Somaliland talk at LIBG Scotland agm
Willis Pickard reports.
LIBG is affiliated to Liberal International - the global federation of liberal parties. Its aims are to keep liberal values - human rights, social justice, democracy and rule of law - alive in the face of adversity. Working with like-minded parties across the globe, we want to keep Britain's pro-European, internationalist voice audible loud and clear across the globe.
LIBG holds regular events and produces a regular journal for members InterLib.
Please explore our website pages for more information.
Trump, Harris and the Future of Transatlantic Relations
LIBG held a well-attended meeting on the first day of Liberal Democrat conference, discussing the future of NATO, Ukraine and American foreign policy. With an audience of over 130 people, LIBG was heartened by the show of interest in this crucial area of policy.
Mark Bergman, from the Democratic Party in Washington DC, refused to forecast the November 5th result. However, he left the meeting in no doubt that a Trump victory would have catastrophic consequences for Ukraine. He said that while Trump wants to withdraw the US from NATO, not all of his advisors shared this view, and that there was a chance that wiser heads might prevail. Phil Gordon, Kamala Harris’s likely national security advisor, has a track record suggesting not so much intervention (he was against the Iraq invasion and the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan), but of fighting to uphold the liberal, democratic values of partner nations. Rather than isolationism or America first, a Harris administration would see America as one among partners, working collaboratively.
Yevheniia Kravchuk, deputy chair of Ukraine’s ruling Servant of the People party, spoke movingly about the existential fight facing her nation. The meeting was also an opportunity for members to listen to the new MP for South Devon, Caroline Voaden. It was chaired by LIBG chair Irina von Wiese.
The general discussion on Ukraine included concerns that Putin would not stop short of crushing and erasing Ukrainian identity if he is allowed to occupy the country. If the international community loses the will to support Ukraine, the result will be a repressive occupation in which thousands are imprisoned, tortured and killed.
When discussing the likelihood that Putin might respond to the use of Storm Shadow missiles on Russian soil, there was a view that a massive cyber attack on the UK could be more likely. This is concerning as the British public is in no way prepared for such an attack, and the UK government should be educating people to understand the scale of disruption that is possible, should the Kremlin decide to unleash its cyber capabilities.
More details will be included in the next edition of InterLib.
Many thanks to Rebecca Tinsley for organising this event.
Willis Pickard reports.
Liberal International held its 57th Congress in Manila from 16-20 June, the first time a full congress has been held in Asia.
Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules the World, addressed a 23 May forum held jointly by Liberal International British Group and the Chinese Liberal Democrats.
Prospects for democracy and liberalism hang in the balance across the Arab world, with progress in some countries but the likelihood of bloodshed in others as the wave of popular revolts continues, LIBG's forum on North Africa heard.
Revolt in Tunisia and its possible affects on the Arab world
Rebecca Tinsley, founder of Waging Peace, which works with survivors of war, genocide and rape in central Africa, spoke to an LIBG forum on the impending referendum that could see southern Sudan secede as a separate country.