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Why Sarah Teather has let the Liberal Democrats down Why Sarah Teather has let the Liberal Democrats down
(8 days later)
So, the Lib Dems have been split in two. Half the party is pouring buckets of opprobrium on to the head of the MP who kicked it all off, much of which is being flung straight back by the other half, and everyone's ended up looking very messy indeed.So, the Lib Dems have been split in two. Half the party is pouring buckets of opprobrium on to the head of the MP who kicked it all off, much of which is being flung straight back by the other half, and everyone's ended up looking very messy indeed.
I suspect most people, not least Sarah Teather herself, have been surprised at the row her resignation has caused. How on earth has she managed it?I suspect most people, not least Sarah Teather herself, have been surprised at the row her resignation has caused. How on earth has she managed it?
Well first there's the timing. It's the week before conference, and this year is going to be a corker. Rows loom over Osbornomics, Trident, the (ahem) under-occupancy penalty (bedroom tax to everyone else). Members have been practising jabbing fingers and shouting "No, I am more liberal than you" in front of the mirror for weeks. The party's a tinderbox; it just took the right match.Well first there's the timing. It's the week before conference, and this year is going to be a corker. Rows loom over Osbornomics, Trident, the (ahem) under-occupancy penalty (bedroom tax to everyone else). Members have been practising jabbing fingers and shouting "No, I am more liberal than you" in front of the mirror for weeks. The party's a tinderbox; it just took the right match.
Then there are her reasons for stepping back, not least her suggestion that it's all about "social justice". Now Teather has a fine record on that score over the last 10 years – but her decision to vote against same-sex marriage has blotted her copybook.Then there are her reasons for stepping back, not least her suggestion that it's all about "social justice". Now Teather has a fine record on that score over the last 10 years – but her decision to vote against same-sex marriage has blotted her copybook.
Many have questioned why her decision to stand down has been met with such howls of anger, when others who voted no to same-sex marriage and have made the decision not to stand again, have not experienced the same reaction. Some have suggested it's because she's a woman.Many have questioned why her decision to stand down has been met with such howls of anger, when others who voted no to same-sex marriage and have made the decision not to stand again, have not experienced the same reaction. Some have suggested it's because she's a woman.
Now, most people in the party would argue that we need to do a lot more to get more women into the parliamentary party at every level. We have a huge issue there, which needs solving fast. But I don't think it's some sort of institutionalised misogyny that means Teather has been singled out. I think the reaction to her leaving is more to do with the fact she is an ex-government minister.Now, most people in the party would argue that we need to do a lot more to get more women into the parliamentary party at every level. We have a huge issue there, which needs solving fast. But I don't think it's some sort of institutionalised misogyny that means Teather has been singled out. I think the reaction to her leaving is more to do with the fact she is an ex-government minister.
While Teather abstained from voting over the welfare reform act, she continued as a government minister long after the second reading and didn't leave government of her own volition. The Liberal Democrats love a rebel – especially if they vote with party policy or the wishes of conference against the leadership – but Teather's rebellion seems to have only come once she left office. As my fellow blogger Stephen Tall put it rather elegantly:While Teather abstained from voting over the welfare reform act, she continued as a government minister long after the second reading and didn't leave government of her own volition. The Liberal Democrats love a rebel – especially if they vote with party policy or the wishes of conference against the leadership – but Teather's rebellion seems to have only come once she left office. As my fellow blogger Stephen Tall put it rather elegantly:
"Sarah Teather is the Lib Dem Clare Short. Sincere but unable to channel it usefully. Stuck around in government too long to criticise effectively".
"Sarah Teather is the Lib Dem Clare Short. Sincere but unable to channel it usefully. Stuck around in government too long to criticise effectively".
And the feather in the cap is that when Teather left government, we were told it was so that she could spend more time campaigning to retain her constituency in 2015. That looks a tad ironic now.And the feather in the cap is that when Teather left government, we were told it was so that she could spend more time campaigning to retain her constituency in 2015. That looks a tad ironic now.
Teather has been a hardworking, talented and much-admired member of the parliamentary party and most would agree that she's done much good work. But given the timing of her announcement and recent events, the fact she's left a lot of people in the party feeling let down can surely come as no surprise.Teather has been a hardworking, talented and much-admired member of the parliamentary party and most would agree that she's done much good work. But given the timing of her announcement and recent events, the fact she's left a lot of people in the party feeling let down can surely come as no surprise.
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