Liberal has become a dirty word in recent years. It has become synonymous
with metropolitan elites, or is seen as an out-of-touch set of values that are
to the detriment of the majority. At worse Liberals are seen as the useful
idiots or willing apologists for multinational crony cartel capitalism.
Liberals have become connected to increasingly divisive identity politics. To
be liberal is also commonly regarded as being soft on law and
order.
Yet few will argue against holding a set of values with a sensible
disposition towards freedom and liberty. So why is there so much antipathy
towards liberals today? Much of the problem comes through the rigid and so
often illiberal agendas that have flowed from those in power who claim to be
liberals.
The ‘everyone for themselves’ economics of the classical liberals put the
freedoms of big business before that of the individual citizen. It’s hard to
claim to believe in freedom if you don’t believe in the right of every citizen
to be able to get a job, access housing and basic services, or even put bread on
the table. You can’t protect freedom whilst turning a blind eye to cronyism,
corruption, cartels and exploitation.
The social liberals of the left and their ever more divisive identity
politics have also badly damaged the liberal brand. It’s hard to claim to
champion freedom when you spend your time criminalising free speech and the
right to worship freely. Aggressive Orwellian micro-management of the thoughts,
speech and beliefs of individuals is not liberal; it’s pure
authoritarianism.
Centrist liberals such as Blair and Cameron were obsessed with spreading
liberty and freedom across the Middle East at the end of a gun barrel or the tip
of a cruise missile. It’s also hard to protect freedom and liberty when you’re
turning a blind eye to torture and rendition, dismantling habeas corpus (the
right to a fair trial), and imposing mass surveillance of
communications.
Our increasingly inappropriately named Liberal Democrats claim to value
freedom and liberty whilst being committed to a long term process of handing our
democracy and freedoms over to corrupt and unaccountable supranational bodies
like the European Union. The Liberal Democrats will apparently defend freedom
of movement no matter how much damage it does to the working rights and
conditions of the poorest in our society.
Indeed one would be forgiven for believing that any notion of liberty has
been abandoned by all the mainstream political parties in the UK. The
Conservatives, Labour, Greens and Liberal Democrats all seek to impose their
increasingly authoritarian and ideological agendas upon us. They seek to use
fiscal and legal means to force us to think, act, and live in a certain way.
They criminalise, tax and incentivise to force us to change our behaviour to fit
their dogma and ideology.
However, today I find myself in a party which itself has become
increasingly authoritarian. A party whose rejection of liberty makes it almost
unrecognisable to the party I joined. If we don’t turn back from this path, then
we, like those other parties, will be nothing more than yet another dogmatic,
inward looking authoritarian movement. A movement that seeks to force the narrow
and limited view of its leaders and members upon people, rather than meeting the
needs of those who we are supposed to be serving. UKIP must listen and be
willing to learn from the electorate. We must design dogma free ‘what works’
policies aimed at meeting the needs of all citizens whilst protecting their
liberty and freedom.
I’m an unashamedly proud liberal. I reject any narrow cultural and
ideological vision which is to the detriment of the freedom and liberty of
individuals who do not share such a vision. If UKIP is to thrive, it must be a
party for the many. A party which people of all backgrounds can believe in to
protect their freedoms and liberty to live, work, play, dress, love, worship
etc. however they choose so long as it does not infringe on the freedom and
liberty of others.
It’s time for UKIP to offer a truly positive vision prioritising and
promoting aspirations of something better rather than simply avoiding fears of
something worse. Brexit gives us the political freedom and liberty to promote
and implement a unifying vision of a hopeful, positive future for this country.
Let’s not waste this once in a generation
opportunity.
