| Hi John,
Liberalism drives my sense of public service.
But little did I know that I inherited it from my Dad, John. | He passed away when I was four - so we never got to talk politics. To be honest, I assumed he was a Tory, because Mum told me he used to play snooker at the local Conservative club.
So, I cannot tell you what it meant to me when I discovered this newspaper cutting, years later - reporting on a garden party held by the Mansfield Divisional Liberal Association, quoting my Dad - the Chair.
I am sure many of you have similar stories - afterall, our parents teach us so much.
My Mum taught me resilience, sacrifice and compassion. | | | | Having lost Dad to cancer, she raised me and my two brothers on her own - before becoming ill with cancer herself.
But she didn’t do it alone - she couldn’t have done.
The Government helped her.
Our community supported her.
The incredible power of strong communities, and a strong social safety net, must never be taken for granted.
Compassion. Community. Fairness.
Those are the values that make me a liberal. They’re why I’m a Liberal Democrat.
And I imagine they are why you are too.
It makes me so proud to be the leader of this wonderful party.
It’s what makes me so angry with this Conservative Government.
Because they just do not get it.
Cruelty. Selfishness. Injustice.
That’s what this Conservative Government is delivering.
Their cost-of-living crisis has plunged a million more people into poverty – many of them children.
Tens of thousands of families have been made homeless.
Many more families are relying on foodbanks – including some of the hardest working people in our country.
As last week’s Budget confirmed, people are seeing their living standards plummet at a faster rate than ever before.
It is time for them to go.
And John, we Liberal Democrats are determined, now more than ever, to show them all the door.
This weekend, at Spring Conference in York, I have been inspired by meeting so many Liberal Democrats who are ready for the fight.
The fight for a Liberal Britain.
The fight for our values. Our principles. Our philosophy.
The fight to put more power in people’s hands and make society fairer so everyone has the opportunity to put their power into practice.
This weekend we have passed policies that will help us do just that.
This weekend we have come together, meeting friends old and new, to celebrate the successes we have enjoyed and to motivate each other to fight for more in the future.
It was a moment of immense personal pride to stand on stage today, and talk to such a remarkable group of Liberals in the Conference Hall and at home across the country.
I am proud of what we have achieved so far.
But most importantly, I am hopeful for what we will achieve in the future.
John, if you missed it, you can watch my speech, here: | |
| John, will you join the Liberal Democrats as a Full Member, or as a Supporter for free, today and fight alongside us for a Liberal Britain? |
 | Ed Davey MP (he/him)
Leader of the Liberal Democrats | | |
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