David Chalmers: Diversity in local parties
By David Chalmers
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - EDI - are core values of the UK Liberal Democrats. My party puts at the forefront of its campaign messaging - support for universal human rights, championing the rights of minorities- ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly, given the same opportunities, equal representation and the ability to enjoy a strong voice in determining how we are governed and the sort of society we want to live. LGBT+ rights have taken on a special significance in recent years – especially for the LibDems - as laws that defined lesbians and gay men as second class citizens in the UK were repealed in the 1990s to be replaced by laws protecting our rights as equal members of society in the workplace and in the home. The LibDems in the Coalition Government between 2010 and 2015 led the fight for Equal Marriage. As a gay man these were the values that first attracted me to join the Liberal Democrats.
To ensure that EDI values are taken seriously throughout the party at every level, the LibDems have established a system, which begins with the constitution of every local party stipulating that their Annual General Meeting elect a Diversity Officer to sit on their local party’s Executive. The Diversity Officer is responsible for encouraging the diversity of candidates standing at elections – that messaging, campaign and polices reflect the specific local needs of different sections of the community. Reaching out to local groups , listening to their concerns and proving that as a party we will champion their priorities are critical to our success with the electorate. Our strength in local government reflects our ability to connect with local communities. With regards to the LGBT+ community this often means offering support for a local Pride Festival or encouraging local schools and colleges to mark LGBT+ History month in February each year. In North Devon the part of South West England where I am from – the Lib Dem support for the LGBT+ community was manifested by the Mayors of local towns marching alongside the rainbow flag as the Pride Parade made its way through the market town. I
We recognise that it can often be a challenge for a member of an under represented group to join a local party where prejudices of all kinds can exist – just as they can in general society. To combat some of those prejudices and foster a more welcoming environment, we encourage all local party officers to undertake unconscious bias training. Being aware of a problem is half the battle. Coordinating the network of Local Party Diversity Officers, each region of England, plus the nations of Wales and Scotland have a Diversity Champion elected by all members of the party in that region or nation, who sits on the regional or national executive and ensures that EDI matters are respected and given prominence at all levels of the party. The Diversity Champion is able to see things from a wider perspective and help local parties share best practice and craft messages, which relate across the whole region or nation. During my time as Diversity Champion for Devon Cornwall, I made it a priority for the LibDems to be seen Pride events throughout the region - using exhibition stalls to explain our commitment and policies to the LGBT+ community The Diversity Champion and Officers are encouraged and given training to engage with the media- in a range of topics from education to health to transport and housing – all issues that affect the whole of society but can have specific relevance to LGBT+people.
The LibDems have a team in party HQ overseeing the national network of Diversity Champions and Officers. At our national party Conferences in the Spring and Autumn and Annual Regional Conferences, there are opportunities to come together and learn from one another’s experiences and share best practice. EDI training is included as a core component of the training offered by the party’s Alliance of LibDem Campaigners and Councillors ALDC - the party’s main training body - who hold training sessions at conferences and courses throughout the year.
Having EDI embedded in the core values of our party encourages us to propose and support legislation in the British Parliament that reflects the needs of minorities and carry that message forward to our sister parties in Europe and around the world. Internationalism is another core value of the LibDems – working and sharing next practice with our sister parties around the world. At recent ALDE meetings the LibDems have brought forward resolutions to combat hate crime and hate speech and offer support for LGBT+ communities facing prejudice and discrimination. The LibDems have been working alongside Rainbow Platform to help train officers from our sister parties in recruiting and supporting LGBT+ members and candidates and we were one of the first parties to sign the Dublin Declaration.
By working to build awareness and support for Equality, Diversity and Equality throughout the party – starting at the level of each local party – we are able to face the challenges and ensure that support for universal human rights – in particular LGBT+ rights – is a a key part of who we are as Lib Dems and what we stand for. It’s what makes me most proud to be a Liberal Democrat.
David Chalmers
Chair of Liberal Democrat Federal International Relations Committee
