Sunday, May 02, 2010

Second coming

Some people seem surprised that The Guardian has come out in support of the Liberal Democrats. There are those of us who were surprised that it was ever Labour.

I grew up with the idea that the Manchester Guardian was a Liberal paper, in the grand north western nonconformist tradition. After all the great CP Scott was a Unitarian who, while staying on as editor of paper, served as a Liberal MP from 1895 to 1905.

When the News Chronicle folded in 1960 my parents considered that the Manchester Guardian was the only alternative newspaper they could consider buying.

So it seems a bit strange that the Guardian should announce its decision under the headline The liberal moment has come