The Harrogate conference rally was preceded by a film of various people explaining why they are a Liberal Democrat, including a particularly pithy contribution from Paddy Ashdown right at the end:
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Actually, no disrespect to Sir Paddy but I thought his comment was weak – how was it different from anything a labour or tory might say.
I think the Conlabourtives are more interested in changing the country rather than the world.
1. Because if push comes to shove I’d choose liberty over equality ( even though the preamble says otherwise !)
2. Because if we don’t reorder society on Gaian principles then the Biosphere will defend its self and we’ll go extinct.
3. Because the price of Liberty is Eternal vigalance and we need at least one party that be relied upon to do the philadelphia lawyer stuff however unpopular.
4. Because while an Anglosphere would have been better we buggered up the 1770’s and the EU is our best bet of protecting liberty, equality and fraternity in a globalised world with a rising china. No other party will make that case as well or as consistantly
5. Because Labour and Conservativism are both theories of the distribution of money and as such are two sides of the same copper coin
6. Because Liberalism is a theory of power and as such it gets to the core and the causes rather than the edges and syptoms of injustice.
7. Because I want a fair society but don’t trust the state.
8. Because activism is the rent I pay for living on this planet. ( hat tip to alice walker)
9. Because what we think of as given Civilisation is only ever three generations away from extinction at any one time if we don’t build, teach, think anew, pass on and till the soil of civic society
10. Because as Benjamin Franklin so rightly said ” Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be Happy.”
While she has left us minding the shop we owe her a favour for the gift of Beer.
I’ve given up smoking, but somehow I can’t give up Liberal Democracy…
Because I don’t fancy having my door beaten down at 3am and beaten to a pulp because I said something mean about Labour or the Tories.
…also big fan of yellow :-p
Back in 1983, the Liberal party was the Green party, the only one worth joining.
The book “Small is Beautiful” (Schumaker) had a huge influence on me back then, and I soon realised that it was a book advocating Green Liberalism.
Recently the Lib Dem opposition to the war in Iraq got me active again.
What is it with the anti-Paddy Ashdown comments on this blog?
Add to that, there seems to be an anti-the parliamentary lib Dems element to this blog too.
Given that this is supposed to be a Liberal Democrat supporting blog, i’m quite surprised to see that instead it seems like it’s trying to be some kind of Liberal Journalism site, demonstrating impartiality with frequent attacks (big and small) on the Lib Dem hierarchy.
I and I know for a fact several other Liberals don’t support a word that’s said here, but we are STRONG supporters of the Lib Dem hierarchy.
I guess you need to decide what type of site this is, a kind of liberal journalism site, or a Lib Dem supporting blog, because I see very little evidence of the latter here.
Disappointing.