Discontent bubbles not far from the surface as the Liberal Democrats gather for their conference this weekend. Two years on from their best ever general election result, conversations with those on the party's frontbench, its MPs, and backroom staff reveal a frustration at what many see as a failure to capitalise on that success. Polling by YouGov in the build up to the conference highlighted the Lib Dems "have seen no real growth in support since the last general election" and if anything have slipped back.
"We lack the ability to say something new or interesting," said one senior Lib Dem MP. A frontbencher said: "With the possible exception of our position on Trump, you could characterise most of our press lines as 'a Lib Dem spokesperson said, steady on now, gently does it'." Others describe the party's approach as "boring" and are spooked by the rise of the Green Party under Zack Polanski. The party's leadership are aware of the anger.
They insist this conference will be a "gear shift". Daisy Cooper, the deputy leader, told me it would be "a gloves-off kind of conference". "You'll see a bit of fighting talk," she said.
Some of the caution until now has been deliberate. The party's leadership met over the last few months and discussed whether to copy Polanski's punchy, social media-focused style but decided it wouldn't appeal to the well-heeled areas of southern England that form the Lib Dem heartlands. Those involved in that decision point to Polanski's recent struggles and feel vindicated.
But at all levels of the party there is an acknowledgement they lag behind other parties on grabbing attention on social media, highlighted by Andy Burnham's "social first" approach. The party has only recently rolled out training for its MPs on making social videos, something senior figures despair at. "When we have a success we're very good at getting a leaflet sent out to supporters straight away," one senior MP said.
"But we don't do that for socials." Digital and social media will be a focus of at least 17 fringe events at conference, as the party tries to improve its online communications. But others worry that social media is just the medium and the problem is with the message. One MP raised the majority of voters (52% according to YouGov,) who view the party as "weak" in recent polling; and the tendency to say it's unclear what the party stands for (43% believing the party was weak, to 18% thinking it was strong).
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