A LibDem Perspective - We must earn their sacrifice
This year’s VE day commemoration is particularly poignant. Not just because it is the last major anniversary when any significant number of combatants will be with us, but because so much of what their generation fought and died for seems under threat.
The illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine reminds us how disposable Russia’s leaders consider its own and others’ populations. The estimated 24 million Soviet Union deaths in WW2 were an exceptionally heavy price to pay to expel their Nazi invaders, but now turned illegal invaders themselves they seem equally careless of their own and others’ lives. The extreme right leadership in Israel, egged on by a US president who seems to regard Gaza as a seafront development opportunity, appears totally immune to all humanitarian calls for aid and justice for the innocent majority of Palestinians. Yet it remains controversial even to voice such sympathy. Yemen, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Myanmar -the list is long and horrifying, and the Geneva Convention long forgotten.
Last week’s election results were good for the Liberal Democrats but disconcerting for our democracy. Reform, who complained last year when our dysfunctional electoral system gave Labour two thirds of Parliamentary seats with one third of the votes, are very happy this year to have won 41% of councillors with 31% of the votes. The potentially very powerful mayoral roles were decided on turnouts of just one third. The West of England mayor won with the support of a mere 7.5% of the electorate yet will have wide reaching responsibilities and far more power than individual MPs or Council Leaders. It’s little wonder that so many people lose faith in politics.
Emulating the USA, Reform’s electoral platform seems based on unachievable promises of cost cutting, stopping immigration, rolling back environmental programmes, sacking Diversity Officers (if they even exist!), stopping working from home (regardless of the benefits it is shown to deliver when properly managed), dictating what flags County Halls can fly and housing immigrants in tents. In order to counter such policies, the Conservative leader has said that we should be having more babies rather than relying on immigrants to subsidise our ageing population, and a former Labour leader is pouring scorn on our ability to achieve net zero targets.
I share the general disappointment with many of Labour’s decisions since taking power. I am surprised that the Conservative leader should say with such disdain that people in the community like Liberal Democrats ‘because they’ll get the local church roof fixed’. Political parties that regard power as their birthright or don’t listen to their electorate deserve to lose that power. But the replacement must be better. It must be founded in truth, honesty and concern for others. It must be open about where its funding comes from and why. Politicians should be building bridges not walls and be mindful of their legacy. They should be judged by what they do for others, not for themselves.
Against this challenging background we have to remind ourselves just how fortunate we are to live in this favoured part of a favoured country. There is much that needs fixing here. But annoying as they are, our potholes were not created by bombs and missiles. Broken wheels mend more readily than broken bones-or broken promises.
Cllr Kathryn Field