, the group hatched a more combative approach and were shown a presentation at a secret away-day with slides containing language like “What did we learn from the last war?” and advising members how they could create “confusion and division”.

One seemingly indiscriminate order to members reads: “Pick an unpopular cut and champion it.”

Opponents have described the tactics as “cynical”.

Last night (Thursday), Lib Dem group leader Councillor Terry Stacy said the idea of not being a “constructive” opposition had not come from him and he had swivelled the group in a different direction to ensure residents got the best out of his members.

“We are a democratic party and everyone is able to give their views,” he said. “We were brainstorming but the record shows we didn’t go that way and we have been a constructive opposition in the last seven months.  

“I haven’t defended the Tories on housing benefit reforms and security of tenure – the opposite – and I’ve been quite clear that the coalition was made at the House of Commons not at Islington Council.”

Islington was one of the first London authorities to turn yellow, but the party’s attempts to expand its influence with the election of more councillors and an MP stalled at last May’s elections.

The documents seen by the Tribune relate to a private session held at Finsbury Library in the aftermath of their failure to achieve both of those objectives. Cllr Stacy tried to gee up the troops with a meeting organised with the help of Ashley Lumsden, leader of the Lib Dem opposition in Lambeth.

The secret session saw group members discuss a series of slides from a PowerPoint presentation (see panel above). 

The leaked documents give a normally unseen glimpse of how political parties tick at a parochial level. 

Lib Dems point out that all parties devise strategies to win elections and that clipped words in PowerPoint presentations always run the risk of being misinterpreted and do not always translate into group policy.

Yet, while the Lib Dem national message has consistently been that a coalition with the Conservatives was form­ed at Westminster in the public interest, “constructive” teamwork between parties locally was not high on the agenda at the group meeting, according to the leaked papers. 

Labour members say this is exposed by a note in the documents which suggests the Lib Dems believed Islington’s Fairness Commission could be potentially used for political advantage. 

The cross-party commission, a unique exercise being undertaken in Islington to survey residents’ views and ideas on tackling economic strife, is a chance to split Labour’s support base, the minutes say.

“Use issues like the Fairness Commission recommendations to drive a wedge between Labour’s wealthier supporters and Labour councillors,” the document advises.

It goes on to say that highlighting Labour attempts to protect the ‘have-nots’ at the expense of the ‘haves’ could sow division.

Islington North Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn said: “The Lib Dem opposition has been comatose since losing the election so they haven’t been constructive. If they are waking from their slumbers now they should not go in this cynical approach. They should stand up against the Conservatives, against the removal of the education maintenance grant, which will have a significant effect on young people in the borough.”

He added that in the months since the local elections more than 100 new members had signed up for Labour in his constituency.

Cllr Stacy said: “These documents are now six months old and, from memory, the idea of not being constructive was one we didn’t take on. 

“The record shows we have been constructive. We made the running with the idea of sharing a chief executive, which would have saved the council money. We suggested getting rid of the council newspaper. 

“We don’t need to set traps for Labour, they make a mess of things themselves. You can see that with the new parking ‘roamer’ scheme, where they have changed the hours after our warning that Islington would become a car park. That’s being constructive.”

PowerPoint politics...

The Lib Dem PowerPoint presentation included the lines:

• “Our weapons: creating confusion and division.”
• “We are not running the council, it is not our problem – it’s theirs.”
• “Set traps and ambushes for Labour.”
• “Those cuts: it’s the Labour Party’s fault, it’s the Labour Party’s fault, it’s the Labour Party’s fault. And just in case you didn’t get it: it’s the Labour Party’s fault.”
• “Pick an unpopular cut and champion it.”
• “Don’t get caught defending the Tories.”

In action-point minutes of the event, effectively a list of agreed orders for the future, members are asked to:

• “Stay at ward events as long as possible to meet as many residents as possible – and annoy Labour.”
• “Use our links with Labour’s backbenchers to create trouble for their leadership.”
• “Exploit divisions in the Labour group.”