Charles Kennedy says that a vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for progressive priorities.

I believe this election is about what kind of people we are in Britain. Behind the Liberal Democrat manifesto plans for dignity for older people, real opportunity for children and a fair deal for families, there is a more fundamental issue.

It is whether we British are inward-looking, fearful and suspicious – or whether we are fundamentally liberal people, outward-looking and optimistic.

The assumption behind the other campaigns, especially the Conservatives, is overwhelmingly the former. But I believe Michael Howard and Tony Blair have it wrong.

Actually, the British are deeply tolerant, generous to those in need – passionately committed to fairness – and they hold their hard-won civil liberties dear. Especially in this 60th anniversary year of the end of the Second World War, when we celebrate and remember those who fought so hard to preserve them.

That is why people are responding so positively to our manifesto, because it reflects a pride in our national character. That manifesto set out a vision of Britain with quality local public services – good schools and good hospitals – with a strong, stable economy, and which both celebrates diversity and provides the opportunities for everyone to make the best of their talents.

It is a vision also of a greener Britain that faces its responsibilities to future generations – cleaner energy and less pollution. It is a programme for government that promises to end student tuition fees, because access to education should be based on ability to learn, not ability to pay; provide free personal care for the elderly – help with things like washing and feeding for people with long-term illness – as in Scotland, where we’ve got Liberal Democrat government ministers; and replace the unfair council tax, so that the amount you pay locally is based on what you earn.

It would mean lower class sizes (21,000 new primary school teachers to give children a decent start), cutting crime and the fear of crime (10,000 more police out on the beat), better pensions, an end to unfair NHS charges and hidden waiting lists – and faster diagnosis so that treatment can start quickly if you’re ill.

Any political party offering itself for government should say clearly how it will fund its programme – and offer up its calculations to be audited by the independent experts – and we have done so.

We are a party of fair taxation. We say local tax should be based on what you earn, especially now that re-valuation of homes for council tax in England and Scotland threatens major increases for so many.

We have only one tax-raising measure measure: the one per cent of people earning over £100,000 will pay a new 50p marginal top rate of tax – lower than the equivalent people paid for most of the time under Mrs Thatcher.

Other priorities will be funded by spending £5bn a year differently. This means, for example, no compulsory identity cards, no Child Trust Fund, and cuts in unnecessary quangos, programmes and government department functions. Instead, you will get better pensions, more police and smaller classes.

Through all our thinking runs also a thread of environmental awareness and urgency. Our manifesto contains green policies in every area of government, especially to tackle climate change.

And our instinctive internationalism means positive and proactive engagement through international institutions such as the United Nations and the commonwealth – to tackle poverty and disease, to encourage good government and sustainable development, and to secure a peaceful and stable world. Britain’s national interest too demands constructive engagement in the European Union.

These are our priorities, and I believe they match the priorities and true character of the people of Britain. Liberal Democrats have been the real opposition in the last parliament – over issues like Iraq, student top-up fees, council tax and compulsory ID cards.

On all those issues, the Conservatives either flip-flopped or lined up behind Tony Blair. That is why it is such a privilege for me to lead the most socially progressive party in British politics, and why the Liberal Democrats provide the real alternative at this election.

This article first appeared in The House Magazine.