Brian Eno, Archmoderate
From libdemthistime.org:
The next election is crucial. It offers a unique chance to revitalize government - by changing the Opposition.
The Problem
People are increasingly aware that politics in its current form isn’t working. The two main parties compete to become more authoritarian by the week, convinced by their PR advisers that voters will respond to negativity and fear more than to hope and vision.
With trumped up wars and arbitrary enemies, with the constant erosion of civil liberties and the machinery of democracy, we’re now closer to Orwell’s ‘1984’ than we’ve ever been.
Labour has an enormous majority in Parliament, and by co-opting the Tories’ home territory, they’ve pushed the Tories further to the Right – leaving moderate, centrist views unrepresented. There is no real Opposition.
FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR DEMOCRACY WE NEED A REAL OPPOSITION. The Liberal Democrats are currently the only hope for that.
The Riddle
A few weeks ago The Independent on Sunday published some interesting poll results. The pollsters asked two questions: "Will you vote Liberal Democrat at the next election?" and "Would you vote Liberal Democrat if you thought they could win?"
About 20% of people said 'Yes' to the first question, which is about what you'd expect, but a very surprising 38% said 'Yes' to the second. This, then, is the riddle: what happens when all the potential Liberal Democrat voters actually vote Liberal Democrat? The answer is: CHANGE.
Things can change
If we grasp this chance we could achieve a shift in the whole tone of the political conversation - away from the adversarial two-party rut and the politics of fear, towards serious, constructive debate - towards a politics of vision and principle. This is the 21st century. We need to be looking outward to the world and forward to the future. We are building that future now. We must do it responsibly.
We have to work together
At this point the most immediate route to change in British politics is to vote Liberal Democrat and let other people know you're going to. Here you can register your intention to vote Liberal Democrat, and, if enough of us do that, others will take heart and do the same. Then the riddle will be solved: the snowball of change can start rolling.
A tipping point
This election could be a tipping point: with the Tories weak, and Blair widely distrusted, the chance is within reach, but if people who can't face voting for either the Tories or the Labour party just stay home, nothing will change: we'll be back to 5 more years of sterile, self serving 'parliamentary debate', of playing cowboys with George Bush, of deceit and evasion and the erosion of democracy in this country.
A good result for the Liberal Democrats won't change the world overnight - it's the start of a process. But it will be an important sign - that people are disillusioned with the conduct of government, and are ready to support a politics of vision and principle rather than fear and focus groups. That message alone will dramatically improve politics in this country.
Not to vote is to accept the present situation
Not voting in the coming election is a way of confirming the current parties in power. They count on our apathy. This website exists to show that those of us who want a change are many. Shifting the balance in British politics can only be for the good, and it will be a long time before there's a better chance than this.
People are ready - but they don't yet know that many others are ready too.
Brian Eno, 21st March 2005
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