Personal Statement: 

I’m standing to be your President because I think I can make a positive difference to the Scottish Party, helping to deliver more MSPs and Councillors.
 I started out getting detention for going canvassing in 1983. Since then, I’ve campaigned in every part of the UK in held and target seats, places where we are just getting off the ground and everywhere in between.
 I was Scottish Party Treasurer through the turbulent coalition years and their aftermath, helping make the best use of our limited resources through two General Elections, two referenda, a Scottish election and two Council elections.
 Over the past 13 years, I’ve stood up for the Scottish Party on the Federal Board, Federal Council, Federal Finance and Resources Committee and Federal People Development Committee. I have a nose for sussing out centralising power grabs and an instinct to stop them or ensure that ultimate control stays in Scotland.
 I have never been afraid to challenge the party establishment when I think they are getting it wrong. I try to do so constructively and collaboratively, but with spirit and passion. 
To me, being a Liberal Democrat is about using the power of the state to ensure that everyone can live their best life. That means ensuring  freedoms, protecting human rights and tackling poverty.
 As a lifelong feminist and supporter of LGBT rights, I have worked to improve the diversity and inclusivity of our party.
 I’ve written extensively about Lib Dem policy and values as Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and elsewhere and have extensive tv and radio experience representing the party.
 Any questions? Email caronmlindsay@gmail.com or call 07946 169798
 

What skills/experience will you bring to the role?

I have a 42 year record of involvement in campaigns at local and national level, starting out in Caithness. In Chesterfield in the 90s I was part of the team that saw us build from a handful of councillors to winning the parliamentary seat. I was the officer responsible for the European campaign in the East Midlands in 1999 which saw the first parliamentarian elected in 68 years.
 In Scotland, I was part of the Edinburgh South campaign team in 2001 and 2005, campaign manager for the Livingston by-election in 2005, and caseworker in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election in 2006 and 2010 for Willie Rennie in 2010 and Mid Scotland and Fife in 2011. Since then I have worked on Mike Crockart’s, Alex Cole-Hamiton’s, Christine Jardine’s and local council campaigns in Edinburgh Western, the Highlands, Fife and West Lothian.
I have motivated volunteers to keep coming to campaign during good times and bad.
I’m told that I am good at supporting people and keeping up morale.
 I’ve been a Westminster, Holyrood and Council candidate, candidate assessor, returning officer and Campaigns and Candidates Convener.
Being an RO requires supporting local parties through selection process and helping them and candidates understand the rules, which is good practice for fulfilling the President’s role as guardian of the Constitution.
 I have a long involvement in Scottish Lib Dem Women and LGBT+ Lib Dems and am also a member of the Lib Dem Campaign for Racial Equality and the Lib Dem Disability Association. I understand the importance of these organisations both in increasing our party’s membership and making it more diverse and inclusive. I have also supported the Young Liberals in various incarnations.
With extensive experience of representing the Scottish Party on federal committees and being elected to them directly, I know how the Scottish and Federal parties work and how to get the best out of our interactions.
Election (and selection) campaigns take a lot out of us all, whether staff, candidates or campaigners. I have made it a priority to argue for better support for all. There are times we all need someone to help us navigate particularly challenging situations and I want to help the party improve how we do that.
My experience, values and knowledge are a good match for the role of President.

What do you hope to achieve if elected?

The President is the guardian of the Constitution and is entitled to report to Conference if he or she thinks that the Executive’s activities or plans are constitutionally unsound. That’s a bit of a nuclear option which I’d take if I had to but in practice, if I thought things were going wrong, I’d flag it up long before then and try to work collaboratively to find a better solution.
The President has a key role in the appeals system and I’d like to review the way we run appeals to ensure that it is fit for purpose, fair, transparent and accessible, consulting with key stakeholders.
The most important priority for any office bearer in the next term is to get more of our wonderful candidates elected to Holyrood, Councils and Westminster. I see running councils as a great aim in itself and not exclusively as a stepping stone to Parliament and I want us to exceed our 150 rising targets.
As part of my role in that, I want to make sure that everyone who needs it has access to support and knows how to get it during the campaign and the aftermath. Campaigns are brutal and intense for candidates, staff and campaigners. I will do all I can to make sure that they are properly looked after.
 Candidates in particular can face various threats to their wellbeing including, in the current toxic environment, online abuse and harassment. Women, LGBT and disabled people and people of colour are particularly vulnerable and the impact is often dismissed and underestimated. I have experienced it myself so can empathise with anyone going through it. I know how to support people through the practical and emotional aspects of it.
In addition, if you win, there’s a whole new role to get to grips with when you are exhausted. If you lose, the crushing disappointment is a bit like a grieving process. Too often we don’t support people beyond the first few days and we need to do more. 
We also need to be improve how we recognise all party members' contributions. Not everyone wants to stand but we need a huge network of volunteers to meet our targets and they need support too.