Sniping at Liberals
Sir: It would surprise me if Mr Hugh Macpherson concludes his regular outpourings of anti-Liberal Party venom with anything amounting to journalistic selfrespect. His latest trip (September 2) into unsubstantiated malice concerning our coming Margate gathering is an unfortunate example.
Before I am dismissed as an ageing follower of Mr Asquith, may I lecord, though an admirer of the man, that I am an immature eighteen-year-old and one of those dreadful young Liberals out to set right some of the errors your columnist seems to revel in making.
As Mr Macpherson admits, any attempt to write off the Liberal Party will be met with the valid argument that we have successfully survived over fifty years embalming by his sort of Cassandra. If a corpse is still sought, Liverpool is certainly not a graveyard. Over fifteen Liberals now sit on the City Authority representative of arduous labour in both middleand working-class wards where Tory and Labour (in particular) have practised social neglect. An omen of the future, Mr Macpherson?
Ah! The Liberal Party is only important insofar as its activities affect the other two parties, citing the Common Market to prove his point. Yet, Mr Macpherson, I thought I cast an eye awhile t.back when the rumpus was at its height and saw your Solomon-like denunciation of our Common Market stand as cheap publicity. My, my, you should take a walk outside into the electoral havens of Britain, sir, where you would be promptly directed to a confessional box for such duplicity. I've no doubt our efforts on behalf of British Asians and for Scottish-Welsh Home Rule are considered gimmicks despite the fact that we have lost seats and votes for maintenance of these principled causes!
That Mr Macpherson riddles his column with dud bullets is nowhere more apparent than in his comments on the National League of Young Liberals. Certainly, illiberal people polluted the leadership in the Red Guard era but to suggest that all ' 25,000 ' of us are or were (Mr Macpherson fails to specify) of the same irresponsibility is shocking. Why place credence in the statements of Mr Kiloh when that gentleman has thankfully made a merciful departure many a year ago?
This brings me to Mr Thorpe. Now I speak for the views of over thirty Young Liberals in my own parishes in saying that we have nothing but unqualified praise for Jeremy. We find him one of the best orators and most practical leaders of a main political party around. Furthermore, Mr Thorpe's devotion to a truly classless progressive Liberalism is far more pleasing than the distasteful, direct action, unconstitutional behaviour of some National League of Young 'Liberal' leaders. No, Mr Macpherson, I'm not confirming your Red Guard history; rather condemning the actions of members of a ' YL ' organisation called 'Commitment' whose members attest to a similar disbelief in the efficacy of a youth-influenced left wing democratic party as does Mr Macpherson who ought to dwell upon the fact that pre-1707 Scotland is somewhat far removed from a dynamic European future! In sum, Mr Macpherson, if you must criticise Liberals straighten out your facts first. Lay aside your suspicions. I suggest you begin by looking at policy platforms on pollution and housing this time round at Margate. Your unconcern for minorities might be rewarded when value added tax, negative income tax, relief of stamp duty on mortgages are remembered. They were all Liberal policies pinched by our opponents. Who knows, Margate may well indicate how other gentlewomen in distress' causes are to be espoused by the majority parties in the future. At least, the other parties embrace concrete substance rather than worship fashionable cynicism as Mr Mac
pherson obviously relishes in doing.
Lawrence Iles Chairman, Epsom (Ashstead and District) Young Liberals,
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