LPUK - Starting to Fight

I'm probably a little late off the mark with this one, but as a member of the Libertarian Party I am intrigued and interested to see that the party is fielding their first ever candidate for election - Ian Parker-Joseph, a man who has been with the party since the very beginning, will be standing for the Henley seat so recently vacated by Boris Johnson. If you want to read about what Ian is up to in his campaign to win Boris's old seat, then you can check out the campaign blog here. For me, there is a great post that explains exactly why the people of Henley should vote LPUK. Ian writes:

I want a Government that doesn't repeatedly lie to me, I want a Government that is truly transparent and publishes everything for everyone to see, but more than that I want a Government that is small, really small and efficient, that doesn't need to steal the hard earned money from everyone to fund its own existence.

Which sums up the case for the Libertarian party nicely for me. And I wish Ian the very best of luck.

Which is probably, owing to the way the UK political system works, the best many members of the LPUK can offer. Ultimately, I'd vote for Ian if I could. Unfortunately, it is only the good people of Henley who can vote in this election. Which means of the thousands of people who would vote for the Libertarian party throughout this country, very few will have the
right to vote in this particular election.

So it does all come down to the LPUK campaign in that constituency - how convincingly can they make their pledge to the people of Henley, given the financial and time constraints facing a minor party fighting the major parties in a crucial by-election. What I would like to see is the party making a real breakthrough, and showing that the Libertarian message can really hit home with voters. What I think we will see is the party struggling to score votes, and this very much being the first shots in the long war to make LPUK a viable electoral choice in this country.

But still - at least the party is now fighting for election. And with every person they speak to, with every vote they get, they should be starting to attack the awful, stagnant politics prevalent in this country at the moment. If the party achieves just one thing, then it should be that - showing people that there is another way, another ideology to believe in. Other than the flabby post Blairite consensus that currently exists between Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems.