ISSUE 1 of New Horizon (NH) was launched by the National Liberal Party towards the end of 2015. Edited by Graham Williamson – a member of the NLPs ruling body, the National Council – NH is the NLPs online ideological magazine.

As the reproduced Editorial (below) notes, NH was designed ‘to showcase (and debate) the ideas and policies of the National Liberal Party, the ideology of National Liberalism and historical antecedents.’ Importantly it also encourages free thought and free speech. To do this, NH also attempts to take into consideration as many views as is possible in open debate. Thus, members and supporters are always encouraged to have their say. To this end, New Horizon puts into practice the well-known party slogan Debate is free with the NLP!

NH is also required reading for those who understand that the many social & economic problems we face are not going to be solved by screaming and shouting. Macho–posturing and gesture politics are of no interest to us. This means that we favour informed and reasoned debate. Here we concentrate on arguments, points of view and facts. NH is not definitely interested in personalities, prejudice or promoting self-interest.

Given the recent antics of our so-called ‘betters’ who sit in both Houses at Westminster, the need for a journal like New Horizon is greater than ever. That’s why we’re reproducing the Editorial from issue 1. We’ll also be reproducing articles from all four issues over the months ahead. In doing so, our aim is to promote the ideology of National Liberalism and build New Horizon. We hope that you will help us do both!

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New Horizon – Issue 1 – Editorial

THIS MAGAZINE is designed to showcase (and debate) the ideas and policies of the National Liberal Party, the ideology of National Liberalism and historical antecedents. One of these latter, in the UK, was the Liberal National Party 1931-1948/68. This was basically composed of Liberals who had disagreed with their Party leadership’s policy to support the Labour Party in Government and a dogmatic refusal to support import tariffs in a time of recession.

These ‘rebels’ were eventually doomed to fail (and largely absorbed into the Conservative Party), but at certain times had more MP’s than the Liberal Party, once had more votes in a General election, and might have survived under a more visionary leadership. This ‘division’ was not without precedence, for earlier periods had thrown up their own contemporary ‘patriotic liberals’, whether Chamberlain’s Liberal Unionists or Lord Rosebery’s ‘Liberal Imperialists’. Indeed, there have been other ‘Liberal’ figures in and even outside the party who some suggest represent an ‘alternative liberal tradition’ (see http://www.davidboyle.co.uk/history/belloc.html ). Wider still, we can find empathy with early European national liberals such as Guiessepe Mazzini, Orla Lehmann and Gustav Stresemann.

Thus, today’s National Liberals, pay homage to an old and noble tradition; indeed the very title of this magazine, the New Horizon, is a nod to the Liberal National in-house periodical, first brought out in 1942.

In our first issue the lead article explains that liberalism and nationalism/patriotism, function in political philosophy like the head (liberalism) and heart (nationalism) in the human body i.e. “Thus a vital Nationalism and Liberalism within society can be seen as a perquisite for a healthy people as a vital head and heart is for a healthy body.” There are also Book reviews from yours truly on the Philosopher Yael Tamir’s seminal work ‘Liberal Nationalism’ and a recent biography on Liberal National MP and Minister, Leslie Hoare-Belisha.

We also include a section on party news which, in this issue, features articles based around some five key areas highlighted in a new Party recruitment leaflet. These discuss Civil Liberties (including the introduction of a CL watchdog), Democracy (in particular, greater use of Referendums), Environment (because to love your country must include loving your ecology/land), National Health Service (ensuring it has a greater national priority than present e.g. cutting overseas interventions) and the Economy (promoting apprenticeships and even a little of the Liberal National’s protectionism!). We would welcome contributions. Please email us at natliberal@aol.com

We hope you enjoy this issue of what we hope will become an important tool in the National Liberal Party’s armoury and assist in the revival of the National Liberal idea.