Thank you for sparing the time to talk to us, Mr Liddle! Could we begin with a few words on what made you pursue a career in conflict resolution?
Following my first degree in Race Relations in the late 1980s and early 90s, I worked in a large UK city and I saw first-hand the levels of violence and community conflicts and the woefully poor attempts to resolve them (if indeed there were any). Inspired by the principles of mediation and restorative justice – something I hadn’t really seen elsewhere in the UK – I decided to set up Leicestershire Mediation Service to help resolve community disputes and to tackle offending and anti-social behaviour. It was one of the first community mediation and restorative justice schemes in the UK. This was when I realised that mediation and dialogue are powerful tools for resolving complex issues. I believe in the enormous capacity for people to do good at times of conflict, change or crisis – when the conditions enable them to do so. It is that passionate desire to create those conditions that has driven me throughout my career.
There are those who shy away from confrontation, arguing that it can get messy very quickly. But you persisted and even founded a company in recognition of it. Would you mind telling us why?
Confrontation is a choice that we make as human beings. Every day, we can choose how we react, how we behave and how we speak
