Why politics?

"Imagine yourself before you were born: you know nothing of yourself and your natural abilities, or your position in society. You know nothing of your sex, race, nationality, or individual tastes. But you do know that in the "real world" there will be a wide variety in the natural distribution of assets and abilities and that there will be differences of sex, race, and culture. What kind of society would you want to be born into?"

For me, this is where it starts. It is a theory best articulated by John Rawls, an American philosopher at Harvard University. He asks us to imagine, if we can, what sort of society we would want to be born into?

We all know that today's society is unequal. Not only do some people have more wealth than others, but they also have access to greater opportunities. Indeed, the chance of being born into a family that is wealthy, has access to plentiful food and shelter, healthcare and education - is not something most gamblers would choose to bet on!

With the odds stacked against us, if we got to choose a type of society to live in - wouldn't we want to make it as equal as possible?

It can never be about absolute equality of wealth - given the same material things, different people will choose to use them different ways.

But we can try to make our society one in which we have equality of opportunity.

At a basic level, the opportunity to food and shelter, healthcare and education. But also the opportunity for prosperity and happiness.

"The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity."

Preamble to the Constitution of the Liberal Democrats

It is this commitment to giving individuals access to equality of opportunity that makes the LibDems the only political party I could support.

Whether it is access to affordable housing, a good education or decent healthcare - it is the Liberal Democrats that want to ensure everyone in Britain is able to acheive their potential.

In the wider world, it is the Liberal Democrats that want to work with others to ensure that, in the future, people will still be able to enjoy our planet and believe that the opportunities we have, should be shared by all.

Friends and family have often asked "why politics?" It's a simple answer - and it is about trying to make society a fairer and more equitable place for us to live in.

I am proud to be a Liberal Democrat because I believe we offer a vision and roadmap to a better society.