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What the Liberal Democrats Believe

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What the Liberal Democrats Believe FROMFROM THETHE PREAMBLEPREAMBLE TOTO THETHE PARTY’SPARTY’S CONSTITUTIONCONSTITUTION “NO ONE SHALL BE ENSLAVED BY POVERTY, IGNORANCE OR CONFORMITY” WHAT THE LIBERAL FROMFROM THETHE GENERALGENERAL ELECTIONELECTION MANIFESTO...MANIFESTO... DEMOCRATS PROSPERITY FOR ALL FAIR TAXES 2015 ELECTION SLOGAN BALANCE THE BUDGET CUT YOUR TAXES BY BELIEVE FAIRLY AND INVEST TO AROUND A FURTHER £400 STRONGER ECONOMY. BUILD A HIGH-SKILL, BY RAISING THE PERSONAL LOW CARBON ECONOMY ALLOWANCE TO £12,500 FAIRER SOCIETY. QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OPPORTUNITY FOR INVEST THE MONEY NEEDED TO IMPROVE OUR NHS EVERYONE. AND GUARANTEE EQUAL CARE FOR MENTAL HEALTH ONEONE REVOLUTIONREVOLUTION ANDAND TWOTWO MERGERSMERGERS OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY CHILD GLORIOUS REVOLUTION GUARANTEE EDUCATION FUNDING FROM NURSERY TO 19, AND QUALIFIED TEACHERS IN EVERY CLASS Want to find out The WHIGS saw this as ousting how to turn 1688 a despotic King to ensure beliefs into OUR ENVIRONMENT PROTECTED PARLIAMENT WAS SUPREME. political power? It created their political tradition of PROTECT NATURE AND FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE GET THE BOOK! OPPOSING ABSOLUTE POWER and WITH FIVE GREEN LAWS SUPPORTING RELIGIOUS TOLERATION. 101 WAYS TO WIN AN ELECTION From this later came support for THE RULE A STRONGER SCOTLAND & WALES and OF LAW EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW. DEVOLVE MORE POWER AWAY FROM LONDON by Ed Maxfield and Mark Pack (Biteback, 2012) WILLIS ROOMS MEETING WHIGS, RADICALS AND 1859 PEELITES (followers of the former Conservative PM) met in London and COMBINED TO FORM THE LIBERAL PARTY. Many see SOCIAL LIBERALS vs ECONOMIC LIBERALS as the party’s biggest IDEOLOGICAL DIVIDE today, THE MERGER although with numerous beliefs in common, many members say they are both. SDP (formed mainly by ex-Labour SOCIAL LIBERALS ECONOMIC LIBERALS 1988 figures) and LIBERAL PARTY merged to form the Tend to be most concerned about Tend to be most concerned about an LIBERAL DEMOCRATS. INEQUALITY and promote DEMOCRACY OVERBEARING STATE and promote FREE to give people more power. MARKETS to give people more power. All POWER (be it government, business or other people) can both PROTECT and THREATEN LIBERTY. Economic and Social Liberals put dierent emphasis INEQUALITY OVERBEARING on the BEST DEFENCES and the BIGGEST BULLIES. STATE THE HARM PRINCIPLE Some see the party as being in the CENTRE ON A LEFT/RIGHT SPECTRUM, “The only purpose for which power can with Labour and Tories at each end of it. LIBERAL Authoritarian be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, Others reject this spectrum, and instead see the party at the is to PREVENT HARM TO OTHERS” LIBERAL END OF A LIBERAL/AUTHORITARIAN SPECTRUM, Left CENTRE Right John Stuart Mill & Harriet Taylor in On Liberty with both Labour and Tories at the other end of it. “PEACE, RETRENCHMENT AND REFORM” William Gladstone's popular trio BOSSES VERSUS WORKERS MUTUALS & COOPERATIVES meant PEACE overseas, ECONOMY in public spending and political REFORM. Gives Labour Lib Dems often and Tories a struggle to find their CENTRAL own distinctive one, “WE CAN CONQUER ORGANISING looking to MUTUALS UNEMPLOYMENT” ECONOMIC AND COOPERATIVES IDEA. to break that struggle. David Lloyd George's famous slogan was part of a Liberal shift to supporting GREATER PUBLIC SPENDING to help the economy and fund a welfare state. COMMUNITY POLITICS Over the years the party has been central to popularising some DEVELOPED “I AM A LIBERAL previously fringe beliefs which then became mainstream - AND I AM AGAINST especially CIVIL LIBERTIES, PRO-EUROPEANISM, A growing emphasis on THIS SORT OF THING” ENVIRONMENTALISM and CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM. WINNING LOCAL ELECTIONS and PAVEMENT POLITICS led to a new Most famously, Harry Willcock political theory about helping people triggered the abolition of ID cards secure power over their own lives. HARRY WILLCOCK with an act of civil disobedience in 1950. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution, Noncommercial, Share Alike. www.MarkPack.org.uk Particular thanks to Alex Wilcock for his You are welcome to reuse and reproduce this graphic under these terms This is not an ocial party publication. advice and encouragement. as long as you credit it to http://www.markpack.org.uk/libdem-beliefs Responsibility for the the selection of topics Updated: 3/2015 and (where technically possible) include a hotlink to this source. and the wording of them rests with Mark Pack. DESIGN BY: www.makemark.co.uk.
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