There is no pride in being a Liberal Democrat today.

For anyone thinking of supporting any mainstream party in up and coming elections, European, Local and National:
Now I used to be a Liberal Democrat, from 1997 to 2013. Before that, between 1982 and 1994ish, I was a member of the Labour Party. One of the things that caused me to leave the Labour Party was the removal of Clause IV, an historic clause that enshrined fairness and equality into the constitution of the Labour Party. I was heavily involved in both parties.
Everyone knows that the Conservative Party has never been about fairness, never been interested in giving every person in this country an opportunity and is only interested in protecting the wealth of our corporate overlords.
So, when Labour lurched to the right and aligned itself with centrist Tory policy I left. It was several years before I found a new home for my ideals, the Liberal Democrats, but when I did, the preamble to their constitution was one of the reasons why. It goes like this- 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.
Who, as a reasonable and fair-minded person, wouldn't want to join a group of people working towards that kind of society? So, I throw out this challenge to anyone thinking of voting Liberal Democrat at any future election- if the preamble above was a reason for you joining the party, why would you give them support now when they have shown their support, in the coalition, for Draconian measures that have not only destroyed the fragile lives of many vulnerable people but also vilify those same people rather than attacking those at the top who have caused this problem?
You may not be the one's turning the taps in the gas chamber but you are the one's guarding the gates. Both are equally guilty!
Oh, I hear the cry- but imagine the excesses of the Tories if we didn't temper their worst ambitions! I agree, that was the main reason I supported going into the coalition. However, I have not seen any tempering of those worst excesses. When unemployed people with mental health problems get sanctioned so that they don't receive any money for months on end. When fat cat bankers are allowed to be paid excessive bonuses whilst ordinary people struggle with the 'shame' of having to get food bank handouts. When privatisation of our assets continues in such a way that the tax payer is ripped off and big business is the only winner. When energy suppliers are allowed to screw every last penny out of people who are struggling to survive, never mind heat their homes. When all this is true and lots more besides, why would you want to be associated with any party letting it happen?
And yes, there is an answer. The parties might be tied into an agreement that holds them together til May 2015 but let me ask you this- if you needed to hire a car to get somewhere and you teamed up with someone you weren't sure about but thought you could keep an eye on them. Well if you let them drive but then found out that they were dangerous- speeding, not stopping at red lights, driving the wrong way down one way streets, putting lives in danger- wouldn't you want to get out at the first opportunity? But no, Cameron stops for petrol and Clegg sits quietly in the passenger seat when he should be screaming from the roof tops. He should step out of the car and takes the keys off Cameron.
If they broke up the coalition on the back of the disgusting behaviour of the likes of Duncan-Smith then people might see that he and the rest of the Liberal Democrats in Parliament had some scruples, some morals to speak of. And what are they doing? Well they are talking to Labour about a potential coalition after the next election and a very important part of that agreement will be the ability to show that no matter how difficult the press the Lib Dems can go the distance. They are able to block the sounds of the poor, the sick and the dying from their ears because if they didn't go the distance to May 2015 how could Labour agree to working with them if they ran at the first hint of difficulty?
Well, this is a good point but not one that is worth keeping whilst the most vulnerable in our society are left to rot.There is a limit to how much the people you represent should be made to suffer so you can cling on to power, and that limit was passed a long time back.

A Radical at Home

Although I have had this blog space for sometime now I have just decided to kick it off. My first musing will be over the current coalition and from there my missives will spread out philosophically, politically(though not party politically), ethically and any other -ally that fits.

It will not be a diatribe of anger or hatred but a positive questioning of the things we do.Yes there will be challenges to some but there will not be childish personal attacks or rants of negativity.

I hope you will enjoy it and find it useful.

Pan