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During the production of the original Star Wars, actor Harrison Ford expressed his frustration to director George Lucas, saying, “you can type this stuff, but you can’t say it.” This sentiment resonates not only in the film industry but also in politics, especially during the transition from an opposition party to a governing party.
Political parties, regardless of their ideological differences, often find themselves discussing the same issues because they are vying to govern the same country. However, when parties lack power or have little chance of achieving it, they are prone to making absurd statements.
In the early 2000s, the UK’s Liberal Democrats, the third-largest party, exemplified this phenomenon. They made grand promises that would be impossible to fulfill while in office, including a multibillion-pound commitment to abolish tuition fees.
However, when the Liberal Democrats unexpectedly entered a coalition government in 2010 and had a more serious leader, they were forced to confront the feasibility of their promises. While they implemented most of their manifesto, they faltered in delivering some of their more extravagant pledges, leading to disillusionment.
The coalition between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives shocked the British public, with political scientists likening its impact on the electorate to the financial crisis. The Liberal Democrats are not alone in oscillating between outlandishness and seriousness.
Disillusioned with the Liberal Democrats’ performance, anti-system voters found a destructive outlet in the pro-Brexit party UKIP, while other disenchanted Lib Dem members gravitated towards Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Within the Conservative party, right-wing politicians like Liz Truss garnered support by promising unrealistic outcomes once free from coalition. However, when Truss attempted to deliver on those promises as prime minister, it had disastrous consequences.
In winner-takes-all electoral systems like the UK’s, defeated parties are incentivized to adopt ridiculous positions. Liberal Democrat successes in by-elections not only boost morale but also help their leader, Ed Davey, maintain realism. Meanwhile, opposition to tax cuts and spending reductions benefits Rishi Sunak’s rivals within the Conservative party.
If the Conservative party loses the next election, they will likely become less serious as they will no longer face the constraints of governing. They can freely promise tax cuts without considering interest rates or public spending, and they can pledge reductions in immigration without worrying about labor markets. The inclination towards silliness is not limited to specific party factions.
Both Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer will enter the next election downplaying spending and taxation, claiming they can accomplish more without significant increases in either. However, neither is entirely sincere.
Whoever wins the election will find themselves in a situation similar to Nick Clegg’s: celebrating success but also having to compensate for years of unattainable promises. It took the UK’s departure from the EU and years of chaos for voters to consider the Liberal Democrats again. Starmer and Sunak must exercise caution unless their own impractical pledges result in a worse outcome than Clegg experienced in 2015, with no promise of a job at Meta awaiting them.
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