It is great that we are in full swing so quickly for GE2017! Great organisation and planning by Lib Dem HQ all those months ago after the EU Referendum.
So, how do we campaign to get the best result for liberalism and the country? Focus leaflets, letters, memes, tweets, facebook posts, blogs are all vital parts of modern campaigning. But can I suggest a campaign song—a song that captures what we are about and is relentlessly upbeat?
The Tory campaign will no doubt be relying on grim messages of fear and despair, dividing people and persuading us that we need another decade of austerity to get on top of the finances. We must do all we can to counter these negative, regressive messages with messages of hope, with progressive policies; and with a vision of a brighter future for our great country where we reach out to others and invest in infrastructure and services to safeguard our future .
Here below is “We got the power” by Gorillaz on YouTube. I defy you not be moved, joyful and filled with hope! And, Tim, can someone get in touch with Damon Albarn to see if is on board?!
* Helen Flynn is an Executive Member of the LDEA. She is a former Parliamentary Candidate and Harrogate Borough Councillor and has served on the Federal Policy Committee and Federal Board. She has been a school governor in a variety of settings for 19 years and currently chairs a multi academy trust in the north of England.
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18 Comments
I think we should have kept the overture to Glinka’s Ruslan & Ludmilla, which some members might remember introduced our PPBs in the late 1960s. Very upbeat.
Forever etched on my memory is a meeting sometime in the early 1970s with members of Southend Young Liberals staring at the ceiling and biting their cheeks as a local ward chair dispensed canvassing advice – including that canvassers should be armed with a list of public conveniences, and that “ladies should wear two pairs of tights in case it gets cold”.
He then said that on meeting voters he did not ask their political allegiance but instead enquired “who came third in the Eurovision Song Contest – and I tell them it was Cliff Richard singing Power To All Friends, and that is what liberalism is all about”.
Didn’t we use Jeremiah Clarke’s “Trumpet Tune in D” as the SDP/Liberal Alliance theme tune for the 1987 election?
I think we should play The Pet shop Boys “Its a Sin” before Tim comes on stage. The Righteous Left dont like humour.
I refuse to listen to anything but David Steel’s I Feel Liberal, Alright! 🙂
Perhaps we should use “The Final Countdown” by Europe 😉
What’s wrong with the Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin?
The combination of “Jeremiah” and “Clarke” takes on a whole new meaning here in Rushcliffe…
Stealer’s Wheel Stuck In The Middle With You?
(“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right …”)
Hasn’t ‘The Land’ always been the Liberal Anthem ? I believe it’s still sung at LibDem conferences (Glee Club) but for some reason not elsewhere these days. Why not revive it ?
Some other possibilities spring to mind:
1) I can’t get used to losing you. Andy Williams
2) It’s over. Roy Orbison
3) Doesn’t anyone stay together any more – Phil Collins
4) D.I.V.O.R.C.E Dolly Parton
I’d better stop now!
I think “Will ye no come back again?” is most suitable.
Let’s do the Time Warp again.
It’s just a jump to the left. And then a step to the right.
😉
Ode to Joy the anthem of Europe!
`Don’t Tell Me That it’s Over ` by Scottish songstress Amy Macdonald. Great lyrics and great upbeat feeling – and relatively recent.
Or if you want to go back a bit `The Future Now` by Europhile rocker Peter Hammill.
And what’s wrong with `Lloyd George Knew My Father` all of a sudden?
No takers? Well, here are some more inspiring anthems to add to the mix:
`This Time` by the Guano Apes (Just give it a listen!)
`Part of the Union` by The Strawbs. (It’s gained a new meaning!)
`Between the Wars` by Billy Bragg (I believe he endorsed the Lib Dems at least once).
`Hurry on Sundown` by Hawkwind. (Why not? Moorcock used to be a Liberal Party activist,after all).
`Hope of Deliverance` by Paul McCartney (Very uplifting- and relevant to the post-liberal/post-global situation).
…And from my comrades this side of the former Iron Curtain this Euro-rock/pop gem:
`All about Us` by t.A.T.u
When I was in Manchester Gorton recently I was thinking of the Manchester Rambler (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YENYMwuCG2Y). Could change the word Rambler to Liberal and I am sure the lyrics could further be changed for the Liberator song book.
‘Ode to Joy the anthem of Europe!’
I have it as my ringtone on my mobile.