Pride in the name of love
Couldn’t resist a U2 reference.
Liberalism is the opposite of Facism or Communism. It emphasises the freedom of the individual over the collective. That is not to say it is purely self-interested. Democracy means all people are equal and deserve to be treated as such. That’s why we are Liberal Democrats.
That’s the law in the UK too. I get to say who or what I am and so does everyone else and no-one gets to tell anyone else who can can or can’t be. It is all laid out in The Equality Act 2010.
My freedom can’t impinge on your freedom, but also vice versa. The key word is equality. It doesn’t matter how a person identifies themselves. That is their business and their right.
You have a right to say what you believe so long as it doesn’t take away someone else’s right to be who they are. Freedom of speech is not absolute.
That is the foundation of a liberal democracy. Be proud of who you are, don’t be ashamed or make anyone else feel ashamed. We all have the same rights to be ourselves but we’re not free to oppress anyone else.
You can’t make one group of people more safe by making another group less safe. That’s not freedom or equality.
I will fight to defend anyone’s rights but not at someone elses expense. Simple as that. As George Orwell pointed out in Animal Farm in 1945, if one group wins their freedom but begins to oppress another group, they become as bad as the original oppressors. Let’s not do that.
