Comments for Lib Dem liberalism at http://www.adamsmith.org , comment 1 to 5 out of 5 comments http://www.adamsmith.org Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:14:40 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/politics/lib-dem-liberalism-200805211423/#comment-342 I think it is silly to hold onto the dogma of former aguments because they need to be readapted to the circumstances of the day. We LibDems do not understand the distinction between 'social democrats' and 'liberals' which our opponents continue to try to use as a stick to beat us with - we are Liberal Democrats. Even Adam Smith's ideas need updating in accordance with the wealth of new data that has come to light since his time. We recognise that classical liberalism does need to be balanced by the demands of democracy, but the failure of our opponents to also do so is one reason why the old-style wing politics of both the old-fashioned Labour and Tory parties is becoming increasingly out-moded and irrelevant to the needs of the day. - Oranjepan Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:25:29 +0100 http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/politics/lib-dem-liberalism-200805211423/#comment-262 Any comment by a Lib Dem about a traditionally liberal policy must be set in context against the fact that this party supports the single European currency (euro) which is managed by the remote and unaccountable European Central Bank. How can there be truly liberal policies in the British tradition when this party would like to see British management of British affairs wiped out and replaced by Brussels? And all because the Liberal Democrats can't win an election in Britain but want political power via the EU. We get sold out - the Lib Dems get power. A disgrace to everything that Adam Smith held dear. Some Liberals. - Michael Schwartz Wed, 21 May 2008 18:45:09 +0100 http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/politics/lib-dem-liberalism-200805211423/#comment-261 "The Lib Dems know that most of their key election battles in 2010 are going to be against the Conservatives" Actually, the opposite is the case, and Nick definitely knows it. They'll be defending seats against the Tories, yes, but the target seats are virtually all against Labour. Seats where they'll need not just disenchanted Labour voters but also former Tory voters who're fed up voting for a third place candidate. Of course we can argue over definitions of 'left' a lot as well, but leave that for another day--personally I'm very 'left', but am also very much in favour of decentralisation and a smaller state--it's not how much you tax but who you tax that matters to me. But yes, a chunk of activists and members won't like the direction--but many of us will, very much so. - MatGB Wed, 21 May 2008 16:43:47 +0100 http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/politics/lib-dem-liberalism-200805211423/#comment-255 Do we really expect that the Lib Dems will cut public spending? That is a vital part of any convincing tax cutting agenda if it is to be robust and long term. Sorry but I just don't believe they would. I am sceptical enough of the Tories in this regard. - Not an Economist Wed, 21 May 2008 12:01:52 +0100 http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/politics/lib-dem-liberalism-200805211423/#comment-251 We can hope! - Vindico Wed, 21 May 2008 06:23:21 +0100