The National Liberal Party believes that no one ‘minor’ party is likely to sweep to power in the UK however much they might wish or dream of such. The reasons why are legion yet the alternative provides only a small window of opportunity which require a radical re-think for most parties. Whilst no one party will be able to successfully breakthrough the ‘closed shop’ of Westminster we believe it may be possible for a group of parties working together to do so. Without surrendering their independence a cooperative network of like-minded groups should be able to work together on common campaigns and potentially electoral alliances. One such network is known as the People’s Alliance.

Starting as a local electoral alliance in the borough of Havering it has tried to create a national version with varied results. Whilst it requires egos to be shed and policy differences to be accepted we nevertheless believe it will soon become a growing phenomena that will bear fruit for participant parties. In the meantime we are delighted to report on another local version of the PA, this time in Devon. We are indebted to the Third Way think-tank for their report:

SATURDAY 4 JUNE – St.Petrock’s Day, the patron saint of Devon– saw the launch of the South Devon People’s Alliance (SDPA).

The SDPA is a local campaign group which seeks “to campaign outside the murky waters of mainstream politics for the people and the environment of South Devon.”

The SDPA feel that there’s a real need for a local movement to represent the ordinary people of South Devon and to protect the local environment for future generations. The SDPA feel that “mainstream politics has distanced itself from the people, and now simply represents a stable for self interest and political aspirations as opposed to representing local people.”

The group is Chaired by Glen Nicklasson, a well-known local trade unionist. The General Secretary is Rick Heyse, a keen environmentalist. The SDPA aims to campaign in four main areas – community values, localism, environmental protection and democracy.

According to the South Devon People’s Alliance:

“Our direction can be described as localist (as we believe in supporting local businesses and decentralisation, eco-conscious (as we believe in protecting the environment and support animal welfare), patriotic (as we believe in defending the nation state and our national culture) and liberal (as we believe in defending the civil liberties of the individual).”

To back this up the SDPA have produced an extensive list of policies looking at areas like housing, crime, local services, the local economy and public transport.

Their first campaign will be on June 15 (Magna Carta Day). Here they hope to plant a ‘Liberty’ tree.

The Third Way Think Tank welcomes the news that the SDPA does not discriminate on membership on any grounds, and its membership is open to people from across the political spectrum.

We’re also interested in its idea of working – and forming alliances – with “other organisations and individuals.”

Its strategy is also flexible in that it may contest future elections or offer its “support to a candidate that we believe will fight for what we believe in, or political parties that support our localist, eco-conscious agenda.”

To find out more about the South Devon People’s Alliance check out their web-site:

www.southdevonpeoplesalliance.com and their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_118327944917524