Tag Archives: elitism

In protecting the liberal age, the charge of elitism must be avoided

There is a sense that if an election happens at any time in the next year, it will be fought out as much on values as economic policy. The argument is no longer just about fairness and equality. It is also about a philosophy of life.

Fears that the liberal age is now under threat both from Right and Left has the potential to galvanise those who have previously taken our liberal traditions for granted. The #libdemfightback has the potential to happen.

Identifying the 48% Remain voters as fertile ground for the Liberal Democrats was a fast and valid response, not just a sound political gambit for a party polling so low but one that was true to the party’s internationalist values.

Remain voters are desperate to embrace a coherent narrative and the liberal attitudes held by many of them will only turn into Lib Dem votes if that narrative is provided.

But that should only be the beginning. The Lib Dems must also respond powerfully and clearly to the illiberal, isolationist and anti-elite sentiment that lay behind Brexit.

Posted in News | Also tagged , , , and | 23 Comments
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  • Nonconformistradical
    "The defenders of participatory democracy need to address the inequality that underpins it in the form of those likely to participate." Indeed. By being proa...
  • Michael Bukola
    The defenders of participatory democracy need to address the inequality that underpins it in the form of those likely to participate. Different social groups re...
  • Ken Westmoreland
    @Laurence Cox Agreed, this is one of the things the British Overseas Voters Forum campaigns on - https://bovf.org.uk/frozen-pensions/...
  • Denis Mollison
    @Laurence Cox Good questions about how you draw constituencies in practice, especially for the most awkward cases. You can find my suggested answers in "STV fo...
  • Laurence Cox
    It is in countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand that British pensioners suffer most because their state pensions are frozen at the rate they received ...