The agenda for the Scottish Liberal Democrat Spring Conference to be held on Edinburgh on 26 and 27 February has been published and can be found online here.

Traditionally, pre-election conferences are full of non-controversial items aimed at setting out the party’s stall to the public. This agenda, by and large, follows that pattern with debates on opportunities for young people, public services, a plan to decentralise power, particularly to Scotland’s island communities, better and fairer delivery of essential services like electricity and broadband in the Highlands. All of these are pretty much bread and butter issues for the party.

The main moment of controversy, however, will come in a closed session when party members will debate a radical and wide-ranging motion on improving the party’s diversity. Yes, it includes all-women shortlists for the five most winnable seats in 2020, the first two places on the 2019 Euro list going to a woman and a man respectively and decisions to be taken at a later date for the Scottish Parliament elections. That’s not the whole story, though. There’s a minimum of £10,000 a year in ring-fenced funding to support candidates from under-represented groups with personal or campaign expenses, a duty on the leader and every member of the Executive to make the party more diverse and a duty on local parties to report, as they do for PPERA, on diversity every year.

What’s interesting is that Jo Swinson, who was famously against all-women shortlists, is summating for this motion.

The motion itself is very long, over 1200 words and 120 lines. I’ve reproduced the first two sections setting out the problem and a broad set of principles for action at the bottom of this article. This motion, like many others on the agenda, is open for amendment until 24 February. It is significantly more radical than that which has been submitted by the Federal Executive for Spring Conference. We will find out later this weekend if it has been selected for debate.

The early bird discount rate for Scottish conference is in place until 31st January and you can find out details of how to register here.

Conference notes:

The track record of Scottish Liberal Democrats for electing women and people from diverse backgrounds does not reflect the party’s values of equality and opportunity. There has only ever been one woman MP at any one time.

There have only ever been two women MSPs at any one time.
There has never been a parliamentarian from an ethnic minority.
In the last 20 years, of 36 new Liberal Democrat parliamentarians in Scotland only 5 have been women.
In the last 10 years, of 9 new Liberal Democrat parliamentarians in Scotland only 1 has been a woman.
Only 36% of Scottish Liberal Democrat councillors are women.
Only 30% of Scottish Liberal Democrat council group leaders are women.
Whilst 42% of members attending the Scottish Spring Conference in 2015 were women only 32% of speakers at that conference were women.
Whilst 46% of local party secretaries are women, only 21% of Conveners are women.

The party has deployed a variety of mechanisms and efforts to improve diversity including Diversity Champions, diversity training, candidate initiatives, mentoring, Leadership Programme and engaging with underrepresented groups.

Conference believes:

The party’s parliamentary representatives should properly reflect the country we seek to represent, legislate for and govern.
The imbalance in our representation at all levels damages our electoral prospects.

We are losing out on some great talent that exists in our party and the broader liberal movement.

Despite the deployment of a variety of techniques and efforts, bolder action is now required.

New measures should be deployed to bring about greater diversity of elected parliamentarians and councillors and participation in the party’s activities. The party should send a powerful signal to women and people from underrepresented groups that their participation is actively encouraged.

The automatic assumption that a candidate must be able to commit all evenings and weekends to campaigning even if they have caring responsibilities should change.

An environment and culture should be created in the party that gives women and people from diverse backgrounds opportunity to succeed in the party and to access elected office at all levels.

Half of the party’s parliamentary representatives should be women.

Our party’s parliamentary representatives should broadly reflect society in terms of ethnic background, LGBT+, disability and other characteristics.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings