Getting involved!
Assembly is the centre of the Liberal year. Now Assembly is over, the preparations for the European elections next summer can begin and also consideration of the fight (probably in 2010) in the next General Election. For many Liberals, especially in Cornwall, Devon & Worcestershire, the County Council elections in 2009 will be at the forefront of their minds. As a party, Liberals are working on the basis of radical policies, in a political climate more turbulent and unpredictable than for many years. Personally, I predict two things about this: 1. Barack Obama is going to win on Tuesday and he will win big, with the possibility of a Congress dominated by the Democrats. This has huge implcations. Bill Clinton has described it as an earthquake. For many in middle America it will be a disorienting experience. The culture of politics in America is about to change. This will affect us because it will change both the world situation, particularly the US involvement in the UN, and the economic situation-and herein lies a danger- Obama has a protectionist streak, which is not so good in the present climate! 2. The political agenda in Britain is also shifting, inevitably, as we enter a recession that I believe will last longer than most people think. Attitudes will change, and the volatility of recent British polling will continue for the forseeable future. It cannot be assumed, as the press wered doing a few weeks ago, that the Tories will form the next government. The EU is currently hamstrung over the Lisbon treaty and the actions of the Irish and German governments in the financial crisis have shown how quickly the most pro-European leaders such as Chancellor Merkel can turn protectionist and unilateralist within the EU when under pressure. Liberals must remember that liberty involves liberty to trade and without preferential treatment by intervensionist governments- a difficult principle to uphold in the next few years I think. Back to our party- and a call to those of you on this site who have been convinced of the rightness of Liberal principles and policies- GET INVOLVED! 1. Join- you can join centrally, using the form on the website, or use the website contact list to contact your local Association if you live in or near Gateshead, Liverpool, Peterborough, Slough, Kidderminster, Scotland, Devon or Cornwall. 2. The party needs money in preparing for big elections- and as Tesco say, 'every little helps'- send a donation- a regular monthly donation of a small ammount (say £5 or £10) is I think better than a one-off! 3. By all means lets chat in this forum- it's a great facility- but get involved if you can in the Liberal Party in your area. We are a small party, with a big set of values and policies. Every vote we win, every seat we gain, at whatever level of government, puts our radical ideas and values into the real-life experience of our nation. 4. Come to next year's Assembly- and help to make it happen!
Assembly is the centre of the Liberal year. Now Assembly is over, the preparations for the European elections next summer can begin and also consideration of the fight (probably in 2010) in the next General Election. For many Liberals, especially in Cornwall, Devon & Worcestershire, the County Council elections in 2009 will be at the forefront of their minds. As a party, Liberals are working on the basis of radical policies, in a political climate more turbulent and unpredictable than for many years. Personally, I predict two things about this: 1. Barack Obama is going to win on Tuesday and he will win big, with the possibility of a Congress dominated by the Democrats. This has huge implcations. Bill Clinton has described it as an earthquake. For many in middle America it will be a disorienting experience. The culture of politics in America is about to change. This will affect us because it will change both the world situation, particularly the US involvement in the UN, and the economic situation-and herein lies a danger- Obama has a protectionist streak, which is not so good in the present climate! 2. The political agenda in Britain is also shifting, inevitably, as we enter a recession that I believe will last longer than most people think. Attitudes will change, and the volatility of recent British polling will continue for the forseeable future. It cannot be assumed, as the press wered doing a few weeks ago, that the Tories will form the next government. The EU is currently hamstrung over the Lisbon treaty and the actions of the Irish and German governments in the financial crisis have shown how quickly the most pro-European leaders such as Chancellor Merkel can turn protectionist and unilateralist within the EU when under pressure. Liberals must remember that liberty involves liberty to trade and without preferential treatment by intervensionist governments- a difficult principle to uphold in the next few years I think. Back to our party- and a call to those of you on this site who have been convinced of the rightness of Liberal principles and policies- GET INVOLVED! 1. Join- you can join centrally, using the form on the website, or use the website contact list to contact your local Association if you live in or near Gateshead, Liverpool, Peterborough, Slough, Kidderminster, Scotland, Devon or Cornwall. 2. The party needs money in preparing for big elections- and as Tesco say, 'every little helps'- send a donation- a regular monthly donation of a small ammount (say £5 or £10) is I think better than a one-off! 3. By all means lets chat in this forum- it's a great facility- but get involved if you can in the Liberal Party in your area. We are a small party, with a big set of values and policies. Every vote we win, every seat we gain, at whatever level of government, puts our radical ideas and values into the real-life experience of our nation. 4. Come to next year's Assembly- and help to make it happen!