Monthly Archives: July 2009

SLF Newsletter

Dear friend,

With Parliament now in recess for the rest of the summer, the Social Liberal Forum is gearing up for the conference season. We are also looking to growing our network, especially outside London. But to do that, we need your help. Would you like a speaker for your local party or student group? Would you like to know if there are any other social liberals living near you? Now is the ideal time to get involved.

A Fresh Start – what do you think?

The Lib Dems’ pre-manifesto A Fresh Start for Britain: Choosing A Different, Better Future was published last week. Over on Lib Dem Voice, Social Liberal Forum Director Matthew Sowemimo offers his view.

As this document will form the basis of the party’s next general election manifesto, it is important that it is thorougly and widely debate. If you have a view, send it to freshdebate@socialliberal.net and we will consider publishing it.

Building our network

The Social Liberal Forum has set up a new social network to help us keep in touch, develop activities across the UK and open up the organisation. It is still in the early stages of development but you can help it grow. Please register on it and say hello.

The new social network can be found at: http://socialliberal.ning.com/

Want a speaker?

If your local party or student branch would like someone from the Social Liberal Forum to speak at one of your meetings this autumn, please email speakers@socialliberal.net and we will do our best to meet your request.

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Matthew Sowemimo: don’t misrepresent our radical agenda

Matthew Sowemimo, Director of the Social Liberal Forum, has written a new opinion piece on Liberal Democrat Voice arguing for the party not to be timid in the way it presents its agenda:

The party’s pre-election manifesto – A Fresh Start for Britain – is based around strong themes and ones that have the potential to give Liberal Democrats the distinctive profile we need in 2010. The outline democracy, green economy and fair taxation agenda is something that will be welcomed across the party.

However the impression is being given that many of the spending commitments debated, and scrutinized within the party over a period of years are being indefinitely effectively set aside as ‘aspirational’. The language that has been reported in the media about key commitments, like widening access to university by abolishing tuition fees and expanding social housing, is also derogatory. If we appear to be dismissive of our own policies, how much easier will it be for our opponents to attack them as irresponsible?

You can read the full article here.

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