Why are you a Libdem?

Recently a email was sent out to members asking this question.  So why am I a Libdem?  Not for the naked quest for power and the high life: that is for sure.

Anyhow, below is my more considered response.

For me, being a liberal means being decisions being made at the most local level possible.  It means encouraging people to take an active role in our own communities and not being dictated to by central governments in either Westminster, Cardiff or Edinburgh.  That means getting involved: whether directly in politics or voluntary work with your local community.

At the centre of liberalism is you.  It's me.  It is every individual for government should be at the service of everybody.  If a family is trying to get good health care or education, then it is the government role to ensure that people are helped.  It isn't about leaving the vulnerable behind.

Liberalism is also about business.  We realise that while no one method if wealth generation is perfect, capitalism is the most effective way of generating a decent standard of living for all; only though if it is properly regulated.  People have to have a sense of ownership, of responsibility and successful risk should be rewarded.  Business too have responsibility to the communities in which they operate.

Government is responsible too: responsible for law-making, regulations, infrastructure, national and international relations and defences but also responsible for ensuring that our armed forces are not deployed in unjust and open-ended wars.  Working constructively with all our neighbours is the best way so despite its flaws, that is why most liberals support the work of the United Nations and the European Union.

This local-to-global outlook means that liberals also care deeply about the environment.  We see that with growing populations that our planet's ecosystems and wildlife are under great strain.  We go where the evidence leads us and that sometimes means hard decisions and having the courage to stand by them.

In summary, being a liberal means standing up, taking responsibility, accepting people as we are and working to get the best outcome for all.

To give your own reason why you are a Libdem, follow this link