For too long, a great injustice has existed within our party; some say, within our society. Across Britain, calls for reform on this issue have been dismissed. As a proud liberal and social democrat, I cannot sit back and allow it to go on any longer.
I am, of course, talking about the fact that Roy Jenkins isn’t an option for our membership cards.
On a more serious note, I would love to have Roy Jenkins added as an option. He’s a political hero of mine for the success he achieved as Home Secretary; decriminalising homosexuality, abolishing capital punishment, removing theatre censorship, liberalising abortion laws, to name just a few. But not only that, he took the brave step of leaving the Labour Party, helped found a new centre-left party, and played an integral role in the formation of the Liberal Democrats.
As it stands, the options for membership card covers we have are:
- Voting at conference
- Pride
- Charles Kennedy
- Dadabhai Naoroji
- Ed Davey
- Jane Dodds
- Jo Swinson
- Kirsty Williams
- Layla Moran
- Lynne Featherstone
- Margaret Wintringham
- Nick Clegg
- Paddy Ashdown
- Shirley Williams – one of the “Gang of Four” members who joined Roy Jenkins to break away from Labour!
- Violet Bonham-Carter
- Willie Rennie
With all these options, it would make perfect sense for arguably one of the most, if not the most, transformative Home Secretaries in modern history.
That’s why I’m launching an online campaign to get #RoyOnTheCard.
* Jack Meredith is a member of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and an active campaigner and canvasser with Swansea and Gower Liberal Democrats. His writing focuses on democratic reform, social justice, trade unionism, economic democracy, and the institutional foundations of effective government. He has written for the Fabians, Lib Dem Voice, Liberator, Nation Cymru, Bylines Cymru, and Centre Think Tank.
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3 Comments
I’m afraid, on balance, that I tend to disagree with you on this. I’m not convinced that someone should appear on our membership cards for his political achievements while a member of a rival party. Equally, I believe David Steel was the leader of the Liberals at the time who was central to forging the alliance and eventual merger with the SDP. If Roy Jenkins deserves this ‘honour’, it should only be at the same time as David Steel gets such recognition.
The choice of personality on the card seems to be a waste of time! Our new members recently requested. Violet and another- they both got Ed Davey! Perhaps we should just have the bird in the card and save money ?
Mr Meredith would be correct if he had said Roy Jenkins played a role in the abolition of capital punishment, but prime credit must go to Sidney Silverman, MP for Nelson & Colne.
In 1965 Silverman had campaigned for abolition for over twenty years, including a bill which passed by 200 votes to 98 on a free vote in the Commons on 28 June 1956; but it was defeated in the then hereditary House of Lords.
In 1965, Silverman successfully piloted the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Bill as a Private Members Bill through Parliament, abolishing capital punishment for murder in the UK and in the British Armed Forces for a period of five years but with provision for abolition to be made permanent by affirmative resolutions of both Houses of Parliament before the end of that period. The appropriate resolutions were passed in 1969.
Incidentally, at the time, Alasdair Mackenzie, Liberal MP for Ross and Cromarty, voted to retain capital punishment (both in 1965 and 1969) – and later, I remember Cyril Smith, Liberal MP for Rochdale and Liberal Chief Whip, advocating its re-introduction.