(no subject)

[tinyjo]

So, according to a survay done in Germany, which I found out about here, Germans are disillusioned with their democracy. As is I think everyone else I know. So, where do you stand?

[Poll #862947]

Comments

[white_hart]

If people had said that about Labour 100 years ago, the Liberals would still be one of the two main parties.

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

Well, I did say I was still going to do it...

Also though, I hardly feel like the Lib Dems represent me any more as they trim sails and become more populist and less honest under Ming. I like the idea of one of those systems where you can rank people so that I'd feel like I could express the fact that I support some Green policies, some Lib Dem and even one or two Labour policies(!)

[white_hart]

Oh, I know you are. My point was that things do change, but slowly.

I hardly feel like the Lib Dems represent me any more

But aren't you a member? Why can't you push for what you want your party to be?

(and yes, I know it's not that easy, and it's not like I ever did much when I was a member of the Labour Party, but as a grassroots member you *are* in a position to influence policy. Which is more than the rest of us poor schmucks are.)

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

I am, just about. Mostly I don't know how to push. I don't have much of a sense of how I can get involved - are there local meetings? I get newsletters in the mail and I do get to vote for officers for the party like party chairman but not a lot else. I suppose I could go to conference if I could get the time off, which would be interesting as I have only a vague idea of how they work. I wish they had an absentee ballot for those - that would be an interesting step towards getting more people involved... I guess it's about time and energy - to a certain extent, I want things to be better but I don't want to have to fix them myself!

[white_hart]

There must be a constituency party, which is where you'd start; go to meetings, put your views. Conference delegates are sent as representatives of their constituency party and should vote in line with their wishes, just as party MPs should vote in line with Conference's wishes.

I want things to be better but I don't want to have to fix them myself!

As I said in my first comment, I suspect that we probably have only ourselves and our apathy to blame if there isn't actually anyone decent to vote for ;-)

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

we probably have only ourselves and our apathy to blame if there isn't actually anyone decent to vote for ;-)

Fair point :) I wonder when/where my consituency party meets - after all, it could be another volunteering thing for me :)

[white_hart]

Ta-da!

brisingamen is a local Lib Dem activist in Kent, and blogs about it quite a lot.

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

Coo, you did better than me - I tried to go through the national site and couldn't find anything online... Not much in forthcoming events, unfortunatly!

[white_hart]

Probably worth contacting them and saying you'd like to get involved, though.

I guess so many people who join political parties just want to pay their money as a gesture of support that they don't even bother to get them more involved. Which is a shame, really.