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Liberal Democrats (UK)

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The Liberal Democrats ("Lib Dems") are a politically liberal and social democratic political party based in the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats are the UK's third largest political party, after Labour and the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrat party was formed in 1988 by the merger of the Liberal Party and the short lived Social Democratic Party (the two parties had already been in an alliance for some years).

The Liberal Democrats do not easily fit into the "left-right" political spectrum. They are not a party founded on economic principles; while promoting some politically and socially liberal policies, they do not espouse an explicit economically liberal doctrine as seen in other "Liberal Parties" in other countries. Instead, the Liberal Democrats describe themselves as being concerned with the use of power in British and international society. They also are wary of the powers of the state over individuals, and as a principle seek to minimise state intervention in personal affairs. Their opponents describe them as being all things to all people, having so many policies that they would find it impossible to implement them consistently were they to find themselves in Government.

Charles Kennedy, Lib Dem leader

The Liberal Democrats' growth is in some part due to their adoption of community politics. Lib Dems expect their local representatives to spend far more time talking with and campaigning on behalf of local communities than the two other main parties. Their election campaigns are closely focused on local issues and initiative by local Lib Dem activists.

History of the Liberal Democrats

There were originally only two political parties in the British Parliament. These were the Tories and the Whigs. Generally, the Tories were associated with the landed gentry and the Church of England, while Whigs were more associated with the great noble houses, the moneyed interest, and religious dissent. Both were still committed to the political system in place at that time. Neither group could be considered a true political party in the modern sense. The Whigs were dominant in the reigns of George I and George II, using the threat of Jacobite rebellion to exclude the Tories; they were not noted for their reformist policies at that stage. However the Whigs were in turn largely out of power for the period between 1783 and 1830. They returned to power on a programme of political reform, achieving the parliamentary Reform Act of 1832 and the abolition of slavery.

In the mid 19th century, the Whigs joined with the Radicals and the free trade supporters of Robert Peel to form the Liberal Party. The Liberals were seen as representing urban capital against rural property interests of the Conservatives, as the Tories had become. They promoted themselves as progressives taking Britain forward, while describing the Conservatives as wishing to return to the certainties of the past. In practice, both parties undertook reform in their opponents' areas of interest: the Liberals by enfranchising and protecting agricultural tenants and workers, and the Conservatives retaliating by doing the same for industrial workers. Liberal prime ministers of the Victorian period included William Gladstone and Lord Palmerston. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Liberals became more radical. Tensions arose within the party over the proposal for Irish Home Rule. Gladstone's conversion to Home Rule led to a split with the Liberal Unionists including the loss of the remaining Whigs and some other leading figures. The failure of Home Rule led in part to the adoption of more radical social policies by the Liberals during the 1890s as the party sought a new agenda.

Despite further internal disputes over the conduct of the Boer War, the Liberals took advantage of disillusionment with the Conservative government of the turn of the century to win the 1905 General Election. The Liberal governments of Campbell-Bannerman and Asquith introduced a wide range of social legislation, including the introduction of minimum wages, a statutory basis for Trades Unionism, and old age pensions. Together with significant spending on naval armaments the financial demands of these led to conflict with the Conservative-dominated House of Lords. A constitutional crisis was averted as the King agreed, if necessary, to create enough Liberal peers in order for financial legislation to pass. To prevent the situation arising again the Parliament Act of 1911 spelt out the supremacy of the Commons in all financial matters, and the power of the Lords was restricted to delaying legislation in other areas.

The Liberal government of Asquith also presided over Britain's entry into the First World War.

File:Lloyd george.jpg
David Lloyd George, the greatest Liberal Prime Minister

From 1916 to 1929 the Liberal Party withered as a parliamentary force national political force. Dissatisfaction with Asquith's leadership resulted in first a coalition National Government and then his replacement (in 1916) with David Lloyd George.

Lloyd George fought the 1918 General Election in an electoral pact with the Conservative Party. 'National Liberal' candidates approved by him did not have their seats contested by Tories, while remaining Liberal candidates were placed under threat. The result was a considerably weaker Liberal party and a Lloyd George government dependent on Conservative support.

The weakened Liberal Party was effectively destroyed in the 1920s and 1930s as the Labour Party grew and attracted the Liberals' working-class support.

In the mid-20th century the Liberals became politically weak, but sought to create distinctive political policies in line with their liberal perspective. Despite their small numbers, they had a decisive political influence in 1977-1979 when they sustained the minority Labour Government with the "Lib-Lab" pact - when they withdrew support, the Government fell.

In 1981, as the (now opposition) Labour Party moved to the left, a group of moderate Labour Party MPs left and established the new Social Democratic Party (SDP), claiming to preserve previous Labour Party traditions.

The SDP and the Liberals entered into the SDP-Liberal Alliance, so that they would not oppose each other in elections. The two parties drew up their own policies and had different emphases, but produced a joint manifesto for the 1983 and 1987 General Elections. Initially the Alliance was led by David Steel (Liberal) and Roy Jenkins (SDP), and then by David Steel (Liberal) and David Owen (SDP). In 1987, following dissapointing results at the 1987 general election, Steel proposed a merger of the two parties, and though it was supported by a majority of members of each, it was opposed by David Owen.

The Liberal Democrat party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the two parties, with David Steel and Robert Maclennan (who had become SDP leader in August 1987) as joint leaders. The minority of the SDP who rejected the merger remained under David Owen's leadership, and some Liberal rejectionists continued with the name "Liberal Party".

At the time of the merger, in 1988, the party was named the Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD). After briefly shortening its name to The Democrats, it changed to the current name of Liberal Democrats in October 1989.

The Liberal Democrats assert that they continue the tradition of the Whigs and the Liberals in opposing concentrations of power. In the modern political climate, this means that they have begun to become concerned at the political power wielded by corporations.

Electoral results

In recent United Kingdom general elections they have emerged the third most popular party behind Labour and the Conservatives. In most elections, the Liberal Democrats (or their precursor Alliance) have gained between 15% and 25% of the national vote.

Election Name Share of Votes Seats
UK general election, 1983 SDP-Liberal Alliance 25.4% 23
UK general election, 1987 SDP-Liberal Alliance 22.6% 22
UK general election, 1992 Liberal Democrats 17.8% 20
UK general election, 1997 Liberal Democrats 16.8% 46
UK general election, 2001 Liberal Democrats 18.3% 52


Because of how the first past the post electoral system operates, the number of MPs elected from the Lib-Dems – and their forerunners – has been disproportionately small. This was especially true in 1983 and 1987 when their popular electoral support was greatest; their increase in the number of seats in 1997 and 2001 was largely due to the weakness of the Conservative Party in the later elections.

The Liberal Democrats have generally performed better in local elections, and are a more significant force in local government, with 27 councils under Liberal Democrat majority control, and Lib Dems in joint control of many others. They have been coalition partners with Labour in the Scottish Parliament since its re-establsihment in 1999, and were also in coalition with Labour in the National Assembly for Wales from 1999 to 2003.

Ideology

The Liberal Democrats claim that their ideology is about giving "Power to the people!"

The Liberal Democrats state they are fundamentally against the undemocratic concentration of power in unaccountable bodies. They propose radical decentralisation of power, out of Westminster and into the hands of the people. They would also create a system of progressively larger government structures to make decisions at what they see as the appropriate level, including regional assemblies, the European Union, and international organisations.

In keeping with the principle of decentralisation of power, the Liberal Democrats are keen protectors of Civil liberties and oppose all intervention of the state in personal affairs. For this reason, the Liberal Democrats are very popular amongst Gay Rights campaigners and campaigners for the decriminalisation of recreational drugs.

Their opponents point to their support for the European Convention on Human Rights, even when its theories on separation of powers leads to more power being given to judges and regulatory bodies rather than elected politicians. They point to the Lib Dem desire for local decision making, and their complaints that different decisions in different locations can lead to a "postcode lottery" in the provision of public services. They also express surprise that the Lib Dems are so supportive of the European Union, even when that results in decisions being taken at a higher rather than a lower level.

Left wing or right wing?

The Liberal Democrats (and the precursor Liberal party) have traditionally been seen as the centrist party of British politics. However, with Tony Blair's repositioning of the Labour Party toward the centre, many now view the Lib Dems as being the most left-wing of Britain's mainstream parties and classify the Lib Dems as centre left.

However, attempting to place the Liberal Democrats within the 'left wing'-'right wing' model does not accurately represent their ideology. Liberalism claims to oppose undemocratic power in any form. When they oppose the power of the trade unions, they are seen as right wing. When they oppose the power of the corporations, they are seen as left wing. But neither term accurately represents the Lib Dems' ideology.

Policies

The Liberal Democrats' constitution speaks of "a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. We champion the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals". To this end:

  • They support greater civil liberties and more open government, including substantial reforms to increase parliamentary oversight of the executive.
  • They are federalists and support the decentralisation of power to the lowest possible level
  • They support "free education for all" and propose to abolish university tuition fees and set up a system of government grants for university students
  • They propose a substantial non-means tested increase in pensions
  • They propose an extra tax band for the highest earners to pay for this, with any surplus revenue being used to cut taxes on the lowest paid
  • They are in favour of full UK participation in the European Union and an early referendum on joining the euro, which they support.
  • They are in favour of proportional representation for elections to both the House of Commons and a second chamber to replace the House of Lords, preferably by the STV system.

The most well-known Liberal Democrat policy for most of the 1990s was to increase the basic rate of income tax by 1 percentage point to fund key public services (especially education). This proposal was recently abandoned after Tony Blair's Labour government increased national insurance contributions, a policy with much the same effect. Their current fiscal policies aim at increasing the top rate of income tax by 10 percentage points to 50% for those earning over £100,000 to fund their increased public spending plans, and to replace local property taxes with local income taxes. In 2003 the Liberal Democrats started to make their long-held pledge to abolish Council Tax a centrepiece of their campaign.

In relation to the 2003 Iraq war, the Liberal Democrats opposed UK participation prior to the conflict, but stated that they would support it while it was taking place. After the initial military action was completed, they returned to their opposition.

Current party policies can be found on the party website:

The Liberal Democrats are a member party of the Liberal International and their 11 MEPs form part of the ELDR group in the European Parliament.

Structure

The Liberal Democrats are a federal party comprising the state parties of Wales, Scotland and England. Scotland and England are further split into regional parties. There are a number of Specified Associated Organisations (SAOs), representing particular groupings such as Ethnic Minorities (EMLD), Women (WLD), LGBT people (Delga), Youth & Student (LDYS), Trade Unionists (ALDTU), Parliamentary Candidates (PCA) and Local Councillors (ALDC), which formally review and input to party policy. Other groups can become Associated Organisations (AOs) as pressure groups within the party.

See also:

Leaders of the Liberal Democrats, 1988-Present

The Liberal Democrats have often been seen as sniping at their leaders. Paddy Ashdown was seen as being too militaristic and of being too willing to co-operate with Tony Blair. Charles Kennedy has been described as being too laid-back for an active campaigning party, and rumours have been circulated that he drinks more than would be expected of a Party Leader.

Frontbench: "Shadow cabinet"

The Liberal Democrat frontbench team used to be just called that. Under Charles Kennedy's leadership, and the increase of Lib Dem MPs, they now claim to be the "effective opposition". They therefore style themselves as a Shadow Cabinet, though this is more usually a title used to describe the group of leading spokesmen and women associated with the official Leader of the Opposition, i.e. currently the Conservatives. Those who deride the Lib Dems point to David Steel's erroneous call to the Alliance in the early 1980s to "prepare for government".

(As of December 2003)

Main (federal) party

Regional parties

Specified Associated Organisations (SAOs)

Associated Organisations (AOs)

Local parties

Unofficial websites

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