![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cosmolinguistWhat's your name, where are you from, and which committee(s) are you standing for?
I'm Alex Hegenbarth from Cheltenham and I am standing for the Federal Board.
Are you standing for the first time or restanding? If first time what new thing do you bring that nobody else could; if restanding, what about your record are you most proud of that you think should make us vote you back in?
I am standing for the first time and I plan, along with my manifesto, to do two things:
First, and foremost, I hope to be a voice for every member in the party. While that is said a lot, if elected I would want any member to contact me directly if they have any concerns and questions about the strategic direction of the party so then I could make your voice is heard.
Second, I want our make sure the Federal Board is not a closed shop, and that we encourage the maximum participation of party members in helping shape the strategic direction of the party.
Are you standing for any other committees, if so which ones; and if elected to more than one how do you plan to divide your time?
My only focus is on the Federal Board and on how I can represent new and energised members as well as those have been with the party through thick and thin.
Are you an active member of any SAOs, and if so which ones?
I belong to both the Alliance of Liberal Democrat Councillors and the Liberal Democrat Disability Association.
If someone asked you on the doorstep, the hustings or on TV to sum up in one or two sentences what the Lib Dems, uniquely, stand for – and then why anyone should vote for us – what are your answers?
Supporting the Lib Dems is to hold fast to our nation's liberal principles, no matter how taken-for-granted they may be.
Together we must remain the voice for an open, tolerant and united nation.
Together, we can make our country better for our children and their children too.
What is your view on diversity quotas for committees? Should they be extended to cover more than just gender, scrapped totally, kept as is or something else?
I think that diversity quotas should be expanded to reflect not just the party but to reflect the diversity of the nation we plan to govern. While this may lead to an over-representation of certain groups on our committees initially in relation to the party's membership, it is up to us as party members to encourage as many different people as possible to join us and help us reflect in our own membership the diverse makeup of the population of the country.
Secrecy rules prevent the party knowing what committees are doing. What will you do to communicate with members; and in what circumstances is confidentiality justified?
I think committees should be as open as possible with members about what they do and how they operate, but obviously there are instances where topics and plans are politically sensitive and so can't be advertised openly as a running commentary to the wider world.
However, I think there needs to be clear guidance/mechanisms for what is deemed to be sensitive/confidential in order to give committees the confidence to be so open. This will help stop committees falling back to a default position that their dealings should be opaque 'just in case' and help open up the decision making process and help increase the membership's confidence in the workings and decisions of the party's internal committees.
As the party has now backed the principle of OMOV, how will you ensure all members are represented, not just those who can afford to go to Conference?
Representation is a major issue within the party and I feel that collectively we could be doing much more to reach out to the wider membership. As an administrator of the Lib Dem Newbies UK group (now the largest Lib Dem social media group) and through working on the Witney and Richmond by-election campaigns I have how useful mass participation through social media has been in sharing new ideas, discussing topical issues and keeping members up to date.
I would encourage all committees to set up go-to areas (either on Facebook or on the Federal Party website) where information could be posted and discussed and where questions can be raised and answered. I would also encourage committee secretaries to write up monthly summaries/meeting minute summaries of non-sensitive information to be emailed to the wider membership, with local party chairs acting passing on such information to those unable to access email.
If police accreditation to attend conference was proposed again, would you support or oppose it and why?
I main issue revolves around security and I would encourage a more comprehensive police accreditation for attendees be carried out if our current system was proved to be inadequate for our conferences' security needs.
What is your view on electoral pacts? Should the party make them, and if so, who with?
After the collapse of the party's vote share during the Coalition, I think it is important that the party focuses on rebuilding our core vote and making sure that their is a distinctive and independent Liberal voice in British politics rather than running the risk of becoming the 'liberal wing' of another political group.
The list of all candidates who have answered can be found here.
I'm Alex Hegenbarth from Cheltenham and I am standing for the Federal Board.
Are you standing for the first time or restanding? If first time what new thing do you bring that nobody else could; if restanding, what about your record are you most proud of that you think should make us vote you back in?
I am standing for the first time and I plan, along with my manifesto, to do two things:
First, and foremost, I hope to be a voice for every member in the party. While that is said a lot, if elected I would want any member to contact me directly if they have any concerns and questions about the strategic direction of the party so then I could make your voice is heard.
Second, I want our make sure the Federal Board is not a closed shop, and that we encourage the maximum participation of party members in helping shape the strategic direction of the party.
Are you standing for any other committees, if so which ones; and if elected to more than one how do you plan to divide your time?
My only focus is on the Federal Board and on how I can represent new and energised members as well as those have been with the party through thick and thin.
Are you an active member of any SAOs, and if so which ones?
I belong to both the Alliance of Liberal Democrat Councillors and the Liberal Democrat Disability Association.
If someone asked you on the doorstep, the hustings or on TV to sum up in one or two sentences what the Lib Dems, uniquely, stand for – and then why anyone should vote for us – what are your answers?
Supporting the Lib Dems is to hold fast to our nation's liberal principles, no matter how taken-for-granted they may be.
Together we must remain the voice for an open, tolerant and united nation.
Together, we can make our country better for our children and their children too.
What is your view on diversity quotas for committees? Should they be extended to cover more than just gender, scrapped totally, kept as is or something else?
I think that diversity quotas should be expanded to reflect not just the party but to reflect the diversity of the nation we plan to govern. While this may lead to an over-representation of certain groups on our committees initially in relation to the party's membership, it is up to us as party members to encourage as many different people as possible to join us and help us reflect in our own membership the diverse makeup of the population of the country.
Secrecy rules prevent the party knowing what committees are doing. What will you do to communicate with members; and in what circumstances is confidentiality justified?
I think committees should be as open as possible with members about what they do and how they operate, but obviously there are instances where topics and plans are politically sensitive and so can't be advertised openly as a running commentary to the wider world.
However, I think there needs to be clear guidance/mechanisms for what is deemed to be sensitive/confidential in order to give committees the confidence to be so open. This will help stop committees falling back to a default position that their dealings should be opaque 'just in case' and help open up the decision making process and help increase the membership's confidence in the workings and decisions of the party's internal committees.
As the party has now backed the principle of OMOV, how will you ensure all members are represented, not just those who can afford to go to Conference?
Representation is a major issue within the party and I feel that collectively we could be doing much more to reach out to the wider membership. As an administrator of the Lib Dem Newbies UK group (now the largest Lib Dem social media group) and through working on the Witney and Richmond by-election campaigns I have how useful mass participation through social media has been in sharing new ideas, discussing topical issues and keeping members up to date.
I would encourage all committees to set up go-to areas (either on Facebook or on the Federal Party website) where information could be posted and discussed and where questions can be raised and answered. I would also encourage committee secretaries to write up monthly summaries/meeting minute summaries of non-sensitive information to be emailed to the wider membership, with local party chairs acting passing on such information to those unable to access email.
If police accreditation to attend conference was proposed again, would you support or oppose it and why?
I main issue revolves around security and I would encourage a more comprehensive police accreditation for attendees be carried out if our current system was proved to be inadequate for our conferences' security needs.
What is your view on electoral pacts? Should the party make them, and if so, who with?
After the collapse of the party's vote share during the Coalition, I think it is important that the party focuses on rebuilding our core vote and making sure that their is a distinctive and independent Liberal voice in British politics rather than running the risk of becoming the 'liberal wing' of another political group.
The list of all candidates who have answered can be found here.