Complex sentence: The Conservative manifesto suggested, therefore, that the poor should be coerced into better conditions; the Liberal argument against this was that these conditions could not necessarily be said to be "better", and might actually stifle rather than encourage social improvement.
Split into simpler sentences: The Conservative manifesto suggested, therefore, argued that the poor should be coerced into better conditions. The Liberal argument against this was that these conditions could not necessarily be said to be "better", and might actually stifle rather than encourage social improvement.