'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' - 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.

'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' - 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

'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.

'I am liberal' - Jasmine Hide

I think that really, everything should be nice in the sense of liberal being free(ish) and that people should feel OK to express themselves provided they aren’t hurting anyone.

Jasmine Hide is happy to have been selected and hopes that people understand what she's trying to say.

'I am liberal' - David Peter

Liberalism defines the values and ideas of a civilised society.

David Peter is a former Liberal Democrat and one-time Powys County Councillor, now retired and studying with the Open University for fun!

'I am liberal' - Mollie Lord

I am a liberal - we should be free to be the individual that we were born to be - AS LONG AS NO-ONE GETS HURT.

Mollie Lord is a therapist, who also reads philosophy at the Open University.

'I am NOT liberal' - John Goddard

Intolerance is unbearable and has no place in society...

John Goddard, Baptist Minister

'I am (NOT) liberal' - Tony Barrett

I think that with regard to:

SMALL THINGS (kids playing loud music on buses):  I am not liberal
MEDIUM THINGS (right to abortion):                         I am liberal
BIG THINGS (destruction of the planet):                      I am not liberal

Tony Barrett: Slightly depressed Green campaigner

'I am liberal' - Anonymous

An important aspect of liberalism is acceptance of the diversity within society, plus an acceptance that any civilised society has an obligation to support the less fortunate.

'I am liberal' - Christian Daw

There is an urgent need for all people to understand their inherent dignity. Liberalism affirms the self as sovereign.

Christian Daw is Head of Sixth Form, St. James Senior Boys' School, Ashford.

'I am liberal' - Catherine Kennedy

I think that I am female and gay and deserve as much respect as anyone else...except the bankers. Screw them.

Catherine Kennedy is 23, overeducated and employed as a library assistant in Hampshire.

I am (and am not) liberal - Anonymous

All individuals should be able to make their own choices in life. Law and order, of course, need to be maintained in order to have peace on our crowded, multi-cultural society. However, cases should be individually assessed; the law is not a black-and-white answer.

David Hannay - Why I am (a) liberal

These comments stem from my experience as a Scottish Liberal candidate three times in the1970s, when Galloway changed from Tory to SNP; and again as an SLD candidate for the first Holyrood elections, when I was second on the Regional list and also constituency candidate for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley. I never lost a deposit and always increased the vote.

During those elections I stood for three things: Home rule within a Federal UK; Electoral Reform; and Industrial partnership. These are still very relevant, but are not always given prominence today. The following are comments on the current importance of these three policies.

Home rule: within the UK.  Federalism requires changes to Westminster and the House of Lords, with a written constitution for the whole of the UK.  This is unlikely to happen before the independence referendum.  The best option is therefore “Devo plus”, and it is important that this is clearly defined by the anti-independence parties (not unionist because there is no longer a union of parliaments). Essentially taxes should be raised as far as possible where they are spent, and this goes for local authorities as well. At the moment the situation is completely unbalanced with the Barnet Formula and Rate Support Grants. The crucial thing is for external affairs and defence to remain on a UK basis.  It is important that this third option is in the referendum, because it would be supported by the majority in Scotland. To have only a “yes/no” for independence is a huge gamble, insulting to the voters, and risks us all sleepwalking into partition.

Electoral Reform: STV is the best system but after the AV defeat, further progress is unlikely for some time. However, there are now four different electoral systems in Scotland, and it is small wonder that voter turnout is low. There is a case for compulsory voting.

Industrial partnership: Capital in firms being owned by employees is not unusual in places like Germany, and happens here eg:- the John Lewis Partnership. The idea that customers and/or employees should be shareholders is not new, for instance the cooperative movement. It is relevant to Scottish Water which should be mutualised rather than privatised.

There are other important themes such as citizenship and the importance of early years and parenting.  Also localism or subsidiarity is important with taxes being raised as far as possible where they are spent. There is a need to simplify the tax and benefit system for individuals by combining personal taxation with benefits so that a negative income tax could result in a living wage.

There are also two contemporary issues which pose particular problems for Liberals.

The first is population growth, both globally and nationally. This is the most important issue in so many areas such as global warming, sustainability, unemployment, immigration, but it is not politically correct to mention it, especially amongst Liberals.

The second is China with its aggressive industrial and financial power, coupled with an appalling human rights record.

Being a liberal means putting the wellbeing of individuals first before ideologies and dogma when deciding on policies. 

David Hannay is a retired GP who stood for election in Galloway three times in the 1970s, as well as for Holyrood in the first elections for the Scottish Parliament.

Linda Isiorho - Why I am (a) liberal

I am a liberal because Jesus said what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven which I take to mean that if I can accept and endorse a person or an action then it can be sanctified. For me, liberality is a foretaste of the full experience of the richness of grace that we will enjoy in heaven. And anyway, it is so much more interesting to say yes than to say no!

Linda Isiorho is: amongst the first women to be priested into the C of E; retired teacher; on Diocesan Board of Education; on Cathedral Education Board; volunteer chaplain to local fire station; running a Boys’ Brigade branch; avid reader; equality campaigner; research volunteer for Asthma UK; small time poet; Naked Angel – the wine cooperative.