Why I am a Liberal

I set myself the challenge of expressing my political outlook in no more than 400 words. What I have written is dead-on that number. Here goes:

I am a Liberal because I believe government’s first purpose is to protect the vulnerable and aid those in need. I am proud that the architects of Britain’s Welfare State, in both its first and second phases, were Liberals: Lloyd George in his People’s Budget, establishing state pensions, and the Beveridge Report heralding the foundation of the NHS. We all are, at some time in life, among those who need assistance. Every individual needs support to ensure they have an equal chance to fulfill their potential. Yet, national government, in particular, can also sometimes be part of the problem, rather than the solution. I am a Liberal because I know that government has to be as large as necessary but also as small as possible.

I am a Liberal because I know that national government can be at times a positive threat to the people it should represent. That happens when it claims too much power for itself. We are seeing this now with the introduction of illiberal laws under the pretence of our own security. I am a Liberal because I want to be there to battle against such infringements of our liberty.

I am a Liberal because I want to see our country become a real democracy. Universal suffrage in this country is younger than my father was. We should not forget either how much has changed or how much more remains to do. I am a Liberal because I believe in the ability of individuals and communities to make decisions that affect them. Government should not be about what ‘they’ do to ‘us’ but about how we run our lives. Government needs to be reformed radically so it is as local and as empowering as possible.

I am a Liberal because I believe a country’s strength is that its people are not one uniform tribe, but a patchwork of communities, with differing backgrounds, desires and priorities. Freedom of movement creates opportunities and challenges. The mature approach is to work to integrate communities and not to mythologise some previous monocultural age.

I am a Liberal because I realise Britain can not stand alone. It has to be part of an international community, and will become greater because of that involvement. I am proud to be a European.

I am a Liberal because no other doctrine can truly promote social justice or civil liberties, or represent localism and internationalism.