Journal of Liberal History

England Objects to the Treaty of Versailles, June 1, 1919

Journal of Liberal History

For the discussion and research of Liberal, Liberal Democrat and SDP history

Latest

Publications

Journals

Latest Event

Find out more

On This Day

30 October 1897

The Spectator comments on a speech by Sir Charles Dilke

Reviewing a speech by Sir Charles Dilke describing the state of the Liberal Party the Spectator comments, ‘What does Sir Charles Dilke say? Almost exactly what we have said again and again in these columns – namely that the Liberal Party has at present no more got a definite policy than a definite leader and that till it does get a definite and coherent policy it cannot hope to win. As Sir Charles Dilke put it, the policy of the existing leaders seems to be to wait like molluscs on the shore till the tide flows once more.’

  • Menzies Campbell, 1941–2025

    To commemorate the sad death of Menzies Campbell, Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, on 26 September 2025, we are reprinting here the chapter on him from our book British Liberal Leaders (Biteback, 2015).

    Sir Menzies Campbell

    (more…)

Subscriptions

You have a choice of the following plans:

Digital

Digital

Download the latest and all previous issues of the Journal from our website.

Student

Discounted rate for full- or part-time students.

Print

Print

Four issues of the Journal per year, delivered to your door.

Print overseas

Digital Plus

Digital plus

Download the latest and all previous issues of the Journal from our website.

Four issues of the Journal per year, delivered to your door.

Digital plus overseas

All subscribers receive a 20% discount on all books and booklets published by the History Group

Liberal History offers a collection of books, concise booklets, and individual issues.

✴︎

BUY Books
Buy Journals
Subscribe

learn
discuss

research

Share

We publish the Journal of Liberal History and a range of books

The Liberal Democrat History Group promotes the discussion and research of topics relating to the histories of the British Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties, the Liberal Party and the SDP, and of liberalism more broadly.

Liberal History Logo

We aim to appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of British Liberalism, whether academics, party activists or spare-time students of political history.

Things we do:

Publish the quarterly Journal of Liberal History, containing articles, book reviews, biographies, and meeting reports

Publish books, including Peace, Reform and Liberation: A History of Liberal Politics in Britain 1679-2011, Dictionary of Liberal Thought, and Great Liberal Speeches

Make resources available to students of Liberal history, including news of research in progress and guides to archive sources (see Research resources)

Provide a concise history of the Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties, along with a more extensive set of historical articles and biographies – the Liberal History Online project, available through themes and time periods.

Publish shorter booklets as concise reference sources, including Liberal History (a concise history of the Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties), Liberal Leaders 1828-1899, Liberal Leaders of the Twentieth Century and Mothers of Liberty: Women who built British Liberalism

Organise discussion meetings, both in London and as fringe meetings at Liberal Democrat conferences

“There are hazards in everything one does, but there are greater hazards in doing nothing.”

Shirley Williams

Mailing List

Stay in the loop

Sign up

Developed and hosted by Prater Raines