Liberalism - The Institution That Is Me

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democratic party leader is a liberal on the move, and not just politically.  He is doing what many before him refused to do: casting a shrewd eye at his own party and openly acknowledging the strengths he sees in British Conservatives.  Clegg comes from a philosophical base, not so much a political one, and his reasonings sound far more objective than anything his political contemporaries are expressing.  In other words, Nick Clegg comes from a clear premise and is willing to work with anyone who supports that conclusion.  And that premise is simply this:

Liberalism starts and finishes with a philosophical view that there is something extraordinary about every individual.  A liberal believes that you should be trying to release potential, create opportunity, remove barriers to social progress, liberate social mobility. “

Let’s be honest, do any of us really know what the Liberal Party is?  Or the Conservatives?  Or the NDP?  The Greens?  Political parties have philosophical roots that were born out of important moments in their history.  Conservatives continue to maintain that they are the frugal party and the enemy of big government, but the present Conservative version has the largest PMO in history to go along with the largest deficit.  I’m not saying it’s wrong; just that it doesn’t match the rhetoric.  The NDP are supposedly the part of progressive socialism, and yet in an attempt to grow a broader base they have often seized political opportunities that have at times alienated their historical supporters.  And the Liberals?  If they’re the party of individual freedom, why is it they spend so much time attempting to put political life into huge institutions?There are reasons for all these things, some quite valid, but the reality is that all three have been willing to abandon their base if it would assist them to gain power.  When Jack Layton sided with the Conservatives to topple Paul Martin in 2005, he did so against the advice of most of his key support groups and they ended up with a Harper government – just what they worried about.  Jean Chretien said he was against free trade prior to his election in 1993, but quickly reversed himself upon entering office when he better understood the consequences.  And just today the media is full of stories of how Stephen Harper has suffused the Senate and the bureaucracy with his own cronies, despite his election pledge to actually do the opposite.In the end, the liberal philosophy has turned out to be correct  - again.  Canada has continually decentralized over the past decades, from stronger central governments to provinces, territories, regions, cities, and now, individuals.  It’s likely true what most political observers say that Canada is ultimately a liberal country philosophically because freedom and tolerance matter here.  But it’s not necessarily true that a citizenry of a largely small “l” type will naturally gravitate to a large “L” party.  It’s possible, yet it will have to engage the individual in ways it hasn’t envisioned in times previous.While political parties play chameleon in their search for power, it would be most refreshing for the Liberal Party of Canada to just come and say to people: “You’re right, we’ve made promises we didn’t keep.  And, yes, our pursuit of power has made us as arrogant as the Conservatives – it’s true.  But no more.  We know you’re disgusted by Question Period, but we’ll back Conservative Michael Chong in his bid to reform it.  And while we’re at it, we’ll work with Nicole Demer of the Bloc to ensure that the word “equality” is placed back in the Charter of the Status of Women.  We’ll sit down with our NDP colleagues and work out an arrangement that can find us cooperating on a pension reform initiative that will save the best of what workers have paid into for their entire careers. Naturally, we disagree with Stephen Harper on numerous issues, but he is the elected leader in a free land and we will show him the respect he deserves as a result.  We’ll behave respectfully in the House, but will regard your own local communities as the working cathedrals of the democratic spirit, knowing that whatever happens in the Chamber must have your benefit as our ultimate aim.  We’ll engage you honestly and transparently and deal with you up-front, in a forthright manner.  We’ll ask you what it is that you need as an individual Canadian citizen to make this country and the world a better place and we’ll move Ottawa and your community to get those resources.”The liberal founders were right: the great institution in democratic life is the individual, and on that institution we will build our country – not on our designs as a political party.  The institution of the empowered, enlightened and caring individual is the highest achievement of any just land, and it’s time the Liberals came back home to it.