Are You a Liberal? (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)

Cymraeg
English

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire <post@cwsplibdems.org.uk>

Are You a Liberal?

An Exploration of the Values of Liberalism and the Liberal Democrats

In this age of the 24-hour media we can all lose sight of the fundamental issues. Events and people come and go but what really matters are values. The local Welsh Liberal Democrat Team are asked regularly what we stand for. People are often trying to match up what they believe in with what each political party stands for. Some think that the Liberal Democrats are just a 'soggy middle' in Welsh politics with no real values or purpose. Nothing could be futher from the truth. The ideology of the Liberal Democrats is based on liberal values. But what are liberal values? Here are three definitions based on a general definition, on the traditions of the former Liberal Party and on discussions of values by the modern Liberal Democrats.

General Definition

Summary: a Liberal is concerned with limiting all power (state or otherwise), supporting minorities and with protecting the Environment.

Definition based on Liberal Party History

Summary: attitudes of the Liberal Party to the state - or rather government - varied over time. The constant has been the distrust of centralised and of unaccountable power, the tolerance of difference and the valuing of individual freedom. Other attitudes depended on what the main threats to that freedom were.

Definition based on Liberal Democrat Values

Summary: pluralism, participation and sustainability

You will notice that all three definitions amount to much the same thing. There are, of course, many people who are not supporters or Members of the Welsh Liberal Democrats who share these values, but the Liberal Democrats are the only Party which champions them across the UK.

To find out whether you are liberal, authoritarian, left or right try this questionnaire. It has been put together by The Political Compass. It's an interesting and popular questionnaire for those exploring political values and how they change over time - but remember it's only a general guide.