Fifty years ago, in July 1956, the Egyptian President, Colonel Nasser, nationalised the Suez Canal, to the anger and frustration of the British and French governments, who were the majority shareholders. Prime Minister Eden reached a secret agreement with France and Israel to provoke hostilities through an invasion of Sinai by Israeli forces, using this…

Law and order has long been a major issue in British politics. The Blair Government brought in legislation to introduce national identity cards; ministers claimed that this measure will make UK citizens more secure from the threats of international terrorism and domestic crime. Especially since 9/11, how to strike the correct balance between protecting the…

Reforming Home Secretary, successful Chancellor of the Exchequer, principled European, groundbreaking President of the European Commission and distinguished man of letters, Roy Jenkins had a deep impact on British politics and inspired generations of liberals. This meeting marked the publication of Roy Jenkins: A Retrospective (Oxford University Press), a collection of essays by friends and…

Liverpool has been a Liberal Democrat success. Why? Trevor Jones and Mike Storey outline the pioneering campaigning that took the city from Labour and its continuing legacy.

It is often forgotten that Winston Churchill served in four different governments as a Liberal minister, between 1905 and 1922. Indeed, the year 2004 was the centenary of his joining the Liberal Party, when he crossed the floor of the Commons in protest at the Conservatives lurch away from free trade. This meeting examined Churchill’s…

The speakers nominated the women from history who inspired them most, and explained why.

With David Butler, longstanding co-author and author of the acclaimed Nuffield General Election studies, and Neil Stockley, former Director of Policy, Liberal Democrats. David Butler assessed the continuities and differences, strengths and weaknesses of Liberal campaigns and their contributions to the partys fortunes. Neil Stockley talked about the role of Liberal election manifestos.

There were many at the Brighton Conference who were in no doubt that if it wasn’t for a young, charismatic party leader they would have no party at all. In 1956 Jo Grimond took over the reigns of the Liberal Party and, as many will argue, he saved it from death. He was responsible for…

At their Autumn Conference, the Liberal Democrats debated their core values and principles in detail for only the second time since the party was formed in 1988. Some saw the party as a largely a continuation of the Liberal tradition, which has been based primarily on a commitment to the rights of individuals. Others said…

Globalisation and its costs and benefits are at the heart of much of todays political debate. But intense debates on the liberalisation of international trade are by no means new. Free trade was one of the great rallying cries of the Victorian Liberal Party. In the 1840s, the Anti-Corn Law League successfully campaigned for abolition…

People are concerned as never before with the deterioration of the NHS, the quality and safety of rail services and the standard of education. With Labour’s promises of big improvements, its controversial solutions in some areas and the debate that is developing inside the Liberal Democrats, public services are sure to stay at the top…

The official launch of the Liberal Democrat History Group’s new book, Great Liberal Speeches, published by Politicos Publishing.

In the run-up to the 2001 general election, the issues of asylum and race relations moved to centre stage, with Liberal Democrats winning plaudits for their firm stand against discrimination. But the arguments are not new. Race relations and immigration were a major phenomenon of post-war politics. From the Macmillan Governments “voucher” system for would-be…

On the eve of the first general election campaign of the twenty-first century, this meeting examined the development of campaigning techniques since the Great Reform Act of 1832. From the introduction of electoral registers, the gradual elimination of corruption, and the appearance of new forms of communications – railways, the telegraph and newspapers – to…