Hello and welcome to the Political Party podcast. This episode features Miranda Green, former

press secretary to Paddy Ashtan, and this is a phenomenal conversation about the realities

facing the Lib Dems in this election. The things they've got right, the things they've

got wrong, just the pressures of the UK political landscape at the moment. This is one of the

most enjoyable chats I've had about politics. It's absolutely brilliant. Please enjoy Miranda

Green.

It's a lot to be joined by Miranda Green, now at the FT, former adviser to Paddy Ashtan.

Miranda, how do you feel it's going for the Lib Dems in this final week?

Oh God, Matt, I think it's getting really tough again. I mean, you know, I think there's

a real chance it could be a bit like 2015 again, you know, just the most almighty squeeze

and as we saw in 2017 as well. I mean, I've only got a B in O level physics, but I'm reaching

for some sort of metaphor to do with kind of like repellent magnetic poles. Do you know

what I mean? So you've got a repellent party, a repellent Labour party, and actually the

one in the middle just gets sort of moved from side to side and can't make an impact at

all. And I think that's happened all over again, you know, because it's almost like, I

mean, it's not so much that Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn sort of scare the horses.

It's more like they start a bloody stampede from one side to the other side.

It's like Jemangie. Yeah, exactly. So, you know, if you're standing in the middle saying,

you know, actually the IFS, I think I said it up, you know, I mean, forget it. You really

stuffed and obviously the campaign has not been brilliant either. So, you know, all that

optimism from earlier in the year, from the European elections and the idea that you

could actually have a centre party that was kind of a gathering point for the people who

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