A piece in the left leaning Independent from last year highlighted just how relevant Burke is today.
“His ideas are suddenly being invoked by those trying to emphasise the durability of this government, and his name corresponds to one of the most pleasant of all the ironies thrown up by May’s hung parliament: now, five months on, Tories heading to Birmingham for their conference, and determined to heap praise on their new friends from the centre-left, are securing their own futures by going back to Burke.”
For the coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to succeed they need a vision for Britain, a vision which both parties share. Burke can be a unifying force that brings both the liberals and conservatives together. The the idea of supporting future generations through deficit reduction is crucial to the success of this government. To claw back from political oblivion Clegg must remind his base and himself of the values of Burke. He must return his party back to their true classic liberal ideology, focus on economic principles and work together with Cameron on key environmental issues. This is an interesting time for the Liberal Democrats they have been given the legitimacy of government, their leader posses the ideas and charisma to change his party to a viable centrist party and they have an opposition led by Ed Milliband who is lurching Labour further to the left.
With the defeat of the AV referendum the Liberal Democrats must look past electoral reform and look within to reform the party and return to their classical liberal roots.
