Ros Scott says the Lib Dems must stay radical

Interviewed in the Guardian, the new president of the Liberal Democrats, Ros Scott, says:

"We have got to shout out for things we believe in: small scale government, locally delivered services, protecting the environment and no to a third runway at Heathrow."

Pointing to the way that Labour and the Conservatives have agreed over Iraq and the economy, she also says:

"We have got to be shouting loudly about a different way of doing things.

"Too much money is spent chasing centrally determined targets and bureaucracy, she said, insisting the Labour government was still spending a huge amount on management and systems.

"We need less centralisation from government and we need a government that is more supportive of international institutions."

It is all good stuff, though it appears to involve us in a lot of shouting. I also like her recognition that "there is a fine line between being radical and being daft".