How to fix our broken politics
There’s a simple brutal fact about British politics. It’s that the Conservatives win two general elections out of three.
We’re not a conservative country when it comes to people’s views. We’re on a long-term, sustained liberalising trend. Nor are we a conservative country when it comes to vote shares in Westminster general elections.
But we are when it comes to seats in the House of Commons.
Which is why changing its voting system – getting a fair voting system that reflects the views of voters – is so important.
It’s also the route to achieving that long-term Liberal Democrat aim of getting the UK back into the European Union, and staying there. Because with the Conservatives winning two times in three, how welcoming do you think the rest of Europe would be to our return? They’d be worrying that if they agreed to let us back, they’ll just see us leave again a few years later, with all the chaos and confusion that would cause for them too.
With public support for electoral reform at a record high, and Labour Party conference having voted to support electoral reform, there’s a real chance to secure it, and to change our politics.
The crucial Liberal Democrat contribution to that is gaining seats at the next general election. The larger our voice in the House of Commons, the greater our power to ensure the Conservatives are out and to hold Labour to that commitment.
Which is why continuing to implement the lessons from what went wrong in 2019 is so important. That’s been my focus as Party President, and that’s why I’m running for re-election.
I’m not running to be our leader, our chief media spokesperson or to displace conference and our policy committee in our policy making. That would be a waste as we’ve already got people doing all of those things.
Rather, I’m running to concentrate on getting our organisation right.
We need a modern, professional party. One that welcomes diversity and in which staff, members and supporters can feel welcome, safe and supported. One that invests in providing the best data and technology to our campaigners. And one that combines the best of volunteers and staff into winning election campaigns, at all levels, right across the country.
If I’m re-elected, being President will continue to be my only role in the party, 100% concentrating on getting our organisation right so that party members and supporters get their support they have every right to expect.
We’ve seen things starting to come right. Two rounds of net gains in local elections. Continued gains in council by-elections. Three record-breaking Parliamentary by-election wins. The number of Lib Dem run councils back to where it was before coalition. But there is more to do.
My nightmare is that after the next election we have yet another election review which tells us we didn’t properly implement the last one. Avoiding that nightmare has been the task of the last three years, and with your support, it’ll continue to be so.
You can read more in my manifesto and see just some of the many colleagues who are backing me.
You can also donate to my campaign here.
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