I'm really a (somewhat Hobbesian) Liberal - Bhikhu Parekh once called me a "mystical liberal" - and my formal public position for about 30 years was membership of the Liberal Democrats. Explained, I would hope, by the opening paragraph of the Preamble to their Constitution. 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. We champion the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals, we acknowledge and respect their right to freedom of conscience and their rights to develop their talents to the full. We aim to disperse power, to foster diversity and to nurture creativity. We believe that the role of the state is to enable all citizens to attain these ideals, to contribute fully to their communities and to take part in the decisions which affect their lives. My principal areas of involvement with the party have been on Cix and, in particular, DELGA. I co-wrote the party's first ever gay rights statement in 1988 and used to sit on its Committee from time to time. I'm not very active these days though and left the party after its fetishisation of the Union in the Scottish Referendum of 2014. The EU Referendum of 2016 result radicalised me anew, and I joined the SNP as the best way to support the objective of an independent Scottish Republic |
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