F16: The Opportunity to Succeed, the Power to Change

Federal Policy Committee

Conference notes with regret the outcome of the 2015 election and its impact on Liberal Democrats and the progressive liberal cause, and the outcome of the recent European referendum and the deep divisions in British society which it has revealed, the legacy of long-running failures of governments of both Conservative and Labour parties.

Conference welcomes the expression of the Liberal Democrat philosophy and approach to politics contained in policy paper 125, The Opportunity to Succeed, the Power to Change, and the case for the Liberal Democrats, based on:

1. Providing all British citizens with the opportunity to live their lives as they choose.
2. Dispersing political and economic power, giving citizens and their communities control over their futures.

Conference endorses the programme of policy development contained in The Opportunity to Succeed, the Power to Change, based on the following priorities:

1. Ensuring Britain remains open and outward-facing, collaborating with other countries to tackle global challenges such as terrorism, climate change and global poverty, including developing the closest possible relationship with the EU and international institutions.
2. Creating an economy which is globally competitive, productive, skills-based, balanced across sectors and across the UK, resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable, which rewards enterprise, maximises quality of life and minimises inequality.
3. Enlarging liberty, by investing in education to equip people to make the most of their lives in every respect, not just through paid work; promoting security without sacrificing privacy or freedom; and tackling crime and delivering justice.
4. Building a fair and cohesive society through investing in public services, particularly health and social care; taking action to reduce income and wealth inequality and discrimination; developing a liberal policy on immigration and fostering a shared sense of identity and community.
5. Promoting thriving communities, working with democratically elected local government to disperse political and economic power to enable communities to exercise more control over their own futures; addressing the needs of rural communities and protecting the natural environment; and tackling Britain's housing crisis.

Conference calls on party members, local, regional and state parties and party bodies to play a full part in developing Liberal Democrat policy proposals based on our core beliefs and underlying ideology, and to bring together policy-making and campaigning in making the case for the Liberal Democrats.

Applicability: Federal.