Andy Mayer and the Orange Bookers
Posted by jonathanfryer on Thursday, 31st January, 2008
The blogger, prolific photographer and linchpin of the now defunct Liberal Future, Andy Mayer, gave a very professional presentation on the Orange Book last night, at a Pizza and Politics at the home of the leader of Islington Council, James Kempton. When the book came out, it caused quite a stir, not least because of David Laws’s essay on the funding of social services. It was hailed as the rallying call of Economic Liberals — as opposed to Social Liberals, who later responded with ‘Reinventing the State’ — but Andy argued convincingly that such distinctions were largly redundant, and that we should just talk about ‘Liberals’.
One kite he flew was the suggestion that has been made in some quarters that Nick Clegg has surrounded himself with Orange Bookers. But one had to balance that notion with Andy’s reflection that most people come away from talking with Nick believing that he agrees with them. Is this a skilful politician at work, or what? The coming months will tell. But with even Nick Cohen, in the Evening Standard, musing that both Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson are so inadequate that he might have to consider voting Liberal Democrat in the upcoming London Mayoral election, we are in an interesting political situation, with everything to play for, providing the LibDems can communicate to the electorate what they stand for!
Anonymous said
One thing that is often forgotten is that some of the authors of the ‘Orange Book’ were also authors of the ‘Reinventing the State’. Aren’t both books just anthologies, where a group of the leading lights of the parliamentary party have been invited to write? Then no wonder if Nick Clegg has surrounded himself with these leading lights.
Julian H said
We do indeed have a great chance to unite under the banner of liberalism (per se) and present ourselves to the electorate as the only alternative to the silly statist power games being played out by Dave and Gordo.
I have read both the original Orange Book and the kind-of-sequel and indeed much of it is composed by people perceived as ‘the left’ – Simon Hughes, Steve Webb et cetera. As liberals, we all share the same goals and it’s probably unhealthy to talk in divisive terms of ‘Orange Bookers’ and ‘the left’ (or any equivalent wings).
Andy Mayer said
You write the kindest reviews, thank-you Jonathan