Tim Farron says that his mission for 2016 is to raise inequality up the political agenda. In a special Christmas message for the Mirror, he says:
From my family, to yours I want to wish readers of the Sunday Mirror a happy, joyous and restful Christmas.
My primary mission politically in 2016 is to raise the issue of inequality up the political agenda.
No-one should go hungry or homeless in Britain. We must have a national crusade to end this scandal. Once and for all.
We have the mission but we must also have the will power to do it.
The values of Christmas – charity, togetherness and compassion must be taken forward and I am committed to doing that.
He also reveals some of what he will be doing over the Festive Season:
As with every year, I’ll be making the journey with my children to Ewood Park to see Blackburn Rovers play over the Christmas break, and re-watching the Father Ted Christmas Special for what feels like the hundredth time!
All these Farron family traditions make my Christmas because I get real quality time with my family and they remind me how important that sense of belonging is.
It is good to see inequality being put at centre stage.
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9 Comments
A worthy aim.
May I join the many others who would like to wish the Farron family, a happy, joyous and restful Christmas, although how one has a restful Christmas with children around beats me.
What I love about our own family Christmas is that over the years, as we have welcomed new family members, we have added different national traditions, the latest being Polish traditions. For us, it is a time when family members of all Faiths or none, united by goodwill, take time out to enjoy each others company, mindful that others do not have our good fortune.
It is good to see this message from Tim in the Sunday Mirror, he has highlighted an issue seen as a concern by all liberally minded.
However the issues do not stop there. The Observer today raises a number of issues including:
The failure of government to tackle corporate malpractice and tax avoidance
The starving of opposition parties of finance whilst the tories still receive millions from business
The attack of the government on our democratic systems
The unlikely event of Labour never winning again
The current situation is enough to make liberals and democrats despair for the future of our country.
Can we take a lead from Tim and bring the issues to the attention public, whilst offering solutions?
Can we work with the Social Democrats in the Labour party work on joint policies to present to the electorate?
We all care about poverty and it’s good to see the Lib Dem leader highlighting the importance of tackling inequality.
However… If you care about inequality above all other political issues, why vote Lib Dem? Why would you not vote Labour or Green?
Outflanking Labour from the left worked during the authoritarian, “intensely relaxed” Blair years but Corbyn’s Labour is a very different, rather more left wing beast with a focus on inequality at its heart.
In repudiating the supposed strategy of offering a Diet Tory programme, we absolutely must not simple offer a Diet Labour programme in its place.
I still cannot answer the question “Why vote Lib Dem?” for anyone outside of my own local area. If I can’t, as a party member and a fan of our leader, how can I expect anyone else to?
David asks ‘Can we work with the Social Democrats in the Labour party work on joint policies to present to the electorate?’
Labour could split into two parties, a Socialist and Social Democrat one, and each of them could have a role in Government, but NOT until we achieve Proportional Representation. Polls show this is now preferred to First past the Post by voters so why is the centre left not campaigning for it?
Good point Leekliberal.
Apologise for my double negative indicating that Labour could win again
Wishing Tim and family a very happy Christmas! Weather up here is still very wet and thoughts are very much with young families and vulnerable , hoping the continued wet weather doesn’t result in illness (a hidden aftermath to flooding). Wish for the New Year would be a sense of honour, duty and public spirit in other politicians. My constituents (bordering Tim’s) reckon he’s the best MP in the UK. Hoping there will be more like him.
Good. We must give people hope and rescue them from poverty, hunger, cold and homelessness. How can these still exist in a wealthy country like ours?
Very pleased to hear this from Tim.
Equality, of opportunity but most especially of outcome, is one of the corner stones of social justice Liberal Democracy.
Inequality has grown and has done so at an ever-increasing rate for the last 35 years or so.
Liberal Democrats highlighting and proposing action in active support of equality fits in perfectly with our concerns regarding housing and the creation of a thriving green and sustainable economy and will provide an excellent addition to our campaigns on issues such as justice for refugees and constitutional reform.
I am very pleased that tackling inequality is to be at the heart of our message in 2015. We need to show that we are serious in every way about noone being enslaved by poverty. I totally disgaree that this in some way makes us ‘Labour light’ we have our own tradition and commitment to tackling poverty and inequality. It is not Labour’s exclusive territory and often has been neglected by them in pursuit of other goals.