[RFA] JB - Time to Wipe the Slate Clean

Day 884, 05:58 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by John Bartlett
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Humble Origins


What started out as a humble minor party with eccentric views, is now the third largest party in the eUK. Its original goal was to transcend the traditional political barriers of the right and left, and provide a place in which members could work from both sides to create an improved agenda that all sides could work towards and benefit from.

I joined the Radical Freethinkers Alliance in April 2009 and have since served 5 terms in the House of Commons, as well as working for our Government in a variety of ministries. I am also a member of the eUK House of Lords and more recently I was a candidate for Prime Minister under a joint RFA/PCP banner.

Ironically enough It was an article written by Goku Jones ranting on about how the House of Lords should be abolished in our country as it was essentially an elitist group of old guard citizens, which first made me take an interest in the RFA, perhaps wrongly because of my real life views on the subject. After taking the time to look into the party to understand what it stood for, I became even more convinced that this was the party I wanted to join and to be identified with.

The RFA 'brand'

Goku Jones is still considered to be the father of the modern day RFA brand. Our Party is an alliance of people from all over the political spectrum. Unlike other parties it is not bound by a certain ideology that it must follow. It's members, whether they be communists or capitalists, aim to debate ideas and then turn them into policies which take the best from all sides of the political scale. It doesn't always work, and there can't always be consensus, but our party aims to always listen regardless of what our political views are. While our founding principle is still followed today, I feel the party has lacked for sometime a clear purpose, straightforward aims or a clear path on how to achieve them. We've plodded along for too long now without actively discussing what we, as a party, 12 months on from its creation, stand for, other than as a democracy within a party.

Do we even ourselves, recognize what the RFA stands for? Ask an average member of the party what our political stance is - I wonder how many of them would say we are 'centrists'. Even some of the most experienced politicians in the country are still under that impression. The party has lost its identity - and I want it back.

The need for Change

We have at many times punched above our weight as a party, noticeably in Congressional elections where our vote share was lower than some of our larger rivals, but returned more Congressmen. However every congress election is a risk. Every 25th day of the month, we bite our nails in our IRC channel and hope for a few extra mobile voters to arrive just in time. Truth be told, we are at the entire mercy of circumstance in each election. Being the underdog is not always fun. It's time to stop being the underdog and start fulfilling our potential.

We have lived in stagnation for too long. Finest's reign as Party President led to a respectable expansion in size, back to around 300. However this expansion also led to the party’s identity being lost. Prior to that, Indiekid's month in charge was one of the most unrewarding months we've ever had. With this in mind I am not surprised that RFA doesn't always receive the best reputation. While its senior members are integral members of the UK community, and have been for a long time, as a political force it is like a cow grazing in a field, rather than the galloping stallion it should be. I do not blame the members who have left, nor do I hold a grudge against the partisan critics from the larger parties. However it is now time for this to change. Now is the time for the revolution.

I can see great things for the RFA in the future, but only if we all work together as one. We need to trust the new leaders and help them in any way we can. It is only through team work and cooperation that we can overcome our past problems and I look forward to a better brighter future in which the RFA once again capture the inspiration of the nation and become a dominant figure within eUK politics.


John Bartlett


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