Get Involved

Written by Jenny Randerson and published in Women Liberal Democrats Newsletter on Wed 13th Aug 2008

As someone who has been involved in the Welsh party for many years, I have been a member of many committees, most recently Welsh Policy Committee and Welsh Campaigns and Candidates Committee (CCC). I was chair of CCC for several years and was therefore an ex-efficio member of Welsh National Executive Committee (NEC). I have also previously served on Federal Policy Committee. The Welsh Assembly is the only legislature in Europe that is completely gender balanced but in all parties, it is still the case that men are more likely than women to put themselves forward as candidates for committee places.

While we have had problems with representation, I have found my time on all party committees immensely rewarding. Not only are committees the engine room of policy development, campaign strategy and party management, they also help to provide the contacts and the skills that are needed for developing your own career within the party.

I understand that not everyone enjoys sitting in long meetings but sadly they are as much a part of politics as the more glamorous elements. Policy committee meetings are probably the most obviously rewarding, with the opportunity to shape the manifestos we all have to fight on at election time. For the party as a whole, balancing this committee is particularly essential as policies that appeal largely to women can always be overlooked without proper representation. This is also true of the campaigning and messaging decisions that we take.

I would always encourage women to put themselves forward for any committee that they think would be of interest to them, and that is the same for Wales as it is federally. While it can seem like a daunting prospect, it is incredibly rewarding, both for the contacts and skills you pick up as well as the ability to shape party direction. If you have a spark of interest, put yourself forward for something and see how it goes. It is well worth it.