ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
WANTED: People willing and able to help place these stake boards in gardens across the constituency.
If you are able to help, please contact the Campaign Team on campaign@buckinghamlibdems.org.uk
The Manifesto for our National Party has been published.
LABOUR AND THE TORIES ARE DYING - THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS ARE THE FUTURE
The slow-motion disintegration of the Conservative and Labour Parties is the key political fact of 2019. Brexit is the immediate detonator, but the underlying causes run much deeper and create the opportunity to reshape politics.
You may have noticed an increased activity from the Buckingham Liberal Democrats lately.
We have revamped our website and there are quite a few events going on at the moment. Of course this is all a direct result of John Bercow announcing that he will be stepping down shortly and this means a guaranteed election in the Buckingham Constituency. We don't yet know whether we will have a by-election or General Election or indeed when this election will take place, but we are building up to be prepared.
Expressway: Give us a say!
The Vice Chair is a position that has strategic value to any party. It involves you in the heart of your local party and is good experience for those who may want to become Chair in the future.
The Vice Chair can be a kind of 'Minister Without Portfolio', available to take on some tasks not obviously someone else's responsibility.
It works equally well as a leadership and an advisory role.
The Diversity Officer needs to be someone in the local party that has a passion for people and is supposed to bring in diversity to the party with the aim of making the local party more relatable to the community. It needs someone who can reach out to different groups within the community, and who is happy to go to many events to meet new and different people.
This is a very fun role as you get to learn about your local community and the many different groups that give it its diversity. You will be educated about these groups, but also prepared to learn about their concerns, so that you can help the exec group take them into consideration when discussing and deciding the local manifesto or different policies.
This role can also be a great help to your local party's fundraising and campaigning activities, as well as your Membership Officer when it comes to organising events. Be open and diverse in your thoughts, and never make an assumption about any of the groups in your community.
Each local party has people elected to their Executive Committee as Ordinary Members, who do not hold specific roles. These are people who help by having a say in how the local party is run, and by taking on ad hoc roles and helping with special projects.
Being a committee member enables you to help guide the party in the best possible direction, and you can do it without taking on a specific functional role. It suits someone who is generally quite competent, and who likes to look at the bigger picture of their local party. It's ideal for somebody who wants to be involved, but who may not want an official position.
Imagine the last election if you'd had twice the funds to fight it. Uplifting income is crucial for one of those outstanding results everyone talks about. It enables more resource and better quality output, and takes professional skills to make a bigger impact, match your opponent and optimise your result.
Getting a basic fundraising framework set up will strengthen your local party's prospects in the short- and long-terms, while you will gain a coveted skill for your CV. You'll also make new contacts, be involved in interesting events and will become an indispensable part of your local team.
