Editor’s Note: In November party members will be voting to elect our next Party President. At Lib Dem Voice we welcome posts from each of the candidates – one to launch their candidature plus a maximum of one per week during the actual campaign.

As leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, I have my fair share of experience in standing up to populism and nationalism – in whatever form they present. A crucial part of making sure we face down those who seek to divide us is having members and activists who are empowered, supported and listened to: that is one of the reasons why I am backing Josh Babarinde for President.

I’ve seen first hand what happens when individuals are given the tools, knowledge, and confidence to take an active role in their community and build their party – they become the driving force behind positive change. Today, we as a party can sometimes rely far too much on champions going it alone with limited support.

Josh’s plans to grow what’s on offer is something I can get fully behind. I like his plans to work with ALDC, HQ and others to build support for local parties.

I like that Josh can draw on his experience at the School for Social Entrepreneurs where he headed up a national programme of training and support for people driving changes in their communities, as well as his work as Vice Chair of the Racial Diversity Campaign in the party to support his vision.

And I like that he is a doer- such as his work before Parliament setting up an award-winning social enterprise, supporting young people out of crime and gangs and into employment. And when he was a local Councillor and led the campaign to declare a cost of living emergency – the first in the country – in Eastbourne. At the time, it was the busiest Trussel Foodbank in the country, and Josh’s work led to the creation of a £250,0000 cost of living emergency fund.

When members feel that their contributions are valued and that they can directly influence decisions, they are more likely to invest their time and energy. This creates a powerful ripple effect, transforming local residents into engaged community champions who can identify local needs, propose solutions, and mobilise their neighbours. This is often the start of a journey that blossoms into something far greater. Josh understands this – as candidate and then MP for Eastbourne he knows what well supported members can deliver for their communities.

He also understands that creating a culture of active participation relies on allowing people to engage how they want and where they want. Yes, that might mean coming together in person but importantly it must also be about creating moments to connect and exchange ideas online too. This is particularly important across Scotland where members are dispersed across sometimes great distances – working towards a common cause but spread out.

This is critical to the long term sustainability of our local parties. Isolation breeds disconnection and if we want to continue to grow the party, empower members and drive powerful change we must foster the bonds of connection between our members. In doing this we create a pull through mechanism and create the leaders of tomorrow.

Organisations that rely on a small group of leaders risk burning out their key volunteers and struggle to innovate and grow. By contrast, a broad and empowered membership base ensures a continuous flow of new ideas, energy, and skills. It builds a legacy of leadership and knowledge that can be passed on, making us more resilient as a party.

We start from a position of real strength and the Scottish elections just round the corner give us another opportunity to push forward and if we are to take it up a notch to that next level then we absolutely need to empower our members to get more involved, drive change and grow within the party.

Josh will help us grow our campaign, resources and activist base – I can’t think of anyone better to be party President.

* Alex Cole-Hamilton is leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.