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)…