As a liberal, with power comes responsibility

Whilst I am in a vaguely philosophical mood, I might as well add to my comments of yesterday.

Many of you will have realised that my blog contains quite a lot of detail on the day to day workings of a political party, yet there is very little 'insider gossip', and this has been a deliberate act on my part. As Regional Secretary, a surprising amount of information passes before me, some of it quite sensitive, much of it useful, occasionally controversial. It would be quite easy, but wrong, for me to monopolise that information, use my blog as a means to cement myself in power or to advance my supposed prospects within the Liberal Democrats by manipulating that knowledge.

However, I've always been of the view that power is to be shared, not hoarded, and so I've tried to find ways of sharing information that doesn't damage individuals, creates opportunity and helps others to make good decisions (note that I don't say 'right decisions'). I've worked to publicise the timetable for the forthcoming European selections and with apparent success, as a member previously unknown to me, from a part of the country I barely know, rang me at work to ask a question about process. He might not have known how to take part had it not been for our efforts to inform and include, and I feel good about that.

Also, there has been a raised level of interest in seeking approval for European candidacy, which will hopefully allow us to approve people earlier, and have a more diverse field of potential candidates. This in turn makes life easier for Regional Candidates Chairs, candidate assessors and Returning Officers, as they have more time to organise things.

I'm keen to build up our communication networks because information is power, especially when used transparently. So, particularly if you're in London, watch this space. You might be hearing a lot more in the weeks and months to come...