It is odd, is it not, that I've been a member of a political party for more than thirty years, and yet in all of that time, the number of organised political discussions I've taken part in at Local Party level can be counted on the fingers of one hand. There might almost be a sense that policy is for conferences, specific setpiece affairs with a structure and a process, much of which excludes most activists.
And yet, we now have thousands of new members who have joined because they believe in something, in the idea of liberalism and its relevance in our communities. It might not be clear to them why they should be limited in such a way.
When word reached me that the neighbouring branch to ours, Bosmere (which covers Needham Market and the villages to the west and southwest), was having a meeting solely to discuss policy ideas, I was keen to join in.
And so, yesterday evening, Ros and I arrived at the Limes Hotel in Needham Market to see what would happen. One of our newer members, Stephen Andrews, had organised a room, come up with a list of topics, and dinner had been organised (fish and chips).
Over dinner, Ros and I (particularly Ros, it must be said) chatted to some of the newer members, before Stephen took the floor. His idea was to open on a particular topic, the EU Referendum, or education, and get people to express their views as to what we should be saying or doing. It was quite lively, with some decidedly interesting views expressed about sovereignty and free trade during the EU debate, for example.
It will be interesting to see what Stephen's notes look like afterwards, but given that our membership in Mid Suffolk has gone up from 77 to 120 since polling day, we've got a whole bunch of people whose enthusiasm can be tapped, and a whole bunch of ideas to espouse. It is, perhaps, time to start taking our message to the people...
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