Hello from Leftwing and Liberal
Hello All ! A brief intro : I'm Barrie and (currently) active within the Lib Dems, but take an interest in the development of the continuing Liberal Party and in progressive politics generally. I was formerly a Labour councillor in the East Midlands, but the change of direction in that party added to its authoritarianism made me look at radical social liberalism more closely. Today I am still firmly left-of-centre, a committed trade unionist, decentralist in outlook, green-ish, liberal and influenced as much by former experiences as a community worker as by neat philosophical labels. I'm involved on the local party executive and nationally with the Association of LD Trade Unionists. I don't like the Orange Book influence over the Lib Dems especially with regard to public services, but do see the Lib Dems as the only serious vehicle of opposition to the Tories (a party I've despised all my life). I am keen for Adrian Sanders MP to retain the Torbay seat and to force the Tories out of the Town Hall locally, hence my current political engagement. My old blog http://leftleaningpolitics.blogspot.com/ gives you an idea of where I'm coming from. I hope to resurrect it again soon. Lastly I will hope to read / respond to posts in a constructive and non-partisan fashion.

Hi Barrie, welcome to the forum. I'm sure posts here by Liberal Party members will be equally constructive as your own.

Hello Barrie, and welcome! I've just been reading your blog, which is very engaging. I think you'll find quite a few kindred spirits here.

Hi Barrie! Welcome! As a former Labour councillor myself and a leftist Liberal I guess we share much in common. This forum has been very quiet lately so I hope you can prod us productively!

Hello Barrie, I hope you'll contribute to our debates. As an ex libdem Cllr and PPC , i left exasperated by the failure to develop a clear vision or identity. After a brief capitulation to the vacuous politics of the Westminster concensus, i followed my heart,head and experience into the Liberal Party with its firm commitment to radical Liberal reform. The rise of Clegg after the Orange Book and his use of the Bones Commission leads me to the opinion that the Lib Dems are no longer clearly Liberal or particularly democratic and there is nothing liberal about more EU, more PFI, more public service cuts , more nuclear weapons etc. Rather, Clegg is apeing Cameron apeing Blair and has positioned the Lib Dems firmly within the post-Thatcherite concensus of the Westminster village.

The Bones Commission convinced me that presentation and centralised control of the party are more important to the Lib Dems leadership than real debate. Where they have voiced reservations about PFI it has not resulted in a clear policy or alternative vision. I am not aware that the Lib Dems have a clear policy against nuclear weapons in general. Their policy of being pro EU yet claiming to be democrats favouring localism and decentralisation is clearly, absolutely and fundamentally flawed, contradictory and an immense piece of monstrous political hypocrisy. The Thatcherite Tax cutting gimmick adopted by Clegg and meekly accepted by the rank and file is nothing more than an economically unsustainable, opportunist stunt designed to outflank the Tories in Southern English seats...where we agree it has to be on the basis of philosophical substance, ground being vacated by the calamitous Mr Clegg and his cohorts.

Welcome. :)

Tim, The Lib Dems at present do not accept the nuclear alternative. As for policy making, conference remains soverign. Indeed, to 'win' the vote on taxation it needed the wheeling out of the party 'big guns' to sway the vote. That this was so, clearly shows the leadership cannot take the membership for granted. The vote was on about a 60 / 40 split. As you know, particularly in recession, I do not think that reducing taxes is a bigger priority than further investment in public services. Whilst Clegg may be right in that frontline services will not be impacted upon, the prior 'spinning' of the putative policy to the right wing press was unecessary and was tilted at would-be Tory inclined voters in the south. Predictably the outcome was portrayed as Thatcherite in outlook, even if the intent was not. This 'spinning' cuts little ice here in Torbay as it is the failure to squeeze soft and / or disillusioned **Labour** voters that is key to winning or losing in the bay. Moreover, despite the spin, it is likely that it is the middle-classes who'd benefit most from Lib Dem plans. Going further and taking more of the lowest paid out of taxation altogether and increasing tax thresholds is my preferred way forward. Yes, the tax proposals are redistributive, but not skewed heavily enough in favour of those 'hard working families' who need tax breaks most of all. Where I do agree in part is the contradiction of supporting greater localism and decentralisation whilst not being sufficiently rigorous in demanding wholesale democratisation of the hugely centralst in EU. There is a place for subsidiarity with greater co-operation at a European level, but the democratic deficit at that level is anything but liberal. Can and should the EU be reformed or is that an impossibilist proposition ? Ironically Tim for a party you consider to be lacking in principle, the LD (and the Liberals historically) have been pro-Europe, despite one of the key party heartlands (the West Country) being decidedly of the opposite view ! As it stands, I'm fairly EU neutral and far from the stereotype Lib Dem. At present, just like the populace at large, the EU is not one of the central issues concerning voters. Your party sees this as a major selling point and almost fetishise the subject. I'm not sure how much mileage there is in being a left leaning version of UKIP. Finally, it is important to distinguish between Clegg and the leadership and the wider party. Let's face it, Clegg has a wafer thin mandate.