It appears that we need to start with a new liberal party in Ontario. Creating and launching a new political party does not happen overnight. A new party has to start with the need at the grass roots; platforms and leadership can come later. This series of postings will present the basics and we would like to have readers jump in with their own wants and suggestions. If you want your name connected with suggestions, please say so. We can also put them into the mix for you.
We should start with a name and positioning. I have arbitrarily chosen The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as a working title. I would also like to be part of a truly centre-left and liberal party. I am frankly disgusted with people in the liberal party people who think of themselves as liberals socially and conservatives economically. That, to me, is an oxymoron. These people belong in a conservative party. I expect that for every right-wing liberal we lose to the conservatives, we will more than make up from the new democrats who are tired of the self-centred public service unions that dominate to-day’s NDP.
While the definition of centre-left is a rather broad target, I see it as being well within the scope of the human rights positioning of liberalism. I have always seen real liberals as those who will fight for the rights of the individual in our society.
But what is the point of freeing the individual if we then leave them in the grips of poverty? How can they enjoy a full life without good healthcare? And what point is providing the healthcare if the needed prescriptions are not readily available to them? And do we have to continue the crime of not providing the education of which people are capable? If we are going to respect the individual, we are going to have to be sure they are fed a healthy diet, clothed, housed, educated and have the opportunity for a full and rewarding life. There is no sudden leap into this nirvana but we must look to our goals as objectives. All of our society has to share the planning. All need to share in the benefits.
It has to be remembered that at any given time it will only be about a third of our population who are generating the resources to provide the benefits of our society. To do that we must become ever more productive and use automation and technology effectively to add to our efforts.
There are challenges ahead for us. We need to plan well.
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Copyright 2018 © Peter Lowry
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