Tag Archives: affiliated organisations

Paul McGarry

How you can join Operation Social Equality

By Paul McGarry | Sat 21st January 2023 - 12:30 pm

I am pleased to tell you about a new Affiliated Organisation we are starting called Operation Social Equality. It is open to all members of the Liberal Democrats but has a specific focus to support members from low-socio economic backgrounds.

Studies tell us that those from low socio-economic backgrounds are amongst the most under-represented in politics and also the least engaged. So three years ago the journey started to look at what can be done to help the Liberal Democrats become more inclusive and to encourage more people from low socio-economic backgrounds to engage with the party.

I heard from many people who shared experiences just like those that I had experienced myself. I heard stories of some who had walked away from the party.  Some found doors to be closed or opportunities held just too far away to grab. It was from these conversations that Operation Social Equality was born.

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Posted in News | Also tagged and | 4 Comments
Steffan Aquarone

Help us strengthen the role of affiliated organisations

By Steffan Aquarone | Sun 15th August 2021 - 8:30 am

Our party is a bit like a family, including the fights, factions, and fallouts.  But like a family, there are lots of different interests that bind us together alongside our belief in liberal democracy.

In the past, interest groups who wanted to formalise and become recognised by the party had to go through a process to become an “Associated Organisation” or a “Specified Associated Organisation”.   Back in 2020, however, the Federal Board asked for a review of the way this worked, and how these groups interact and work together with the wider party.

Since then we (Flo Clucas, Tim Pickstone, Bess Mayhew and Steffan Aquarone, ably assisted by Jack Coulson) have spoken to dozens of party organisations and surveyed hundreds of their members – from the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors, to Liberal Democrat Women, and everything in between.  We found a number of consistent themes.

There were lots of ways we identified that could make the process simpler, and more broadly appealing to the richly diverse range of interests that are aligned to our cause as Liberal Democrats – resulting in the simple status of “Affiliated Organisation”.

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 3 Comments
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