Our place to talk – an independent website for supporters of the Liberal Democrat party in the UK.

The most-read independent website by and for Lib Dem supporters. Not paid for by trade unions or millionaires.

Advert

Author Archives: Spencer Hagard

Our values and the Brexit crisis

By Spencer Hagard | Mon 27th June 2016 - 7:33 pm

We must quickly learn to cope with the new reality, and respond imaginatively, rationally and practically. I applaud Tim Farron for doing so, and doing it well.

With a trickle of enquiries about whether Tim is acting ultra vires, party members will need reassurance that approved constitutional arrangements for policy making in emergency situations are being scrupulously observed. Federal Policy Committee should quickly provide reassurance, and should also circulate its plans to organise and channel the party membership’s central role in policy making during the crisis.

Meanwhile, back at the inferno, many established aspects of UK governance are under challenge, with new challenges arising constantly. Liberal Democrats need to seize the hour, to strongly re-emphasise the party’s radical political and constitutional reform agenda, developed over many decades, but corroded by the 2010 coalition agreement, and then undermined by the frustrating processes and unsatisfactory outcomes of the 2012-13 policy working group (of which I was a member).

Continue reading »

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged eu referendum | 22 Comments

Most Read

Op-eds

A Proposed Alternative to Coalition: The Reserved Time Confidence Agreement (Owen Driscoll)
ALDC by-election report – 5 November (Charles Quinn)
Tom Arms’ World Review (Tom Arms)
Observations of an Expat: Post Election Worries (Tom Arms)
How Liberal Democrats can ride Britain’s youth wave on the pro-EU shift (Rupinder Singh)

Advert

Recent Comments

Catherine Hodgkinson
Like Suzanne I find it concerning that the reasons why electors voted against the Republicans were largely concerning self interest. I would have been happier i...
expats
@Anthony Acton 8th Nov '26 - 10:18pm...The first, in 2010, was wrecked by the disastrous betrayal of solemn pledges on student tuition fees...... It wasn't j...
Anthony Acton
I agree with Graham. The party has had two opportunities to get on equal terms with Labour and the Tories this century. The first, in 2010, was wrecked by the d...
cim
@Peter Davies I'm not talking about young people in general, though - according to the polls, 10% of younger voters support the Lib Dems, same as any other age...
PM
@Tom, You're not the only one who's suffered from writers block when it comes to describing the recent social unrest in France and other EU countries. No-one...