12000 new Lib Dems in 7 days.  Wow.  That’s a lot of angry people.  Just the tip of the iceberg though: there are millions more angry people marching to Westminster and angry people venting on Facebook.

Tim Farron is resonating with them.  Why?… because he and we are all angry.  On 24^th June 2016 we woke up in a country that is no longer tolerant, open, progressive or friendly.  Love not Leave: we want our country back.

But…

Although this is about the EU for the angry mob, we are about so, so much more than that.

Liberalism is living life how you choose without oppression and without oppressing others: a value all modern Brits hold dear.  Brexit has woken-up the inner-Liberal of the digital generation.  We need to help them into a new dawn.

And waving our little fists will not get us anywhere.  The Rags have ignored the new 12000.  The Fiberals, the Limp Liberals, the Diberal Lemocrats, the Sandal Brigade.  WE ALL KNOW THE SCORE: stop disturbing the class and go cool off outside.

That cannot happen!  Not this time.  Baby will not be put back in the corner.  Britain’s soul is on the line.  So we need to get organised, get on this and get moving:  now!

So, I submit a plan to all my fellow Lib Dems:

1. Look For Leadership. After reeling like everyone else, I contacted my local Lib Dem Leader, Avril Davies, for guidance.  She, like so many, is a fantastic Lib Dem Councillor working tirelessly against stiff opposition with few resources for many years.  People like her know how to do it.   Find them.
2. Engage the Angry Mob. Convert our new members into the greatest Liberal Movement in a hundred years.  Otherwise we lose them.  Contact our new members and friends, welcome them, console them, engage them and get them active.
3. Get Together, Stick Together. You are not the ‘Only Liberal in the Village’.  We have half the Tory membership now!  Find your fellow Lib Dems.  Meet monthly, support each other, plan together and work together.
4. Keep Your Foot Down. This is a long-game.  We will only fill the hearts and minds of doubters with Liberalism by Drip-Drip-Dripping.  Flying around like blue-arsed flies just before an election will not.  Use the Focus, use the stalls, and talk with colleagues, neighbours and friends.  Got any other ideas?…go for it!
5. Be Loud, Be Proud. We are the ‘in’ crowd again, but we must be seen to be believed.  Badges, car stickers, posters and speak out: Yes…I am a Liberal, get over it!
6. Sound-bytes, Sound-bytes, Sound-bytes. If UKIP and Trump have shown anything, it’s that sound-bytes beat a well-constructed argument every time.  Think about the message.  Keep it sweet, keep it short.
7. Nobody likes a sour-puss.  We are the Yellow lot.  The Sunny-Side up lot.  Bounce-back-ability is what we do and we are one and all Tiggers, bouncing all other the place.  They can’t stop us, because they can’t hold us down.

My Fellow Lib Dems:  This is our Moment in History.

Kick off the sandals and get on the DMs!

* David Frearson is a scientist and a member based in Buckinghamshire near Aylesbury.