The 2015 election may seem a mile away - between now and then we have rounds of council elections, the London mayoral election next year and the European Parliamentary elections in 2014. This is not to mention the years of policy making, coalition negotiations, legislation passing and general governing that comes with being a party of government - as well as constituency work, local authority activities and all those other tiers of political involvement. But we need to start laying groundwork now if we are to come through the 2015 election with a parliamentary party worth the name. The gap between our current poll figures (around 9%) and the percentage of votes we won in 2010 (23%) yawns wide - but it is not insurmountable. 

With a strong manifesto and strong guiding ethos to our campaigns, I firmly believe we can not only hold onto much of what we have now, but we can start to rebuild our presence in local government. We have the dedicated membership to make such a campaign work - it’s always been a strong point of this party, I believe, that it has had such a base to work from. But hours of legwork, leafleting and door knocking amount to very little if what you actually have to say sounds disparate and vague. Much as commentators, and myself, have identified before - the party needs a national narrative now more than ever. 

Therefore, I want to float an idea I’ve been chewing over for around a month now for the theme for the 2015 manifesto. Specific policies are hard to come by - anything could change in the next 4 years, and it will be up to far greater minds than I to come up with documents and resolutions, and conference to actually decide on the substance. But a binding narrative is something we can seek now and we can build up, starting now, through both the words and actions of the party in government, and through local campaigns.

Empowering People. I’m pretty sure that we’ve never used this phrase before; nor has any other party. Our 2010 slogan was, to my eyes, long and cumbersome. We want something that is short, snappy - but yet contains within it the kernel of our identity as a party. Empowering People. Within the manifesto, we could divide it into different sections - empowering Britain, voters, consumers, scientists or small businesses. 

Ultimately, though, what Empowering People means is that we, as a liberal party, are interested in creating policies that tear down barriers to opportunity and freedom. We understand that it’s not simply about the state or the market being intrinsically better; it’s about getting the mixture right in such a way as it enables all people, from all circumstances, to chose the very best services for them. Choice is not something that happens automatically - people need the means to access choices; education, transparency and localism, all themes we as a party should feel uniquely comfortable with, are essential in this process. 

I think Empowering People is more than a market or social liberal slogan (as much as I reject the bifurcation instinct) - I think both sides can see the benefits of the slogan and the idea at the core. It will hopefully enable us to shift focus towards issues that voters persistently tell pollsters they care about - crime, education, healthcare and taxation. We will not do well at the next election, or indeed generally in electoral terms, unless we can show we are a party with a clear vision that puts these areas front and centre. Constitutional reform is important and dear to a great many members of the Liberal Democrats; but now, as a national party of government, we must recognise that voters are unlikely to change their minds on the basis of the reform of the House of Lords - however important that may ultimately be. We can work these achievements into our package through Empowering People, but we can use it as the springboard to talk about what else we’ve achieved. 

Raising the income tax threshold, returning control over business rates to local authorities, changing the NHS reforms package, the Pupil Premium and the many other things we’ve achieved and are going to achieve through government have all empowered people. We can build on these things in the future, and in 2015. At a local level, we can talk about how the Localism Bill and other measures will help local authorities become more empowered, and so bring democracy and power closer to the individual.

This is, of course, one proposal from one member still very green in the party. I don’t doubt there are greater minds than I at work on this proposal. But I hope we can start having this debate now - civilly, carefully and with a clarity of purpose that befits a national party of government. Though Empowering People is not likely to draw breath on the front page of the 2015 manifesto, I would be hopeful that the theme it holds close - that a liberal party is all about giving people control over their lives, and that that process involves more than simply shrinking or expanding the state or the market in an arbitrary way - will be central to our campaigns between now and then.