Member-only story
Why I’m No Longer A Member Of The Liberal Democrats
Sometimes, things just end. Here’s why I’m moving on from the party.
Just to be clear, the headline isn’t clickbait, I am no longer a member of the Liberal Democrats. This hasn’t been caused by the Chesham and Amersham by-election or any other recent developments— my membership expired back in April — but it feels like a good time to write about why.
If you’re here for a stream of denunciations as I work through a list of everyone in the party whoever wronged me, or a detailed explanation of why every part of the party is terrible, then I’m sorry but you’re in the wrong place. Yes, there are lots of flawed processes, policy and people in the Liberal Democrats — deeply so in some cases, and I’ve written about them before — but they’re not my problem anymore. (The phrase “not my circus, not my monkeys” has been usefully calming these past few months) This isn’t about me loudly storming out and burning all bridges behind me, it’s more what I believe we’re now calling a “conscious uncoupling” as me and the Liberal Democrats are just heading in separate directions.
Despite a lot of people trying to pretend otherwise the Liberal Democrats are, like any other political party, made up of a lot of different groups, tendencies and factions (some organised, some not). Over the years, I’ve generally found myself amongst those on the left of the party with those pushing for the party to be more aggressively social liberal and radical in its policy stance and to be out there as a strong liberal voice. If the Liberal Democrats won’t be a strong voice for liberalism, who will?
The past eighteen months has been a big eye-opener about the kind of society, country and world we live in right now, and more and more I’m coming to the point that the system we’re living in just doesn’t work and needs fundamental change. We’ve got a UK government that’s eagerly whipping up culture wars wherever it can, hoping to use that as a distraction while they sell off every part of the state that isn’t nailed down (and then make sure their mates get the nail-removal contract). They’re enabled and supported by a global system that not just enables the accumulation of obscene levels of wealth and power, but works to protect and increase it. Democracy as…
