At last the policy, well some of it anyway

8.00.00am GMT Thu 2nd Feb 2006

The one thing that had been missing for the Liberal Democrat Leadership contest until the last couple of days has been the policy or at least the guiding principles behind the candidates. It has actually been difficult to find some of these statements - thanks for James Graham and his blog for pointing me in the right direction in his post "Finally, some meat" which said "At long last, the leadership election is starting bring out real issues, with both Ming Campbell and Chris Huhne starting to develop their policy stalls. Simon Hughes meanwhile is still stuck in willy waving mode." not sure about the willy waving myself! More seriously some more policy would be good!

Below are some details taken from the candidates websites, its a long posting so do read on to find out about each candidate:

Chris Huhne's website under the "Providing Leadership" section says:

Chris Huhne wants the Liberal Democrats to develop and continue to succeed as a Party. This means not just a clear policy direction, but also engaging and involving all areas of the Party.

Chris understands that our party's success is built on our local campaigning. He knows that if we are to continue to grow as a national party we also have to consolidate and grow at local level too. He understands that each round of local and national elections is an important stepping stone for the party's development.

Chris will set a clear direction for the debate within the party but is also a strong believer in party democracy.

And having fought elections in Reading, Oxford and Eastleigh, Chris is well aware of the importance of successful campaign with young people and students.

In each of these areas, Chris has set out some clear commitments about what he would seek to do as leader. Ensuring all the different areas of the Party communicate effectively and move forward together. Celebrating our successes in Scotland, Wales and councils across the country. Re-inforcing our appeal amongst Youth and Student voters across Britain.

There are also links to sections entitled Keeping it Local, Leading and Listening and Winning the Youth and Student Vote

Sir Menzies Cambell's website under the "Policy Themes, Leadership Priorities" section says:

I was first inspired by Jo Grimond to join the Liberals. I was excited by a party that embraced new ideas, that cherished its principles, and that refused to sacrifice its enduring values for expediency.

In the Scottish political setting at the time, it was a rebellion of sorts. The two established parties dominated the scene. Most of the children from my school in the West End of Glasgow went on to support Labour or the Conservatives, like their parents and grandparents.

But that was not for me. Liberalism was fresh, open minded and willing to challenge the comfortable certainties of the two established parties. I knew I was a Liberal, an instinctive Liberal, even if it was at odds with my friends and my family.

I remain as passionate about the values of pluralism, tolerance, diversity, personal freedom and social progress today as I did when I first joined the party. I have never wavered in my trust in the cause of liberalism.

I believe in dedication and hard work. As an international athlete and as a lawyer I learned that success only comes about because of consistency and commitment.

Politics, too, requires patience and hard work. It took me 11 years, three elections, a lot of shoe-leather and single-minded determination to win my seat in North East Fife. In that time we went from fourth place and no councillors, to running the council and - eventually - first place in the General Election too. Campaigning for my political beliefs, and campaigning to win, is second nature to me.

If elected as Leader of this great party, you can be sure of this:

I will work tirelessly to cement the unity of the party. But unity must not come at the price of clarity, we must be clear in all that we say and do.

At a time when some critics have been quick to write us off, I intend to reassert our credibility and authority. This movement has been fighting for Liberalism for a century and a half. A great cause is not going to be destroyed in a month and a half.

I will draw on the different strands of our liberalism - economic, social, personal and political - to mark out distinctive territory in the liberal centre of British politics.

I will not allow the Liberal Democrats to be diverted by the short-term manoeuvres of the other two parties.

If elected, I will always be a listener, but above all I intend to be a leader promoting the unity, authority and purpose of our party.

Tony Blair has squeezed values out of politics. Under New Labour, politics has become managerial and not inspirational. The Government's obsessive tinkering and micromanagement of public policy are illustrative of a politics without purpose, devoid of a clear guiding philosophy.

David Cameron has taken the same course, shunning conviction and desperate only to emulate the value-free managerialism of Mr Blair's number 10. Mr Cameron is creating a Tory Party which repels less, but which still does not attract.

Britain does not need a third managerial party. It needs a distinctive liberal democratic party, drawing on the traditions which have sustained our party for generations.

But if the founding principles of our party have not changed, it is equally true that the world in which we seek to apply these principles is changing at breakneck speed. Our party must move with the times, applying those principles to new, complex challenges.

Consolidation and caution will not be an adequate response, either for our country or for our party.

Liberal Democracy cannot be a struggle between those who wish to modernise and those who do not. To be a Liberal Democrat is to be a moderniser. What were Lloyd George, Beveridge and Grimond but modernisers in their time?

When I joined this party we were not afraid of fresh thinking, of testing the boundaries of political debate, and challenging the fossilised thinking of the other parties. I am determined that we will become a party not of protest, but of Government, a party which changes Britain for the better.

I believe that a modern Liberal Democrat party is better placed than any other to understand and address the most pressing challenges of our time:

the overbearing centralisation of public life in Britain, which has led to a pervasive feeling of individual powerlessness amongst its citizens, and to public services which still fail too many of the people they are supposed to serve;

the absence of social justice, with persistent levels of poverty and social immobility, which are simply unacceptable in a country as wealthy as ours, and a tax system still biased against the poor;

the unsettling effects of globalisation and the urgent need to rebuild confidence in the international rule of law;

the threat of catastrophic environmental degradation and the complex task of changing individual behaviour for the sake of the survival of the planet;

the fundamental imperative of reforming our outdated political institutions, and defending civil and individual rights at a time when Labour - and the Conservatives - are all too ready to abandon those hard won freedoms.

These are the urgent challenges of our times. My leadership will focus relentlessly on applying fresh thinking to these issues, drawing on our longstanding principles, and offering new solutions and answers to a British electorate weary of spin and managerial politics.

This personal statement sets out in more specific terms how I would aim to deliver on those pledges.

Thank you for your support.

Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell QC MP

Simon Hughes's website under the "Values" section (the closest I could find to policy) says:

Simon has led Liberal Democrats in Southwark from no seats to take control of the Council from Labour for the first time. He is an energetic leader with a track record of motivating and inspiring people, within the party and beyond.

Simon will best engage students and young people in politics and in the party. While other parties dump their principles, Simon as leader will ensure that we hold firm to ours. Simon has been a passionate environmental campaigner - long before it was fashionable. He was a leading campaigner against apartheid, has consistently championed the authority of the UN, and marched with Charles Kennedy opposing the invasion of Iraq.

Simon is an experienced and popular speaker at rallies and meetings of thousands of people, addressing supporters of all parties and none. He has more than 20 years' experience challenging Thatcher, Major and Blair. Simon has more than 30 years of campaigning against Tories, Labour and nationalists - in rural, suburban and urban Britain.

Only Simon combines over 20 years' parliamentary experience with a record of vigorous campaigning for Liberal Democrat principles across Britain.

Recently backed by 7 out of 10 voting members to be our President, Simon is uniquely placed to unite the party in the country with the party in Westminster.

ICM found Simon Hughes was clearly the "best-placed candidate to restore Liberal Democrat fortunes" among all voters and among Liberal Democrat voters.

There are links to all three Leadership candidate websites below.

At last the policy, well some of it anyway

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