Getting More Involved: National Lib Dem Organisations {Part 1]

New members have been asking about Lib Dem organisations that they can join, and Lib Dem Voice (the most-read independent website by and for Lib Dems - run by a volunteer collective of Liberal Democrat members, activists and bloggers) are running a series of articles about some of those organisations.

In the first of a series, there is a little on some of those organisations below, and a link to the full Lib Dem Voice article and organisation website where available.

ALTER - Action for Land Tax and Economic Reform

ALTER is an Associated Organisation within the Lib Dems that focuses on economic reform, with particular focus on the land value tax. The land value tax is a long time Liberal policy, the one that led to the showdown between Lloyd George and the Tory House of Lords with the People's Budget in 1909. On our website there is a selection of articles that explain the benefits.

Read more on ALTER on Lib Dem Voice at http://www.libdemvoice.org/introducing-alter-46084.html or visit the ALTER website at http://libdemsalter.org.uk/

ALDES - Assocation of Liberal Democrat Engineers and Scientists

Paragraph 3 of the Liberal Democrat constitution reads:

"We will promote scientific research and innovation and will harness technological change to human advantage."

ALDES is the group for party members who wish to debate, learn and campaign on policy matters in this area.

Read more on ALDES on Lib Dem Voice at http://www.libdemvoice.org/introducing-aldes-46111.html or visit the ALDES website at http://www.aldes.org.uk/

LDER - Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform

Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform (LDER) campaign, inside and outside our party for:

• a voter empowering proportional system (STV) for elections to the House of Commons. Given the current Conservative Government, the first step should be a Constitutional Convention or People's Assembly to consider the democratic justice the current electoral system and what alternatives might be.
• A democratically-elected House of Lords
• Change England and Wales local electoral systems to the one in use in Scotland.
• Increase voter choice for European elections, by ditching the fixed party list system.

A key to liberalism is breaking down concentrations of power that frustrate and stifle individual and community freedom.

Is electoral reform the all-purpose answer, on its own, to all these ills? No it isn't. Will we achieve a liberal, people-empowered democracy without it? No, we won't. It is a necessary condition for social and democratic progress.

Read more on LDER on Lib Dem Voice at http://www.libdemvoice.org/introducing-liberal-democrats-for-electoral-reform-46141.html or visit the ALDES website at www.lder.org