Sunday 18 August 2013

Do you agree with the Lib Dems?

I recently posted a link on my Facebook page to a booklet which explains the Liberal Democrat achievements in government. You can find the link here

I made this comment on the booklet...

Take a look at the whole document but if you don't have time then these are the significant phrases for me.

The Tories won't deliver a fairer society.

Labour can't deliver a stronger economy.

For years our opponents would tell people that we weren't ready for government. Not any more.


Within a few minutes I received a comment from a Labour councillor and she said "you would be a great local Councillor but as a Independent". I hope she wasn't thinking "Morecambe Bay Independent". They are a political party that claims not to like political parties. I've never been able to make sense of them, and their main claim to fame is an aptitude for bickering and infighting on an epic scale. A genuine independent can do a lot of good, but it's not easy. To really achieve anything in politics you need some sort of support machine, which is hard for an independent to build as people need to know what you stand for. Just saying you're an "independent" isn't saying much, because there are many kinds of independent, some good and some not so good. So independence can be more a hindrance than a help.

Besides, I want to be part of a bigger picture. The document I link to can say "not any more" because Liberal Democrats aren't just ready for government. They are in government. No independent can say that. In addition, I like being a Liberal Democrat. I like most of the existing policies, I like that they are making a difference on a national level, and I like that I can play a part in formulating or changing any policy that I think might still need some work. I like the way that Liberal Democrats formulate policy at conference. Ask Walter Wolfgang if you want to know how Labour deals with differing views at their conference

She also said "I am talking about you as a caring hard working man , how many doors did you knock on for County Council and i bet if you would of been Independent you would of won. I know people that really liked you but because of your party they would not vote for you, .. change to independent i would work well with you on council."

The endorsement is appreciated, but this is someone who has deleted my comments on her Facebook page. I don't know how well we could work together without an atmosphere of openness. I did say that I believe in free speech and I didn't want to delete her messages, but maybe I should have also mentioned that Liberal Democrats believe in free speech. I'm a liberal Democrat because I agree with the Liberal Democrats on this, and on fairness and equality and on the need to make a positive difference, and on countless other things. Follow the link I gave. See if you don't agree too.

Change the world

2 comments:

  1. The Tories won't deliver a fairer society.

    Labour can't deliver a stronger economy.

    The LibDems fit right in the middle matching them both.

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  2. Thanks for your comments Neil. I think there are some caring Tories and some Labour members who agree with Ed that austerity measures are now the way to build a stronger economy. However Lib Dems are the caring side of the government and our economy is in good hands because of Lib Dem influence. Sorry you can't see that. I would say that we'll just have to agree to disagree but I will keep trying to persuade you with my blogs.

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