Humanist and Secularist Liberal Democrats

Autumn Conference 2018 in Brighton saw three important wins for humanist-secularist principles in Lib Dem policy.

HSLD was delighted to see three of its proposed amendments to policy motions adopted.

These amendments were about ensuring:

• That the party doesn't forget that people with non-religious beliefs have the same rights and need the same protections as people with religious beliefs, in the UK and around the world;
• and that our party's policy on caste discrimination is reaffirmed at a time when the government intends to scrap legislation on caste discrimination that was introduced by the coalition government.

  1. To a motion on Immigration and Identity, we supported an amendment that ensures that party policy on reviewing how asylum rules affect various groups - including Christians and LGBT+ people - also includes those who flee their country of origin because of persecution for their religious or non-religious belief. HSLD was pleased to work with Lib Dems for Seekers of Sanctuary on this amendment: having ascertained that both groups were submitting similar amendments, we withdrew ours and backed theirs.

  2. To a motion on Britain at the heart of a changing world, we submitted and saw passed an amendment that ensures that the party's commitment to protect, defend and promote human rights for all specifically includes the rights of those persecuted for religion or belief.

  3. And finally, to a motion on Liberal Democrat Priorities for a Better Britain, we submitted and saw passed an amendment ensuring that caste, religion and belief are all specifically mentioned as characteristics that should be regarded when thinking about the application of equal opportunities for all.

Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson was the entertaining and thought-provoking guest speaker at our AGM at the Brighton Conference.

His talk on The Global War on the Non-Religious gave a chilling account of the growing threat from intolerance, yet delivered with a wit and panache that demonstrated all that's best about free thought.

9. HOME SCHOOLING AND UNREGISTERED SCHOOLS

9.1.1 While we recognise the rights of parents to choose how their children are educated we believe there is a need for greater supervision of those children who are educated outside registered schools. There have been cases of children who have come to serious harm while invisible to the system because they were being home schooled. The number of such cases is small, and we would not want to see the vast majority of parents who home school their children extremely well put to great inconvenience, but we believe there is a duty to ensure the safety of such children.

Despite progress on eliminating discrimination on religious grounds, caste discrimination is not prohibited in equality legislation.

The National Secular Society have published this helpful advice to take part in the Government's consultation on the subject, and to make sure it doesn't get lost in the current legislative paralysis.

We were very sorry to learn of Tim Farron's resignation as leader of the party on Wednesday.

Tim has had remarkable success in building the party locally, and doubling the party's membership in just two years. The General Election result not only boosted our strength at Westminster but also re-established us as the third party in UK politics (with the increased radio and TV exposure that this will bring).

Immediately after Conference voted to adopt its new faith schools policy, we started work on our response to the party's more general education policy consultation.

We presented our submission just 14 days later, on 2nd April 2017.

Our response calls for democratic accountability to be returned to local communities, by giving local authorities or equivalent elected bodies strategic responsibility for the state schools in their areas and oversight of school admissions policies.

THE ROLE OF FAITH IN STATE-FUNDED SCHOOLS

Conference believes that:

A. Religious communities make a valuable contribution to the cultural life of the UK, and religious organisations have played a major historic role in broadening access to education.

B. Children should not be taught to hold or to reject religious or non-religious beliefs against the wishes of their parents, and religious instruction should not be funded by the state.

The Liberal Democrats have a new policy on state-funded faith schools - and it calls for the phasing out of faith-based selection over six years.

The policy was voted for by an overwhelming majority on Sunday 19th March 2017, at Federal Conference in York.

It largely brings together and updates existing policy, with two major changes being the focus of the debate:

While you're at Spring Conference, why not catch the Conference Rally on the Friday and then come to our fringe meeting on Faith Schools, Faith Admissions and Liberal Democracy, organised jointly with the Liberal Democrat Education Association.

It will be your chance to hear all sides of the discussion, and share your views, before the formal debate on faith schools.

HSLD's membership is set to hit a record level for the third year running.

January's Executive Committee meeting will hear a report that it stands at 159 members (148 current, 11 pending).

That puts us on course to achieve a total for our accounting year well up on the 148 for 2015-16 and 133 for 2014-15.