Tag Archives: rubber duck

I took in a movie at the weekend and, somewhat unusually, I was given reason to ponder about my liberalism and what I do to aid its cause. “Conclave” is a film based on a fictional selection of a new Pope and, whilst not wanting to give anything away, from the perspective of a Catholic Liberal Democrat Returning Officer, I was reminded of many of the dilemmas that I face in that role and in my wider “liberal bureaucracy”.

I am by no means an active Catholic. I feel vaguely guilty about that, but not so guilty as to do anything about it, although I am usually moved to light a candle when visiting a Cathedral and thinking about my rather more devout grandmother. One of my qualms about the Catholic Church as an institution is its bureaucracy (ironic, really) and a sense that it has rather lost sight of its calling. But I acknowledge that it has a potentially significant role in the world and that its influence on how its followers are supposed to lead their lives cannot be easily disregarded.

And a papal conclave is, from the perspective of a seasoned Returning Officer like myself, utterly fascinating and in many ways little different from the election of a Party Leader, with conservatives against radicals, regional power blocs, all against a backdrop of external commentary and conjecture. Being in charge of the process can sometimes feel a bit lonely, especially in some of the more challenging selections. You may see behaviour that troubles you but, as an independent arbiter of the rules, what responsibility do you have for addressing that? Sometimes, candidates behave towards you, or their competitors, in ways that can be very testing. I have from time to time felt under great stress but, I think, it goes with the territory. With power comes responsibility, and if that doesn’t worry you, you’re almost certainly not a good person to be given either.

But for me, the concept of certainty was the aspect that challenges me most. I am, it must be admitted, not a “retail politician”, and find the idea of saying ” this is something, and if we do it, it will make your life better” slightly absurd. I trained, in part, as a statistician, and my day job requires me to make judgements based on what can often be limited data. There is often little certainty to be had there.

Modern politics leaves little room for the doubtful or unsure, with its increasing “fifteen second soundbite” mentality which encourages bold statements regardless of whether they’re actually based on anything credible. The idea that a politician might be interviewed and say “we think that this will work” rather than “this will make things better” is for the birds. And that leaves me as a slightly uncomfortable participant in the political process.

That’s why I’m a strong believer in the ‘political guardrails’ that have managed our politics for so long and campaigns to make them more robust, such as spending and donation limits, press freedom (and responsibility), independent regulators. Just as our rights protect us from the power of an overmighty state, rules that diffuse political power and prevent super-wealthy individuals from distorting our political debate are a critical part of a participatory, inclusive democracy. It’s also why my roles in the Party have traditionally been those that free up others to do the campaigning and policy stuff, because few people enter politics to manage the minutiae of organisational bureaucracy.

It is, indeed, one of the reasons why I continue as a member of the Liberal Democrat Voice editorial team, enabling the existence of a platform where Liberal Democrat members and supporters can discuss ideas and debate the issues of the day in a courteous and mutually respectful manner. Call me old-fashioned and or rather naïve, if you like.

So, today, we offer, apart from the usual coverage of press releases, pieces on transport policy and on joining the Liberal Democrats, and a response from a member of the party’s Federal Board to the General Election Review published yesterday. There may be other stuff too, but I’ll let that be a surprise.

And finally, it is apparently National Rubber Ducky Day and so, to mark that, here is Little Richard, singing his own tribute…