On the Bright Side

On the Bright Side

Yascha Mounk: On the Bright Side

As Paul Thompson has pointed out, the deal between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats is the best present Labour could have hoped for. Britain?s governing coalition–how strange it feels to write these words!–will have to implement vastly unpopular measures. The Liberal Democrats will lose support among the left, both because they made David Cameron Prime Minister and because they will inevitably have to vote for painful spending cuts. If Labour acquires a charismatic leader who subtly distances himself from Tony Blair?s legacy, the party might just be back in power sooner than expected.

From a left-wing perspective, the outcome of the elections, though hardly ideal, therefore has two significant advantages. The first is that Labour has been handed a real opportunity to formulate distinctive suggestions for Britain?s future and make us all forget the last few years. The second is no less important. It is the assurance that the Tories, who need to keep the Liberal Democrats on board to remain in power, will not sway too far to the right.

The Tories have already been forced to give up some of their most worrying pet projects, from radical cuts to the inheritance tax to their unmitigated Europhobia. The coalition agreement isn?t just notable for what it leaves out, though; on the contrary, there are a few strong points even among its substantive proposals. Foremost amongst these is the chapter on civil liberties–an area where both Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have consistently been to the left of Labour in recent years.

If the published pact is to be believed, civil libertarians should be delighted. Rights to non-violent protest will be restored. ID cards will be scrapped. Government powers relating to DNA tests and fingerprinting will be reigned in. Even the country?s pernicious libel laws–a curse to inquisitive media in Britain and beyond the seas–will be reviewed to protect freedom of speech.

Don?t get me wrong. I too find it painful to look on as Cameron and Clegg beam at each other, proclaiming a supposedly historic departure for Britain. There will, no doubt, be much to disagree with. Yet, in terms of defending left-wing policies and values over the next decades, this election could have gone much, much worse.