In last weeks Willesden & Brent Chronicle, Sarah wrote of the recent silly season for the UK’s political parties, hammered home the message that the Lib Dems are now the second party of British Politics (although, not yet Her Majesty’s Official Opposition) and invited us to make a cup of tea while waiting for the pre-manifesto to download.
“The Conference Feelgood Factor”
It is conference season. To those uninterested in politics the annual tradition of political gatherings with their set piece speeches and media razzmatazz in some seaside town must seem a little odd. For political parties, however, they are one of the highlights - or low points - of the year, depending on how things are going!
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For me, this Lib Dem annual conference had another special feel. It was exactly a year since I had been elected. My last conference was lost in a haze of media interviews following the by-election. There had been a mood of euphoria this time last year. But this year, what struck me was how upbeat and confident the party remains, especially in contrast to the rather sour mood of the Labour conference. It has been a tremendous year for us as a Party and there is a new optimism amongst activists -my colleague Parmjit Singh Gill won in the Leicester South by-election and we came from third to push Labour to the wire in both the Hartlepool and Birmingham Hodge Hill by-elections.
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In huge swathes of the country like here in Brent East, it is the Conservatives who are firmly established as the third party. The third party are now on their third leader in three years. In areas such as Liverpool, Newcastle, Cardiff and Brent it is a Conservative vote that is a wasted vote.
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Your can read more about our proposals for the General Election in our pre-manifesto launched at conference. The document contains key proposals such as raising the state pension by £25 per week for pensioners over 75, putting 10,000 more police on to our streets and scrapping the Council Tax. These commitments to the British people our based on our principles Freedom, Fairness and Trust. You can get a copy of the pre-manifesto by downloading it here.