'I am liberal' - Anonymous

'Liberal' means rejecting the norm in a non-confrontational way. 'A' liberal is a more gentle version of 'a' socialist, and should be enjoyed!

I am (and am not) liberal - Anonymous

I don't see that anyone with any intelligence and sense of reason would be able to honestly say that they are one or the other!

'I am liberal' - Elizabeth Banks (received in the post this morning!)

I think liberalism is a state of mind; openness, compassion, caring, respectfulness (a)  - - - - harder to put into practice than rigid dogmatic attitudes (b).

a) is inclusive; b) is exclusive. This is true in Church, State and Private Lives.

'I am liberal' - Anthony Seldon

I’m Liberal because I believe in the inherent goodness of human nature. We should maximise individual liberty because that will allow the human spirit to optimally thrive, and for happiness to be maximised. I am not a Liberal only towards those whose actions impoverish and restrict the right and freedom of others. My aim for society is to have no punishments because everyone understands that damaging others impoverishes all.  My aim as head of a school is to get rid of all punishment. But, in the real world, I recognise that some illiberality is necessary to enhance the liberty of all.

Anthony Seldon is  a political commentator and Master of Wellington College.

'I am liberal' - Rebecca Doctor

I think that as a 17 year-old in the school system, I seek to push all boundaries and make my own decisions; meaning that I seek the freedom that liberalism provides.

Rebecca Doctor is a young filmmaker and photographer from Hereford. Rebecca's Twitter feed.

Am I a liberal? - Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor

I am suspicious of labels, whether political or ideological: as Bishop Tom Wright has said of the practice of categorising everyone politically as either “left” or “right”, labels foster “an inappropriate ‘package deal’ mentality where it is assumed that once you decide on one issue you are committed to a particular position on lots of others as well”. Labels also lend themselves to being used pejoratively, as when someone who believes in the importance to a healthy society of stable marriages and families is described as “socially conservative” even if he or she may favour higher taxes on the rich and re-nationalising the railways. Gladstone’s liberalism was essentially an expression of his revulsion from tyranny and oppression; but when he moved across the political spectrum from high Tory to Liberal, he retained what would today be regarded as many strongly “conservative” strands in his thinking, including a strong religious faith and devotion to the Anglican Church.

If to be liberal means to be in favour of liberty, equality and fraternity – of freedom, fairness and the brotherhood of mankind – then surely all Christians are, or ought to be, liberal; and so, I hope, am I. But what do the words really signify, and how far are the three aspirations compatible with one another? As the leaders of the French Revolution quickly discovered, the attainment of equality is impossible without coercion; and freedom of thought and conscience is bound to lead to sharp disagreements over what is or is not allowable behaviour, and thus - inexorably - to restrictions on freedom in one direction or another.

Currently, the emphasis is once again on the paramount importance of equality: racial or social discrimination of any kind is the great sin. But if those who believe abortion to be wrong in principle may not even refuse to assist at abortions because other people believe that abortion is a right to which everyone should have equal access, where does that leave freedom of conscience and belief? If fairness is crucial, why should some people be disapproved of (if not yet actually outlawed) for spending their money on giving their children a better than average education and yet almost encouraged to spend their money on expensive holidays and a luxurious lifestyle which others cannot afford? Of course it is unfair that some people should be able to get a better education than others, but should non-discrimination entail that, if some people can’t have it, no one should?

“In my experience”, says the philosopher Roger Scruton, “the most intolerant people are liberals: people who can tolerate any belief as long as it is not seriously held and who therefore demonise everyone who disagrees with them”. Sadly, those with whom liberals  disagree often seem to include those who have a respect for the Natural Law or who have a religious perspective on the human condition. Gladstone, I think, would be dismayed. Scruton may exaggerate; but there is enough truth in his aphorism to make me cautious about claiming to be a liberal today. 

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor is Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster

'I am liberal' - Twill

I think that everyone should be treated as equals. no matter what ethnicity, religion, sexuality or race. People shouldn't think any less of you.

Twill's Twitter Feed

Igor Markaida - 'I am (a) liberal'

Any attempt at a meaningful explanation of the term 'liberal' requires a great deal of care. The main interpretation of liberalism as 'negative freedom' brought the concept closer to free market ideology, generally pairing it to the ideas of liberal democracy and capitalism. Antagonistic political formats of the twentieth century, like fascism and communism, mixed with anti-colonial (and anti-neocolonial) sentiment, accentuated this relationship further. The limits of the liberal ideals were put to the test. The rise of mass-media driven politics didn't help either, causing complex concepts to lose currency among the myriad messages that the average citizen was (and is) object to on a daily basis.

The fact is that liberals themselves have often shied away from responsibility, looked the other side or passed the reins on to non-liberals when things got tough and their principles did not seemed to provide any answers. On an even darker note, it would be disingenuous to ignore the way in which "freedom of expression" has trumped on someone's "freedom from hunger", the liberal ideal as moral cover to free market abuse. Living on less than a dollar a day makes it a little difficult for one's thoughts to be free from figuring out where the next dollar is going to come from.

But, although many liberals retreated quietly from using the term themselves, there is no denying that Western societies are built on the foundational liberal principles. Even self-proclaimed non-liberals voice their concerns under the protection of these principles. Their influence can be felt also in organized religion and the attitudes of people of faith that have shifted their beliefs to softer positions to the more conciliatory discourse of the ''spiritual'. Although far from resolved, issues that were of great concern to liberals only fifty years ago (such as the rights of women) have increasingly been addressed and interiorized by citizens in these societies. And although we cannot pretend that freedoms and rights are not being abused on a daily basis, it cannot be denied either that they play an important part in every individual's self-narrative.

The difficulty to assess the liberal values and its role in the organization of society only reflects the complexity of today's social and political scenario. Traditional concerns give way to new ones: environment, cultural and ethnic diversity, disability rights, sexual orientation, privacy and intellectual property in a hyper-connected world … the list of challenges grows faster than our ability to confront them. Perhaps the liberal toolset only works at a particular scale. From the ground up, at individual level, the foundational tenets of liberalism still help us position ourselves among those around us, in a harmonious way. But could it be that these tools do not work at a larger, global, political level and we ought to be looking for some sort of post-liberal mechanisms?

Discussion and compromise, a stubbornness in refusing to deal in absolutes and an underlying faith on the potential of human ingenuity are what sets the liberal ideal apart. Liberalism promotes individual contribution to the collective endeavour, as an in-built safeguard against too much state intervention on personal affairs. Legitimacy validated by representation also contributes to a sense of fair play, of equal of opportunities. Individual freedom comes with individual responsibility.

If it aspires to be other than just an illusion, liberalism needs to stop seeing itself as a destination point and rediscover the spirit of struggle, of work-in-progress, inherent to it. It has to recover a tradition of dissent, and appeal to freedom of thought and expression, not only from the state, but also from corporations that monopolize media and public opinion, education, culture … If its principles are to be in any way relevant in the twenty-first century, liberalism has to show that it has the capacity to work within ideological formats other capitalism (as capitalism without liberalism has done in China).

Warts and all, I think I will remain a staunch liberal for a longer while.

Igor Markaida works as a freelance Communications Consultant

I am liberal - Anonymous

'Liberal', for me, means respect for one's neighbours, belief in the rule of law and a profound willingness to protect the rights of my brothers.

Bishop Gregory Cameron - 'I am (a) liberal'

Finding value and meaning in the world has puzzled humanity for all its existence.  Humanity’s answers have been hugely diverse, bringing healing and hope, violence and harm.  Among these myriad voices, I believe also that God’s Spirit speaks to the world and to humanity, encouraging us to find the reality and meaning which he writes into creation.  Two approaches stand out – a dogmatic approach, which wraps itself in a mantle of knowing the truth and coercing or cajoling others into it, and an approach which is forever open to the wisdom and experience of others.  The first is ultimately sterile.  It inhibits authenticity and exploration and tentativeness and integrity, and becomes a play about power.  The second is about hospitality and generosity, about discovering the echo of the Spirit’s whisperings in unexpected places, about affirmation and growth.  The growth into such wisdom begins with a liberality of soul; this is why I am “liberal”.

Gregory K Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph, Trustee of Gladstone’s Library

I am liberal - Anonymous

Because I think 'we', and not just 'I'.

Nathan North - 'I am (a confused) liberal'

Would Gladstone even be regarded as a liberal today? He certainly became more liberal the older he got (his views moving in the opposite direction to how most people's change), but I think a lot of his views would put him in UKIP today or at least on the right of the Conservative Party. Perhaps it is unfair to take him out of his historical context and judge him by contemporary standards; but if he was a liberal, then he seems like a very conservative one - as opposed to a radical liberal, such as John Stuart Mill.

Nathan North studied Philosophy at London University and is currently a journalist in Poland.

'I am liberal' - Sophie Jessop

I am liberal as I am open-minded to change; change in the community as well as change within myself.

Miss Sophie Jessup, Caerphilly, Wales.

'I am liberal' - Chloe Bramwell

I think liberalism transcends party politics: it means celebrating diversity and offering opportunities to all.

Chloe Bramwell was born in 1995 and enjoys indulging in liberation.

'I am liberal' - Kaye

I think that all people are fundamentally equal and should be free to express their opinions. For me, being liberal is more closely related to equality than to permissiveness.

Kaye from Birmingham

Want to take part?

Then do! There's plenty of thought-provoking stuff already on the blog, and we'd love new contributors to offer new perspectives or engage with previous posts.

You can take part in any way you like: a written entry of between 5-500 words, pictures, links...You don't have to be 'a' Liberal, or a Liberal Democrat, or even politically inclined, to take part - 'liberal' will mean whatever the public say it means!

The blog will run and run, but all entries submitted before September 30th will be put forward for consideration in the Why I am (or am not) liberal book, due out later this year. Don't miss your chance to be published!

'I am liberal' - Eryl Thomas

Being ‘liberal’ means being tolerant, open-minded, egalitarian, compassionate: and nice.

Eryl Thomas is a North Wales solicitor with sadly few liberal qualities.

'I am liberal' - William Goddard

Freedom to think, tolerance, constant curiosity: all liberal, and all important elements of learning and development.

William Goddard - retired academic; Vice-President, Learning Teacher Network; Trustee of Southern Educational Leadership Trust; active regional RSA Fellow.

An Anonymous Confession....

I vote Tory. I always have. Sorry.

I am liberal - Anonymous

Because liberalism is about the Individual as part of a Society.