Given their resurgence at the 2024 General Election, you might have thought that Lib Dems were match fit to be His Loyal Majesty’s Opposition, or even Government of the future.  However, the party’s 2025 Conference at Bournemouth displayed that growing pains persist for Ed Davey’s resurgent force, and they still have a long way to go.

The tone for Bournemouth was set by Ed Davey’s eve of conference marching band stunt – described witheringly as the “Orange Order from Temu”, the cut-price online retailer.  The difference being of course that at least Temu is wildly popular.  The Lib Dems are currently languishing on 14% in the UK opinion polls.  If the idea was to “out camp” Reform’s vaudeville bravado it fell rather flat.  The media expect better from the Lib Dems.

Lib Dem membership is still not what it used to be prior to the 2015 collapse.  This made the relatively small Bournemouth International Centre, seem larger than it used to.  This, for the uninitiated, is not one of the UK’s largest conference centres.  Then there were the discordant policy announcements.  On the one had you had the self-styled party of liberty calling for the arrest of a media proprietor; but on the other, opposing Labour’s plans for digital ID.

The problem with the Lib Dems as they currently operate is that they are more akin to the political wing of Waitrose than a coherent political force.  A product of the ruthless focus on the Tory underbelly of the South East.  Hence, the largest Liberal third party since 1923 is still finding its feet.

One of the issues is that the current cohort of MPs does not sit comfortably with the current membership.  MPs in once “Tory” seats are unlikely to see eye-to-eye with former Labour voters.  Not only is this borne out by recent academic analysis of the party, it was obvious to any seasoned observer of Lib Dem conferences from SDP/Alliance era onwards.  Sure, a smattering of the old party faithful were there sporting sandals and EU flag berets.  But they were dwarfed by those newer arrivals from the lanyard wearing classes.

Yet the far bigger problem for the Lib Dems is defining what they are about.  Ed Davey’s suggestion that he might somehow prop-up an unpopular Labour government doesn’t sound like it is from the present political era.  A “Good Bye Lenin!” moment.  A party reminiscing about the halcyon days of 1990s when the “baddies” were Major’s Tories and the ‘Man in the White Suit’ Tony Blair was telling people things could only get better.

Thirty years on, the UK like many other developed nations is going through a political realignment.  In these islands this has manifested itself with Brexit and Reform.  In the US you can see it with the rise of Trump and MAGA, the Front National in France or the AFD in Germany to name but a few.

Into this global storm sails the good ship Lib Dem.  No doubt with Ed Davey on some inflatable outrigger or water-skiing from the stern.  Once upon a time the Lib Dems would have ridden out this turbulence anchored by the principles of liberalism.  Instead, you have combination of reheated “Remainer” jargon and sawn-off socialism.  If that floats your boat there are currently no shortage of options for the discerning voter.  There are plenty others waiting in the wings who would like to eat this Lib Dem lunch.

The SNP in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales have, since Brexit, hoovered much of the internationalist vote with their pro-EU and ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ policies.  In England, step forward the Greens, who have proved a potent force, despite that party being riven by arguably an even greater intellectual dissonance.  Notably, they are led by a former prominent Lib Dem.

With the Conservatives floundering, yet more of that soft middle-England underbelly will be revealed.  Hot on the heels of Reform’s incendiary immigration rhetoric there is a big vote out there for outward looking liberal internationalism.  So much so, the Liberal holy grail of undoing the Liberal Unionist split of 1886 could be in sight.

The Lib Dems need to start thinking long and hard, not about their latest stunt, but about whether they seek to succeed the legacy parties or become one themselves.  With the Conservatives in disarray there is a huge opportunity there for the Lib Dems.  But they need to grasp it.