Tag Archives: future of policy consultation

Members should have received an email last week regarding a new policy consultation which has just launched. All members should respond to it.

I joined the party in 2016 – the evening after Brexit, in fact. I was not alone. That summer saw the biggest increase in Lib Dem membership in the post-merger era.

Since that day, it has been a period of intense turmoil for UK society and politics. We have had six prime ministers, three general elections, a pandemic, and an ongoing cost of living crisis.

For much of that time, the Liberal Democrats have been, in terms of UK influence, a tiny third party. While I do not mean to ignore the achievements of the European Election in 2019, or our government in Wales, it has to be admitted that we have been, mainly, a party of protest.

The Liberal Democrats on the Rise

But this is changing. We now have a large number of MPs and face an increasingly unpopular government. We should expect the Liberal Democrats to continue to thrive and grow. It is not unreasonable to expect that, in five years or ten, we may find ourselves back in government.

This opportunity is not merely born from the fact that we got a lot of votes one day in July. It is also because we are a party of expertise, evidence, and accountability. While other parties are mired in scandal, chronically dysfunctional, or reliant on populist personalities, ours is not.

This is not a coincidence. It is because our party is led, not from the top, but by people like you. It is because our expertise, evidence, and accountability are democratic.

And our responsibility to make good on this opportunity, as ordinary members, comes now – not later, when elections are called, campaigns go into their highest gear, votes are counted, MPs are elected, and ministers are appointed. And that responsibility is not merely to serve as cheerleaders and staff for those of us who pursue higher office. It is also to vet them, instruct them, and hold them to account.

This cannot be done without robust, evidenced policy.