![]() ![]() ‘The only part of the conduct of any one, for which he is amenable to society,’ wrote John Stuart Mill, the greatest of the Victorian Liberal thinkers, in On Liberty, ‘is that which concerns others. ![]() The good society is one in which each individual has the freedom and the capacity to follow their own paths as they judge best. Liberal Democrats trust individuals to make their own decisions about how they live their lives no one else, whether politicians, clerics or bureaucrats, should have the right to decide for them how they should live. We believe in the essential goodness and improvability of humankind – that, given the opportunity, in most circumstances most people will choose to do good rather than harm. The Liberal Democrat view is an optimistic one. Like all political philosophies, ours is based on a view of human nature. The Liberal Democrats are the heirs to two great reformist traditions in British politics – those of liberalism and of social democracy. ![]() DEFINE LIBERAS FREEHolding these beliefs, Liberal Democrats are instinctively on the side of the individual against concentrations of power, free thinking, unimpressed by authority and unafraid to challenge the status quo. And since we believe that future generations have the same rights as we do to live their lives in the ways they choose, we aim to create an environmentally sustainable economy and society, where people live in harmony with the natural world. Since we believe in the worth of every individual, we are internationalists from principle, seeking cooperation, not confrontation, with our neighbours. We stand for community, for dispersing political and economic power as widely as possible, for government works best when it is closest to its citizens. We stand for equality, for the right of everyone to be treated equally and with equal respect, whatever their personal characteristics and in the duty of the state to create the conditions in which individuals and their communities can flourish. We trust people to pursue their dreams, to make the most of their talents and to live their lives as they wish, free from a controlling, intrusive state and a stifling conformity a free and open society that glories in diversity is a stronger society. Liberal Democrats stand for liberty, the freedom of every individual to make their own decisions about how best to live their lives. It was principally authored by Duncan Brack. The following chapter, The Liberal Democrat approach is taken from the Agenda 2020 Working Group’s publications and summarises how the Liberal Democrats view the world and decided what courses of action to support. You can sign up to my free 14-week email course in Liberal Democrat philosophy here. Or, if you want to print a hard copy, such as for putting up on the wall, then this simplified A3 landscape version (which you can print at A4 size) should do the trick. DEFINE LIBERAS PDFAnd so… What Liberal Democrats believe: the posterĪ pdf version of ‘What the Liberal Democrats believe’ is available here. However people are sometimes after a little more detail about what Lib Dems believe, and documents such as the Liberal Democrat general election manifestos and policy statements are not always that long-lasting or give much of an explanation for the beliefs which lie behind particular policies. So starts the preamble to the Liberal Democrat constitution and it is a quote which works brilliantly as a one-sentence summary of Liberal Democrat beliefs. The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. (”The party” here means the UK political party formed in 1989 by the merger of the Liberals and SDP, rather than a faction of the US Democrats party, the extremist Russian party or the remarkably successful Japanese party all of the same name.) What Liberal Democrats stand for: in one sentence Like what you read below? You can join the party or sign up as a supporter. So here are the answers in the form of one sentence, one graphic, one email course or one chapter. ‘What do Liberal Democrats believe?’, ‘What does the Lib Dem party stand for?’ or even at a more basic level, ‘What is a Liberal Democrat?’ – those sorts of questions are often asked. ![]()
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