Engage

Engage, the Lib Dem Policy Network, is a group who want to encourage more party members to get involved in discussing policy and politics within our party.

Be heard: every member of the party should be able to speak up and contribute: we are considerably more open and democratic than the other major parties, and we want many more members to be heard in our discussions

Talking about politics: Politics is about which ideas and which policies offer the best way forward for our society. We want to encourage more real discussion of policies and politics.

Opening up policy making: If contributing to making policy in our party seems difficult, we want to open it up! There are genuinely lots of opportunities for members to feed ideas in which don’t get taken up. We want more people to use those opportunities.

Who we are

Engage is a group of party members involved in policy-making who want to encourage more party members to talk about it and contribute too. We have no formal status within the party, and simply want to encourage more members to talk about policy with each other and locally, and contribute to the party’s formal policy-making processes. We cover the full spectrum of views within the Liberal Democrats. Our core group includes several members of the party’s Federal Policy Committee (FPC).
Honorary President: Baroness Ros Scott, President of the Liberal Democrats
Director: Jeremy Hargreaves
Committee: David Hall-Matthews, Duncan Brack, Julie Smith, Jonathan Marks, Sal Brinton, William Wallace, David Boyle, Virginia Morck
Contact us by email [email protected]

Join us!

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What we do

Engage:

• supports discussions by local parties and other groups at “Pizza and Politics” or other similar local events: see our “Instant policy discussion kit”;
• produces a regular newsletter giving an informal guide to developments in the party’s policy-making: sign up to receive it here;
• has a database of potential speakers willing to speak to local parties at discussion meetings;
• produces briefings on key issues of interest;
• provides advice to individuals, local parties and other groups on how they can take forward policy ideas and discussion within the party;
• makes the case for policy and political discussion to play an important role within the Liberal Democrats

Instant policy discussion kit

The Engage instant guide to setting up a policy discussion locally:

1. Download one of our Policy discussion briefings, and choose a topic:
   • Europe (PDF)
   • Cuts (PDF)
   • Trident (PDF)
   • AV/PR (PDF)
   • Nuclear Energy (DOC)
   • Food (DOC)
2. Contact us to request a visiting speaker, if you like [email protected]. It’s also possible to hold an interesting discussion without an outside speaker.
3. Book a venue and advertise it to party members locally.
4. Complete the discussion write-up form and send back to [email protected]. All forms returned will be uploaded to the private members-only discussion forum on LibDemVoice where all party members and advisors will have the chance to see them and discuss them. We will also put as many as possible up for discussion in public on the main LibDemVoice blog site.
5. Engage will also provide advice to local parties and others on how ideas generated can be taken forward in the party’s formal policy-making processes, where requested or appropriate.

Five things you can do right now to take part in policy discussion in the party:

1. Find a local discussion event near you: a lot are listed are www.flocktogether.org.uk where you can search for events meeting your interest and near you.
2. Contact your local or regional party, at www.libdems.org.uk/in_your_area.html.
3. Read and comment at www.libdemvoice.org and www.libdemblogs.co.uk If you’re a party member you can also join the party members-only discussion at forum.libdemvoice.org.
4. Book now to come to party conference, at www.libdems.org.uk/conference.
5. Find a group of Lib Dems with a similar area of interest to you: details of a whole range of interest groups within the party are here: www.libdems.org.uk/party/party-bodies.html.