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Opinion: Why Conservatives should consider defecting to the Liberal Democrats
January 5, 2012 11:27 PM
By George Kendall in www.libdemvoice.org
By George Kendall in www.libdemvoice.org
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Perhaps you want the UK to pull out of the European Union, and maybe you'd like the UK to switch to the old American healthcare system, where the uninsured poor would have minimal treatment. Perhaps you think the solution to youth crime is not rehabilitation but locking them away for as long as possible.
If so, you probably wouldn't be very happy in the Liberal Democrats.
But maybe you are a Conservative supporter who wants Britain to make a contribution to the EU, not by pulling out, but with reforms that make it more accountable and help it do the things it should be doing: like removing barriers to trade and championing the fight against climate change.
Perhaps you believe in the NHS, and the only reforms you want are those that provide it with a more sustainable foundation, and help it to keep its mandate of providing the best possible care to the whole population, free at the point of use. Maybe you believe in rehabilitation, because it is more humane, and because, in the long run, it reduces criminality.
If so, have you ever wondered if you are in the right party?
There are good people in all the parties. There have always been progressive Tories, from the pre-Liberal days of Gladstone all the way through to the present. Some seek to become Conservative MPs in order to fight to make the party more compassionate, and if that is your aim, good luck to you.
But, be realistic. Most party members don't become MPs, and even those who do will struggle to influence the direction of their party.
You probably know better than I that, away from the cameras, the current Conservative parliamentary party is far harsher in its attitudes than its publicly portrayed image. And that if they get a majority in 2015, that government will be very different indeed from the coalition.
But there is an alternative.
In the past the Liberal Democrats have been ridiculed as lacking the courage to deal with difficult decisions in government. But now we're at the sharp end of handling the worst peacetime deficit in the country's history.
Some have been put off membership of the Liberal Democrats, thinking we are all uncritical Euro-fanatics. The party is positive about our membership of the EU, but we also believe in the need for reform, for example of the CAP and the need to close the wasteful Strasbourg Parliament. And we are a broad church, with a wide range of opinion.
Some have called us naïve fundamentalist Liberals, dreaming of a world that can never be. But we've never been narrow ideologues. Our constitution's first sentence says "we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community".
We have a broad heritage, of economic liberals, social liberals and social democrats, which means our identity is rooted in the tension between those values. We know that with frail human beings a perfect society is unattainable, and that we should never make perfection the enemy of the good.
Admittedly, joining the Liberal Democrats is not a wise career move. Your chances of becoming an MP are limited. And funding the party is always a struggle, without the big financial backers of the other main parties.
But, if you share our values, there are compensations. If you contribute money, you know it'll go further than for a party which can rely on big cheques from big business or the trades unions. And if you contribute time, you'll be giving to a cause, not to support vested interest groups.
You don't have to join us to help. Some donate money or give practical help to the party, without taking out membership.
But I would encourage you to join. This is both a time of crisis and of opportunity for the party. For the first time in most of our lives, we became part of a peacetime government. When that happened, we lost many of the votes we had built up in our role as an opposition party.
However, based on the foundations of our experience, not just in government, but of running excellent local councils, like where I live in Cambridge, we have the potential to build support that is more deep-rooted.
And, as we take that opportunity, we need to grow. To bring in those who are both hard-headed and compassionate. And we need to welcome them from both Labour and the Conservatives.
So think about it. No one could accuse you of taking the easy route, but, if you do join, know that you'll be very welcome.
What would you like to do next?
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