If I am elected as party president I want to weld the party together to form an unstoppable force to fight for liberalism. I believe the way to achieve that is by applying our principles: championing the rights and well-being of individuals, and helping them to grow and contribute to the party.

It’s all very well for me to lay out what I want to achieve. Now I need to answer the obvious question: how would I actually do it?

I think our Federal Conference showed that under Jo’s fantastic leadership we have a shared sense of purpose, determination, belief, enthusiasm, and the will to win. What we need to do is to get that positive spirit activating people at every level of the party, right down to the most isolated of armchair members and supporters.

How do we reach more people and get them active?

Well, treat it like a campaign. When we are campaigning, we use email and social media and websites as part of our tool set. We use literature – and David Penhaligon’s exhortation to put what we believe in on a leaflet and stick it through a letter box still applies. But we also know that you can make a crucial difference to your chances of success by increasing the number of people you talk to. So, putting it simply, we need to talk to each other more.

To build relationships and tie ourselves together as a party, the communication can’t just be top down or bottom up. It has to be sideways too – sideways geographically, by subject, by interest group, and by function. We have to get the right dialogue going , so that we all see, include, and care about each other, as actual living, breathing, human beings.

Here are five things that would help that could happen right now:

– Federal and state parties and English regions engaging more proactively and positively with each other and with local parties, Specified Associated Organisations, and councillors
– briefing committee representatives and party office holders better and encouraging them to feed back
– making people aware of party staff and what they do
– providing more tools and examples to help local parties with contacting their members
– telling each other what’s going on and not assuming people know!

Let’s build on what is already happening through Facebook groups and social events, and encourage webinars, conference calls, and other virtual or physical get-togethers. And we could provide training, information, expertise and not least, a listening ear, at the centre.

The main barrier to making this happen everywhere is lack of capacity to take on something extra, either as an organisation or as individuals. But we have to start somewhere. Let’s not beat ourselves up over not being perfect, let’s make a difference by doing the best we can.

* Prue Bray (she/her) has been a member of the Lib Dems since 1994. She has been a councillor in Wokingham since 2000. She was the Chair of the Candidates Committee in England during the 2017 and 2019 General Elections and the 2019 European elections, Vice Chair of the Party in England and was chair of ALDC until November 2024. She writes in a personal capacity.