No-one can deny that this has been a horrible week electorally for the Liberal Democrats. It might also be argued that to join the Liberal Democrats at this time is akin to landing on the Titanic prior to it hitting the iceberg. At least that is what has been said to me but to no avail. A few weeks ago I resigned my membership of the Labour party and joined the Liberal Democrats. Whilst the events of the last few days have saddened me and caused me considerable angst, not for one moment have I had second thoughts about my decision.
I live in Penistone near Barnsley. Barnsley is your archetypal Labour town and Penistone a generally (though not last Thursday) small conservative enclave of the borough. If I wanted easy influence in local politics, the easy thing would have been to stay within the Labour party. But the last few weeks have made me realise that I would be living a lie and a dishonourable one at that.
Whatever anyone says about the campaign the Liberal Democrats ran over the last few weeks, they were the only party who ran a positive campaign. A campaign that painted Britain as the nation I believe it to be – an open minded, welcoming country. Nick Clegg was the only party leader who had the guts to put up and debate Nigel Farage. All we got from Mr Miliband and the Prime Minister were snipes from the side. The election broadcast by the Labour party entitled the “Un-credible Shrinking man” was the point when I realised I’d made the right decision rather than the easy decision. That broadcast was a disgrace and exemplified the negativity the Labour campaign ran on.
Penistone, to my knowledge, has few if any Liberal Democrat members and certainly no party infrastructure and no history of supporting the party. However I am determined to change that over the coming years. Liberal Democracy is about hope not fear. It is about positivity not negativity. It is about open-mindedness not scapegoating. This I have come to realise over the last few weeks and I intend making it my mission to spread that positive message here in Penistone and Barnsley. Will I ucceed? Who knows – the folk in this neck of the wood don’t change their minds easily. But I will do my best to make this happen. I don’t believe I’ve joined the Liberal Democrat Titanic has it heads for the iceberg. I believe I’ve joined the Liberal Democrat phoenix as it is reborn in the ashes of an awful election result just as it rises again, stronger than ever.
* Wayne Chadburn is a member of the Liberal Democrats and Penistone Town Council
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Have resignations led to a rethink?
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35 Comments
Good luck to you and welcome aboard.
It’s not so much jumping on the Titantic prior to hitting the Iceberg, it’s more like jumping on the Titantic after it has a massive hole in the side and sinking without a trace.
Good luck to you though.
78 out of 405 signatures on Lib Dems 4 change are female and that is including those where i am not sure of the gender just by name – does this reflect the break down for the membership as a whole ? I have asked for a breakdown in the past but havnt been able to get one. Or does it say something else. Not that its that important – or is it?
Welcome. I’m beginning to wonder whether #libdems4change is a campaign to replace Nick Clegg or a campaign to recruit new members from Labour? If so, it seems to be working rather well.
One of the most recent #libdems4change signatories is Jeremy Ambache who as far as I am aware is an ex-Lib Dem now a recently elected Labour councillor in Wandsworth. I thought only members could sign – or has Jeremy rejoined or perhaps offered to rejoin if Nick resigns?
It is certainly rather odd for a Labour party member to sign a petition which praises:
“a Party that has delivered many of the things we sought office for, not least starting a tax revolution, taking millions of people out of income tax altogether; giving children in England a fairer start in life via the pupil premium; transforming pension provision; making society more tolerant and inclusive, for instance by defending the Human Rights Act and introducing same-sex marriage”
David 28th May ’14 – 6:01pm
David, anything can be proved with statistics. 100% of the UK Liberal Democrat MEPs are female.
Is that a victory for feminism or one lucky survivor from a disastrous campaign by our male leader?
Paul K 28th May ’14 – 6:26pm
Yes I was curious about the Jeremy Ambache signature. Maybe it is another instance of the new style membership department handing out free memberships to falsely boost the numbers in an attempt to shore up Clegg.
This has been discussed and denied by said membership department several times in LDV. Despite the denials iexamples keep coming to the surface.
Welcome and good luck.
You will find help and advice once the Party gets over the present news, which it will soon.
Welcome Wayne, quite a time a join the party! A baptism of fire if ever there was one, but I’m sure you won’t regret the decision.
It takes real conviction, and even guts, to make the move you’ve made. Two leadership qualities, which will serve you well in building up our party in your area. Hats off to you, and thank you for this really positive post.
Welcome Wayne. When I joined some 37 years ago the party was in an unpopular pact with another party to see us through an economic crisis, the former leader was facing a charge of conspiracy to murder and we were being beaten by the National Front in parliamentary by-elections. The media said we would be wiped out in the general election and of course we weren’t.
I’ve never regretted my decision to join.
Richard Church – that’s a refreshing as.se of perspective for those of.us too young to recall those dark days with any clarity. If we think it’s bad now … At least it was only a nearly leader and for driving offence.
I made the exact same decision in the general election. I was a labour supporter for 10 years, but then the crash came and i knew me and labour were done. Step forward lib dems everything they stood for is exactly what I value. I’m in the process of signing up with my local lib dems to try and help. I wish you all the success in Barnsley.
Mark
Amen to that, gents.
@Richard Church At last some historical perspective on the woes of the Party. Though there are opponents of Nick Clegg who will have witnessed the ups and downs of the Party – I was brought up in Hereford where in 1959 Robin Day had put up a storming performance for the Liberals, and there within a decade or so we were struggling to hold our deposit – most members and activists have since the 1980s experienced a relatively upward trajectory in the Party’s performance. It is perhaps understandable that people look for scapegoats, or try to rationalise failure. Sometimes however political parties are merely the victims of circumstance, and are swept along by a political dynamic over which they have little control. Only once the storm has passed, most likely after 2015, will it be possible to plot a course for the future.
Richard Church and Graham Evans
I hope this does not intrude on your happy memories. But you are talking nonsense. The UK wide vote on Thursday was thenworstbresult of a Liberal Party for 50 years.
I joined the Liberal Party in September 1970 shortly after the GeneralElection where we were very nearly wiped out- you might want to remind yourself of the percentage support and how many MPs were elected that year and just how close we were to having no MPs at all. Thursday’s result was even worse than that. Clegg on whom the entire campaign this year was centred achieved all of 7%.
We were not victims of circumstance, we were victims of arrogance, stupidity, and political,incompetence.
You might be happy to limp along until a General Election to take us back to the 1950s and sacrifice the hard work of two generations so that you can share memories of how tough things were when you were boys, but some people might think that a tad self indulgent, don’t you think?
People paying the bedroom tax might think your comments deserve contempt.
You perhaps think we are better off leaving such people to UKIP and destitution whilst you make excuses formClegg.
John Tilley. “people paying the bedroom tax.” This one I struggle with. Perhaps I am an evil, nasty, despicable orange Booker, but to me it seems inherently unfair to exempt those on benefits from the realities of those that don’t receive them – namely that you have to cut your cloth to what you can afford. Noting that there are legitimate exceptions to this,ddisabled people needing space for equipment or a carer etc.
@JohnTilley
While I am not a massive fan of the leadership
Actually Wikipedia gives us 6.2% in 1989 European Parliamentary Elections.
I do BTW wish that people would stop calling for unity – mainly on the leadership side. We should as democrats believe that all members are entitled to their views and opinions and to express them. What they tend to mean is not unity as Clegg resigning would probably give the most unity – but “shut up. I disagree with you.”
@Tabman agreed. The bedroom tax is an excellent theory, but it needs to be implemented over about thirty years to allow sufficient shifting around of the housing stock not to disadvantage those of reduced means.
@Michael
Thanks for the correction. I had in my head that it was higher. But good to be put right. My memory may also be fogged by the fact that here in Kingston 1989 was not really that bad because we had got over all the burdens of the merger squabbles and we’re on the up locally. Indeed we have had a majority on the council for most of the 25 years since.
Certainly agree with you on the bogus calls for unity. The people who want to Cling on to Clegg seem short on positive rational argument as to why or how keeping him as leader would benefit the party.
After seven years of saying good times are just around the corner, even they seem to have realised that we have been round that corner more than once and the bad times are getting worse. So they are resorting to acts of desperation.
Paul, I think we shouldn’t be subsidizing under-occupancy in the private sector (single person’s council tax exemption etc) eight. There are too many people in homes too big for their needs and thats part of the reason for the supply side shortage. These things take a long time to turn around though.
http://www.libdems4change.org/
David 28th May ’14 – 6:01pm
Our joint concern about Jeremy Ambache has been acted on and the signature has been removed from the letter.
see link above.
I am pleased that my oldest friend Ray Love has just signed the letter along with former Kingston Council Leader Steve Harris and one time Canbury Ward activist Ian Cridland and legendary Chessington North councillor Ian Osborne. With Pam Tilson, Dan Falchikov and yet others it is a bit like Kingston Liberals Reunited. 🙂
Of course there are hundreds of others who have no connection with Kingston, past or present.
@JohnTilley
Rational case? Its better in the long term for Clegg and the wider market liberal orthodoxy to be held to account by the electorate that voted for them. Its more honest for us to accept that verdict, and the act of replacing the leader through means such as the Oakshott manoeuvre will only come across as us trying to evade our collective responsibility.
I also suspect that the rebuilding process will be easier and less ideologically embattled if we let that market liberalism go to the polls under its figurehead and answer once and for all the question of how much potential it has at national elections.
The democratic, constitution defined option has redeeming merits, that’s a conversation the local parties need to have. But the risks are great, not least that of putting any successor through what will be an incredibly damaging general election campaign as their first, probably defining outing in the spotlight.
Tabman – “exempt those on benefits from the realities of those that don’t receive them ” That sounds exaclty like a Tory, not someone in coalition with them. The realities of the policy is the opposite of that. Those not on benefits can have as many spare rooms in their social housing as they have – no questions asked about need or surplus rooms. Only those on benefits are being forced to leave. They are being given a special kicking applied just to them.
You think its right that someone who’s lived in a home for 40 years – invested it with many improvements, and payed enough in rent to build someone else another one – should be kicked out because they’re on benefits. But wouldn’t be if they weren’t. That’s LibDem “fairness”?
Disabled people shouldn’t have a spare room unless its for practical purposes of a carer or for medical equipment! That’s an appalling piece of Victorian descrimination. Its certainly not liberalism. You express very well why the Libdems are on 7%.
Tabman28th May ’14 – 10:50pm…. This one I struggle with. Perhaps I am an evil, nasty, despicable orange Booker, but to me it seems inherently unfair to exempt those on benefits from the realities of those that don’t receive them – namely that you have to cut your cloth to what you can afford. Noting that there are legitimate exceptions to this,ddisabled people needing space for equipment or a carer etc…..
I would have no problem with people “cutting their cloth to what they can afford”….However, these people are where they are; not trying to move into bigger/better accomodation…
In most cases, there are NO smaller houses available and this policy is just a punitive idealogical action…..There are those who are being driven into payday debt, stressed beyond belief and even driven to suicide trying to fund a change in their meagre income..
What happens if they lose their home? They end up in private rented accomodation costing us, the taxpayer, more…
As to your question,….. Yes you are!…as shown by your lack of empathy, dismissing their plight in a later post with, “These things take a long time to turn around “…….(Try telling that to some mother looking into her empty purse)
Joe Bailey – the “turn things around” was in the context of the owner-occupier sector comment I made.
To Joe Bailey and Jeremy – I accept that there are practical problems (lack of smaller housing being one), but you can not deny that there is a huge problem of under-occupancy in this country, both in the social housing sector where many families are on waiting lists for years waiting for suitable housing to come up, and also it is one of the drivers of price increases in the housing market where large family homes continue to be occupied by two or one person thereby reducing the supply and driving up the price of the scarce few that do become available.
Frankly, I’m astonished that you seem oblivious to the plight of these people. It’s very easy to point fingers and say Ooo look at the nasty orange man, but where are your alternative solutions to these problems?
Tabman – Its build more houses. Everyone except the government has been crying out for that. Not HS2 – homes. That would lift the economy. But what instead? A public subsidy for people able to buy homes costing up to £600,000. Note, no questions asked about spare bedrooms. Quite a contrast with the bedroom penalty.
“you can not deny that there is a huge problem of under-occupancy”. I can. That’s frankly a bizarre take on lack of available housing… a notion which only appeared once the government thought up this new way of attacking social housing and those on benefits.
What about under-occupancy of foreign investors buying houses for inverstment and leaving them empty? What is the government doing about that? Nothing. What about second and third homes? Why – that’s what MPs themselves have. Spare homes let along spare rooms. Why are pensioners who are sitting on the most spare social housing rooms exempt? Because they vote in greater numbers. Why are people not on benefits not being pressured to downsize? Because the policy is nothing to do with “under-occupancy”. That’s just the excuse. Its a measure to cut people’s benefits by the back door. “Fairness”. Its bigotted prejudice.
You think people on benefits aren’t exposed to the housing difficulties people not on benefits are? Try checking the rental adverts “No DSS”, “Suit employed”, “Professional person only”… and imagine trying to find somewhere to live in those circumstances. Such as when you’ve had your benefits cut so you can no longer afford the social housing you’re now because of the bedroom penalty.
Welcome Wayne. You and others might even shame me into more action.
Bedroom tax? As a housing planning policy it’s justified. As a sudden imposition it leads to suffering, debt, extra work for councils and housing associations, few more available rooms and little in the way of overall saving. And don’t quote the “equivalent” in the private sector: that wasn’t retrospective.
God bless you, Wayne!
I am anything but oblivious…..But ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul” isn’t the answer…..There is a pressing need for cheaper accommodation in Britain yet the number of ‘affordable’ homes (as opposed to houses) built in the UK is falling. Figures from the Homes and Communities Agency, the government’s national housing body and regulator, showed that the number of affordable house building starts in the financial year to 2013 fell 33% to 36,206 – lower than when the coalition came to power.
Add to that the coalition’s making ‘right to buy’ even easier and homes vacant due to death being sold to ‘buy to renters’ things are getting worse, not better, under the coalition….
The way, those whose circumstances made them the least culpable for the financial collapse, have been scapegoated by the coalition is shameful…….
Build more affordable housing, remove the right to buy,
I’d like to thank everyone who commented on my post and those who have contacted me via twitter (@waynechadburn). I’ve been overwhelmed by the welcome and kind words I’ve received from everyone. You’ve reinforced my belief that I made the right decision in joining and that the Lib Dems are far from heading to the iceberg and definately sprouting new phoenix feathers. Exciting times ahead!! Again many thanks for your warm wishes and words.
I just shared this on Facebook as it said everything I wanted to say as an established Lib Dem and more – welcome 🙂 I’m not local to you Wayne but if you are on FB, Skype, Twitter or similar feel free to ‘friend’ me …
@Wayne Chadburn, Wow. Reading your post I feel more than a sense of empathy. Firstly, I too resigned from the Labour party to join the Lib Dems going against the grain and has many snotty comments aimed at me my favorite one being “A rat joining a sinking ship.”. They don’t seem to understand that the opinion polls shouldn’t matter what so ever when your choosing a party. But secondly I live in Stocksbridge so just down the bypass from you. In fact we might of gone to the same Labour meeting (Wortley hall if I remember right). So may see you around.
Wayne…an inspiration. Welcome aboard. The Lib Dems and liberals before that have had rocky times but still survived and kept fighting throughout their long proud history. Liberalism is as you say about hope not fear. Here’s the party leader in the 50s when the party had a handful of seats rallying the troops…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maUD6QqEZ1Q
Wayne, and Jack and Mark, welcome and good luck with your local campaigning. Others joining too.
When John Alderdice was leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland he used to say that there would be a peace dividend, increased prosperity if the explosions and murders stopped. Despite some doubting Thomas’s there was room for an increased tourist trade.
There is plenty of beautiful scenery. There is Guinness ice cream. There is the Giants’ Causeway https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway (Hop over to Scotland if you are big enough).
There is pride in what the shipyards achieved. When the Titanic was built it was the largest ship in several dimensions, including the onboard stocks of coal, which were on fire when the ship set off for Southampton. This was mentioned at the inquiry but the importance of it was not understood.
The weight of the huge stock of coal caused spontaneous combustion. Teams of firemen shovelled away the burning coal causing the ship to travel faster, but because of a strike in the coal industry there was a risk that the ship would run out of coal in the open ocean with lots of celebrities on board, including a Director of the White Star Line. The ship maintained its current course and speed.
Despite a request from the Board of Trade that special steels should be used the owners specified “ordinary steel”, which was weakened by the fire at places where the bulkheads were intended to make the ship unsinkable, but instead caused it to sink quickly after an impact.
Another economy was reducing the number of lifeboats.
The company was taken over by a rival.