Have you got a burning idea that could make a positive difference to people’s lives?

If so, then why not write it down, get some supporters and submit it as a motion to Liberal Democrat Spring Conference.

The lovely people at the Federal Conference Committee will even give you drafting advice.

The motion deadline for Spring Conference isn’t till 9th January, so why am I telling you this?

Well, FCC, lovely as they are, don’t give drafting advice over Christmas. Everyone deserves a break, after all. So you have to ask for that by 19th December. That’s less than a month away, and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll procrastinate for ages before actually writing anything down.

All you need to know can be found here.

If you have never written a motion for Conference before, have a look here

There are years’ worth of examples.

Basically the first part of your motion outlines the problem, then you say what we believe, the underlying principles that we’ll use to develop our solution and finally, a section calling for various actions to sort it all out.

One of the good things about proposing a motion is that you know that you’re going to get called to speak – and write at the beginning of the debate. It’s nerve-wracking – I know, because I’ve done it. In 2016, I proposed what was a highly controversial motion proposing action to improve the diversity of our MPs.

If you have an idea that you would like to see debated at Conference, be the change you want to see.

If you want to submit a motion for Scottish Conference, which takes place in Hamilton from 22-23 February, the dates are different and you can find all the information you need here.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social