Tag Archives: west sussex

Liberalism in the deep south

If Berkshire where I spent most of my life is in the South then West Sussex where I now find myself could reasonably be called the Deep South. Here on the Downs we are only ten miles from the coast the closest I have ever been to the sea, something that I am very happy about. I have now settled into my new surroundings and completed my research on the political landscape already knowing that I found myself in a Tory heartland. We have Conservative MPs with big majorities and local authorities dominated by Tories. My own MP Nick Herbert happens to be one of the founders of the Countryside Alliance and currently sitting on a majority of nearly 24,000. So in this sea of blue it has been a relief to find that the flame of Liberalism is still burning.

In the Arundel and Horsham constituencies we have prospective parliamentary candidates in place Alison Bennett and Louise Potter. Both are young women with real energy and commitment to the cause, while also being firmly rooted in their communities. When the General Election comes the blue team better watch out because they are going to get a run for their money. First though we have all out Local Elections this year and the Lib Dem campaign in Horsham District got off to a great start with a hustings in the market town at the beginning of this month. Our council group leader David Skipp was pitted against spokespeople for the Conservative and Labour parties (the Greens were invited but failed to appear) in a well attended meeting.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 4 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Mick Taylor
    @Nigel Hunter. Steady on now. You know we never debate anything meaningful at conference. Difficult topics like disarmament, serious changes to economic policy,...
  • Alison C
    Thanks Caron for a clear view of the interview for those of us who didn't see it. He doesn't seem to be helping his cause....
  • Peter Martin
    "Sovereign wealth funds. China does it thru their ownership of Heathrow. A govnt owning a foreign business. A wealth fund can be set up if POLITICAL partie...
  • nigel hunter
    Can we have,will there be a debate at conference where a new mindset can be discussed?...
  • Judy Abel
    @David agree with those points. There are no checks and balances when it comes to how capital operates in our markets....