A very warm welcome to the 5000 new members who have joined us since Theresa May announced she would ask parliament to call a general election this morning! What a breathtaking number!
The party has now more than doubled in size since the May 2015 general election.
Tim Farron commented:
This election is a chance to change the direction of our country and thousands are joining our fight.
If you want to avoid a disastrous Hard Brexit. If you want to keep Britain in the Single Market. If you want a Britain that is open, tolerant and united, this is your chance.
Thousands of people up and down the country are joining the Liberal Democrats so that we can send a message to Theresa May and the Conservative Brexit Government that we do not want a hard Brexit.
In this General Election it is clear that only the Liberal Democrats can prevent a Conservative majority.
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
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12 Comments
I wonder what those 5000 new members want from the Liberal Democrats.
I am starting to worry that the Liberal Democrats don’t know what they want.
The language of our leaders over the last 24 hours is looking like no mans land to me.
Hopefully things will get clearer over the coming weeks.
Out of all the parties I think we are the most organised so lets get a clear straight answer and not talk down to those who voted to leave as they matter as much as the remainers
@PJ. Liberalism. It’s never changed in 140 years.
Martin Land:
Why not be precise with 158 years for a clear exposition of the core principles? P.J. needs to be clearer him/herself, I am not sure what this “no-man’s land” is. I would be very surprised if any of the 5000 were in any doubt that the Liberal Democrat Party opposes Brexit.
@Martin
So why is T.M. and Alistair Carmichael saying that we are seeking membership of the ‘single market’? This is the no mans land I am talking about. Please explain the change in policy.
Sorry, meant T.F.
I don’t see that there is any change in policy. Read the policy:
http://www.libdems.org.uk/conference-autumn-16-f27-europe
Our policy is a ‘both and’ strategy.
1) To seek a post-negotiation referendum on the terms of the deal, 2) AND AT THE SAME TIME keep up pressure that any brexit negotiations that any government does engage in should prioritise single market membership, so that a ‘hard brexit’ is as much as possible off the table.
There might, however, be a change in emphasis, but there is no change in principle.
I was hopeful that the Libdems would pledge to reverse Brexit. You have 48% of the electorate that may vote for you on this issue alone. A Brexit light (staying in the common market) is a non starter. We would still have to pay, obey the rules and have open borders, but no say in policy!
I joined the Lib Dems yesterday – having never been a member of a political party before, and only began voting Lib Dem when no other party could offer a local candidate who had a genuine idea about our area.
I have been appalled by the vitriol and lack of tolerance toward fellow people who have come to this country for a better life and to work and the fact that Brexit was passed on allegedly one issue horrifies me. I am genuinely hoping that this election will allow Lib Dems to make a real step back to real representation in Westminster and be the voice of reason, honesty and integrity – please please please party – get the message right and show people there is an alternative to the horror which is currently governing us.
@ Matt (Bristol)
Thanks for the link.
11. ‘Believing that any deal the Government negotiates for the UK outside the EU will not be as beneficial to the British people as continued EU membership, commits the Liberal Democrats to continue to campaign for the UK to remain a member of the EU.’
We have pledged to have another referendum on the terms of exit, with an option to Remain. Is that not enough?
I am afraid that simply overturning the result of a referendum, however flawed, really would not be a very Liberal thing to do!
We’ve often criticised governments for having no Plan B. We generally fight council elections to take control of the council, but we’re silly if we don’t think about no overall control situations. To be in the EU is what we want. To stay in the single market is the next best thing. No inconsistency.
There is an issue though about a danger of going on about Europe so much, we appear to have nothing to say about other questions. Ted Heath in 1974 found it isn’t easy to keep an election on a single question.