A dawning realisation that I don’t really fit, but that’s fine

Occasionally, someone revisits the idea that the Liberal Democrats consist of a number of tribes, and writes (usually quite thoughtfully) about how the interaction between the various groups impacts the way that the Party operates. And, as a long-term member whose history includes a variety of roles at every level of the voluntary party, I naturally read them with a degree of informed interest.

This year, the version that caught my attention was from James Baillie. James is a relative newcomer (admittedly, dinosaurs are relative newcomers compared to me these days) but his background as a historian offers a interesting perspective and his use of data opens up sources of evidence that underpin his logic. He identifies six groups;

• Orange Bookers
• Social Conservatives
• HQ Loyalists
• Moderates & Parochialists
• Social Liberals
• Radical Liberals

which feels about right, at least to this observer, although I might have used slightly different language.

And that’s kind of where my problem lies. I don’t sit easily with any of these groups and, in truth, nobody has ever come up with a grouping which I might recognise myself as sitting within.

It is, if you like, the blessing, and the curse, of being a bureaucrat in a political organisation and, despite my occasional attempts to “be something else”, that is my default role - my liberalism is best expressed by maintaining the societal and constitutional guardrails that protect a liberal society and allow others to shape that society. You might reasonably argue that this is an inherently conservative view of the world, and it probably is, but my motivation is to defend freedom by operating the systems that protect individuals from the overmighty state/party hierarchy (delete as appropriate). Rules matter, if you like.

And, in an environment where being part of a group matters more, as various groups within the Party organise and promote slates of candidates for its internal elections, I do feel, just a little bit, that I am something of an anachronism in not having an obviously political agenda or a desire for advancement.

That wasn’t why I didn’t run for election this year. I’m not a policy wonk, which rules out Federal Policy Committee, and I’ve not really got an obvious skillset which makes Federal Conference Committee a serious option. My professional life rules out the Federal Board (and realistically I’m not going to win anyway). I’ve been a member of Federal Council (and what a mistake that was) and Federal International Relations Committee, but feel that, for the time being, I’ve served long enough.

And you know, that's fine. Let someone else have a go and, if the time is right, I can find something that suits me and the Party at some point in the future...