“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.”

Preamble to the Federal Constitution of the Liberal Democrat Party

But what does that mean?
Liberal Democrats believe in:

The right of every individual to develop his or her talents to the full, regardless of gender, race, disability, class, sexual orientation or background.
A free, open and inclusive society that balances our individual freedom with equality of opportunity and with our obligations to other people in our community.
A strong economy, based on effective worker and shareholder participation and a fair distribution of profits.
The devolving of power so that decisions concerning our local communities are taken as close to the people affected as possible. A Government that enables this rather than assuming all the power itself.
The sustainable development of our communities through conservation of our natural resources.
A foreign policy based on the imperative of peace and recognition of the interdependence of countries. A commitment to aid and better terms of trade for the developing world.
The need for responsible stewardship of the earth’s resources by individuals, governments and commercial organisations.

• These are our fundamental values. Examples of those policies in action follow here and on our national website www.libdems.org.uk, and the stories on our home page here give examples of these policies in action locally.
• The Liberal Democrats have won a reputation for fighting for causes that most UK people feel are fair and right. Examples include rights for residents of Hong Kong and for the Gurkhas, opposition to the ID Card scheme, which even the Labour Government admitted would do nothing to help national security, and opposition to the war in Iraq, forcing scrutiny. And as the recession hit, Vince Cable, then Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, won the respect of the nation for his practical and realistic attitude to managing the economy and safeguarding services during the recession.

In 2010 we entered a coalition Government so that we could work to put some of our policies into practice. In Government Lib Dems are making a difference by :

Providing 1.2 million apprenticeships and money for businesses who take on young people
Capping social care costs
Providing 190,000 new affordable homes – more than Labour delivered in their first eight years in office.
Protecting state pensions with the “triple lock” guarantee re-establishing the link to wages which Labour failed to do in thirteen years, and giving pensioners the biggest rise in many years.
Taking 2.7 million low paid workers out of income tax by raising the tax threshold

We are the minority party in a coalition, so we can’t implement all our policies and we don’t win all the arguments.  The  last Labour Government left the country in massive debt so we can’t always afford what we want to do. Lib Dems are making a difference, and we will keep on fighting for our policies.  Please see our national website for the Liberal Democrat policies that we are still fighting for, in Government and outside!

Get Involved!

As Liberal Democrats we believe it is vital that you can contribute to how your Government runs the country – and to how your Council runs Milton Keynes. There are a number of ways in which you can get involved with local politics (with a big or a small P!) You can:

• Send us your views – send us your comments about any local or national issue that concerns you
• Sign our on-line petitions about current issues
• Get involved in the Council’s decision-making process
• Get involved at a local level, with your Parish Council
• Support the local Liberal Democrats helping us to work for you all year round
• Join the Liberal Democrat Party to support our efforts, or to get involved in setting our policies

Useful Links

Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for the South East of England

Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for the South East of England

Follow the Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats on Twitter

Follow the Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats on Facebook

• Women Liberal Democrats
• Liberal Youth
• European Liberal Youth
• Green Liberal Democrats
• Liberal Democrats in Business
• Liberal Democrat Engineers and Scientists
• Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats
• DELGA Gay and Lesbian Liberal Democrats
• Liberal International
• British Group of Liberal International
• Liberal Democrat European Group
• Full list of associated organisations

• A Fistful of Euros
• Open Democracy
• ‘Informed Comment” by Juan Cole on Iraq issues (US academic site)