The BBC reports on comments from the Guardian’s editor Alan Rusbridger saying the paper could endorse the Liberal Democrats in the next General Election.
Three points:
1. It wouldn’t be that much of a shock would it? Backing the Lib Dems would be in line with their editorial positions on several issues, especially the war in Iraq. If I’m not mistaken the paper was pretty positive about the SDP back in the eighties as well.
2. It would be another blow for Blair. Labour needs to somehow win back the middle class liberal left voters who have turned against them over Iraq. I’m not sure how Blair is going to do that but losing the formal support of the paper those people read is hardly going to help.
3. More generally, will Britain ever get a proper daily paper of the democratic left? Labour constantly has to try and woo papers that are traditionally hostile to it but most European social democratic parties have at least one paper they can rely on to support them and which they can use to generate ideas and carry out debate.
