I have come to the conclusion I am a Liberal Democrat, but have not yet pulled my finger out and joined the party. I am a student studying politics and have recently begun to question my political alliances.
Back in September, at the beginning of my degree, I joined the Labour party – mainly due to its cheap member’s fee. I no longer have any faith in the Labour party or Gordon Brown, whilst I would never consider voting Tory. Naturally my only remaining option was Lib Dem. Of course I could have aligned myself with a minority party, the Greens for example. However, I do not see single issue parties as adequate parties for running the country. Nevertheless, I do perceive it as a party that deserves representation within parliament; which brings me onto my first point.
The Liberal Democrats appear to be the only party with any form of common sense. If there is one issue I have formed strong opinions on from studying the first year of my degree, it is that of electoral reform. Furthermore I have formed opinions of opposition against the war in Iraq – opinions that are easy to form in hindsight, but the Liberal Democrats were in opposition from the start.
In fact there is only one policy area in which my opinions diverge from that of the Liberal Democrats and that is the abolition of tuition fees. Being a student, I should probably support such a policy, but with vast numbers of university students, increasing year on year, I fail to understand how else universities can receive adequate funding.
The Labour party have unsuccessfully represented the working classes. The Conservatives have ineffectively represented the rich. It is my belief that the Liberal Democrats can represent the masses, achieving change with policies of common sense.
I would be foolish to expect that the Liberal Democrats could gain power in the general elections in 2010, but after the country regret electing Tory, I firmly believe the Lib Dems can overtake the Labour party as the alternative, and become the replacement for Conservative government.
I will be joining the Liberal Democrats, and I will be supporting the party in the local, European and the general elections next year.
* Luke Burford is a student at Nottingham Trent University.
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28 Comments
haha If you’re looking for cheaper membership fees, check out the Social Liberalist Party (www.VoteLiberalist.org) – our membership is free!
😛
“In fact there is only one policy area in which my opinions diverge from that of the Liberal Democrats and that is the abolition of tuition fees. Being a student, I should probably support such a policy,…”
I’m also a student, and a LibDem supporter, yet I don’t agree with the abolition of tuition fees either. Of course, I tend not to say it that much around campus…
Welcome to the Lib Dems! Don’t feel you have to agree with every policy to join – if everyone thought that way no party would have more than a hundred or so members 🙂
On tuition fees: I’m a student too and until recently I thought that tuition fees were reasonable (especially given that we get a soft loan to pay for them). But doing a campaign on student debt with the Cambridge Student Lib Dems brought home to me how much debt we are being plunged into – see our video here.
Also the cost of scrapping fees is surprisingly small. At £320m it’s a snip compared with the centrepiece promise of our education policy to spend £3bn more on schooling.
Ultimately graduates do earn quite a lot more, on average, than non-graduates. But in a progressive income tax system the cost of our education gets paid back many times over by the higher taxes graduates pay.
To clarify: the Lib Dems will pay universities all the money that they currently get from UK tuition fees from taxation instead. But I do agree that universities are underfunded, so if we want to continue to expand them we must at the very least be willing to keep spending per student constant, which would mean finding more money.
I’m undecided about tuition fees. But I think it does have to be seen in the context of Vince’s recent suggestion that a 50% university-educated population is basically unrealistic, and maybe not even particularly desirable.
Niklas: See also the recent noises coming from Vince that one way to make our policy affordable is to scrap the target of 50% of young people going on to university.
Oops, Alix beat me to it!
Luke, you and I have followed a similar journey, though mine has taken a lot longer than yours. I am almost 40 and have been a member of the Labour party since I was 17. I increasingly find myself disillusioned by the Labour party and its leadership. I could never bring myself to vote Conservative. I have flirted with the Greens, but feel their stand on a number of issues is a little too far out for me. I have looked at the policies of the main parties and the Lib Dems policies for education – particularly that of primary and secondary (where I teach) really appeal to me, as do their common sense approach to most other areas. It leaves me with just the one option and last week I took it. I cut up my Labour membership card, cancelled my direct debit and joined the Lib Dems. Only problem – I live in Penistone where the Lib Dems appear to be extinct. Maybe I could start a local party myself????????
Luke reminds me that when I was his age, the first election at which I could vote came up. The Tories were pretty repulsive, and Labour then were all for the Unions. Even then, our Trade Unions had begun to look more like part of the things that needed change rather than one of the things to promote. The Liberals were basically about people living their own lives. That was for me; in 1951.
Wayne reminds me that in 1967, we found ourselves refounding a Liberal constituency party, in Islington.
As an economist, I ought to be in favour of tuition fees. Mostly, subsidies to students pay them to get richer at the expense of taxpayers. I am against tuition fees because the uneconomic truth is that they effectively discourage quite a few people from poorer families from getting the higher education they should have. I think the LibDem solution is for graduates who have benefited from publicly financed higher education (like me) to have something added to any higher rate of income tax we may pay.
I am pleased to see that Labour members are seeing the writing on the wall and are joining the Lib Dems. I recommend that the best thing you can do is go to Lib Dem conference where you can find out in a short space of time everything you could possibly wish to know about the party. There are lots of training events which may help you if your branch is rather sleepy, or if you want to be a councillor.
Another place worth visiting is the Flock Together website;
http://www.flocktogether.org.uk/
On the issue of tuition fees BTW, what happens to the cost of the scheme if graduate unemployment goes up? Obviously unemployed graduates pay nothing, in which case it is the taxpayer who has to fill the gap.
Liberal Democrats generally are opposed to tuition fees because it puts graduates into high levels of debt. The economic turmoil we have seen recently is the result of unsustainable debt.
I am asking this as a question because I am open minded on this issue. I can see we have some very difficult questions to face on public spending.
Luke, you have made the most important observation in that Labour has not represented the working classes.
This is so apparent in Glasgow East and the East End of London and in much of the inner cities now.
This was the same observation made by `The Founding Fathers’ of the Liberal Democrat Party.
You may also have discerned that there is no real appetite to hand over the reins of Government to David Cameron born out of social division and privilege,least in the inner city and Scotland.
I advise you to study hard and then stand for election, to make your own unique and special contribution to Liberal change and reform.
I recommend that you read the following in forming your critical views on how to do politics best in Britain.
1.John Stuart Mill-On Liberty (first pub. 1859)
2.John Stuart Mill-Liberal Firebrand -Richard Reeves (2007)
3.`A Fortunate Life- and `Beyond Westminster -Paddy Ashdown (2009 and 1993)
4.`A View from the North’ -Life,Politics and Faith seen from England`s N northernmost constituency-Alan Beith-(2008)
5.`My Autobiography’ Sir Menzies Campbell (2008)
6.`The Strange Death of David Kelly’ Norman Baker (2007)
7.`The Audacity of Hope’ and `Dreams of My Father’ Barack Obama (2007 in UK)
8.`The Lion and the Unicorn’-Gladstone v Disraeli Richard Aldous (2007)
Roy Jenkins said in 1981,
`The politics of the left and center of this country are frozen in an out of date mould, which is bad for the political and economic health of Britain and increasingly inhibiting for those who live within the mould.Can it be broken?
I believe that this weekend, Nick Clegg has come of age and has put down a democratic marker, to mend and reform this broken Parliament.
with vast numbers of university students, increasing year on year
That is posited on the government propaganda that young people are steadily improving in learning and/or intelligence over previous generations. Common sense says it ain’t so.
I’m with Alix (and Vince) above; university populations of 50% or more of each generation are unsupportable.
Like Luke, I’m also a young person (19) with a keen interest in politics (I’m not studying it, but I want a say in how my country is run) and after reading up on their policies, i’ll be giving my first ever vote to the Lib Dem’s on June 4th.
The thing that swung it for me is the fact that they want to reform the political system for good rather than just get into power like the other major parties do.
I totally agree with Luke with regards to the Lib Dems being the only party with any common sense. It makes me so angry when I see people like Jacqui Smith on TV talking about ID cards and big government databases. It’s like they’re living on a different planet.
Wayne
I live in Penistone where the Lib Dems appear to be extinct.
How did you miss the East Ecclesfield by-election, which is in the new Penistone & Stocksbridge constituency. We held it with an increased vote share after a big campaign.
A lot of sense being spoken here…
I’m only 17, and had my political epiphany in January, and was compelled to join the Lib Dems, even though I go to a haughty public school, and as a result all my friends are proud Tories. Lib Dems to me seem just the obvious choice, and even though I can’t yet vote (an issue I think must be addressed), I’ll be trying to convince everyone I know who can to do the right thing.
I got some BNP filth through the letter box this morning, makes me sick, almost rang them up and told them to f*** off.
@liberal teen
I agree with the issue of lowering the voting age, in my opinion as you can leave school at 16, get a full time job at 16 and become independent at 16, you should be able to vote at 16. This country needs to set a boundary between being a dependent teenager/adolescent, and becoming a independent adult – if you so wish. That age should bet 16.
I heartily agree Luke. It would also address the worrying problems of decreasing civic engagement, turnout etc. We need to get more young people interested in politics! The only party with the policies and ethos to do that is, in my opinion, the Libs.
To all of the recent converts/members etc welcome to the party! It’s hard work being a Lib Dem but by far and away the nicest group of people you could hope to meet. I attended my first conference in Brighton in 1994 as a wide-eyed 19 year old. Everyone is accessible and willing to talk and you are taken seriously and can have a real say in policy.
To the students, get joining Lib Dem Youth and Students and you will meet many like minded people of your own age, some of whom will be friends for life.
Once again welcome.
Why does it take “the next few weeks” to get the membership card out? Has somebody lost the keys to the filing cabinet?
I lost my memebership card… D’you reckon I could get another? how? (Sorry, a very mundane question, apologies!) Also its quite a cheap and flimsy little thing isn’t it?!
I’m also a new comer to the Liberal Democrats. I joined last week. I finished my degree in politics a few years ago and now work in public affairs. I voted for Labour at the last election, but that was to keep the tories out of the constituency I lived in. I’ve chosen the Lib Dems because of their stance on civil liberties, freedom and i believe them.
oh and my membership card came in about a week. And yes it is flimsy.
Nice to hear that Simon; welcome to the party.
liberal teen: yup, just drop an email to [email protected] with your details
This is one of the most encouraging threads I’ve read on LDV — great to hear from so many new members. I almost joined Labour in 1998, but decided on the Lib Dems instead. I often wonder when I’d have found my way into the party if I had gone with Labour, but I have no doubt I’d be here by now! 🙂
Thought I’d ditch the childish username and properly introduce myself. Looking forward to getting properly involved on this site!
Cheers Mark, really helpful.
Sam
Welcome indeed. Join the rebellion. Lively debate and disagreement are alive and well in the LibDems. Come to your first conference in the Autumn and see real democracy at work!