Liberal International’s 55th Congress
During the formal opening of the Liberal International’s 55th Congress in Belfast, LI President Lord
Alderdice presented his words of welcome to the assembled members of the international liberal family: “It is a very special pleasure for me to welcome Liberal International back to Belfast for our 55th Congress. When the LI Executive came to Belfast in 1995 we had just begun a ceasefire but hopes were modest and anxieties still high that we could easily revert to the political violence which had plagued our country. Now we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the picture has changed completely. […]
“Liberals are not just about the freedom and dignity of individual people; we also recognize that none of us can fulfil our potential on our own, especially when we are struggling against the giants of hunger, disease, poverty, war and increasingly, of environmental degradation. These are giants which can only be addressed when we work together.
“It is no accident that we are gathering in Belfast, a place where hope has gradually emerged out of the ashes of a city of despair.”
David Ford, leader of the Alliance Party, also welcomed the Congress: “The theme of our Congress is our Shared Future. […] A shared future goes beyond ethnic divisions. Without social inclusion, society’s fruits are not shared with the poor. Improving our environment is about sharing the planet with other species and future generations.”
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We Liberal Democrats are often pilloried as being all things to all men. We probably don’t talk enough about our basic philosophy. John Alderdice sums it up well.
The important thing is that it influences our thinking from the global scale down to the local.