Like most observers of the political scene I had written off the Liberal Democrats as a major force in UK politics after 2015. This year’s party conference season has changed my mind.
I believe they could well end up holding the balance of power in the next Parliament which means policies agreed at this week’s binding Lib Dem party conference – such as no airport runway expansion – could find their way into government policy for the next five years.
The first indication that all was not lost for the Lib Dems was Labour’s feeble party conference last month. The perceived wisdom is that Lib Dem voters will switch to Labour in May 2015, especially if the Conservatives tack to the right to head off Ukip.
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