The 2010 election left the Liberal Democrats holding the balance of power. They agreed a coalition government with the Conservative Party, and for the first time in 65 years Liberal ministers sat on the government benches in Parliament. The coalition provided stable government until 2015, and enabled the Liberal Democrats to put many of the policies on which they had fought the election into practice. But there were also disappointments, particularly over constitutional reform, and many Liberal Democrat achievements were not visible to the public. The 2015 election at the end of the coalition was a catastrophe, costing the party two-thirds of its vote and four-fifths of its MPs.
A look back at the life and long political career in the Liberal Party and Liberal Democrats of Geoff Tordoff
Comparative table of leadership performance updated to 2019
The fourth Viv Bingham Lecture, as delivered by Tony Greaves
Review of Martin Pugh, State and Society. A Social and Political History of Britain since 1870 (Bloomsbury Academic, 2017)
Autumn Conference fringe meeting, 16 September 2018, with Anthony Howe and Eugenio Biagini; chair: Julie Smith.
An examination of the history of the Canadian Liberal Party.
Review of David Laws, Coalition (Biteback Publishing, 2016) and Coalition Diaries 2012–2015 (Biteback Publishing, 2017)
Review of Paul Lendvai, Orbán: Europe’s New Strongman (C. Hurst & Co., 2017)
Review of Andrew Duff, On Governing Europe: A Federal Experiment (Spinelli Group, 2018)
Review of Guy Verhofstadt, Europe’s Last Chance: Why the European States Must Form a More Perfect Union (Basic Books, 2017)
Interview with Shirley Williams
From Cobden to the Common Market
Report of Liberal Democrat History Group fringe meeting, Bournemouth, 17 September 2017, with Kath Pinnock, Tony Greaves, Richard Kemp, Sarah Bedford, Matt Cole and Ruth Dombey; chair: Andrew Stunell
The characteristics of Liberal Democrat members analysed
The 1915 general election (Graem Peters, Peter Rowland); Chris Rennard
interview (Barry Standen, Roger Jenking)
Comparative table of leadership performance updated to 2017
An interview with Chris Rennard, former Director of Campaigns and Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats, about election campaigning.
Autumn conference meeting, 18 September 2016, with David Laws, Chris Huhne and Akash Paun; chair: Jo Swinson.
Review of Norman Baker, Against the Grain (Biteback Publishing, 2015).
Review of Lynne Featherstone, Equal Ever After: The Fight for Same Sex Marriage – and How I Made it Happen (Biteback Publishing, 2016).
Overview by Robert Hazell. Commentaries from Matthew Hanney and Michael Steed.
Overview by Tim Oliver. Commentaries from William Wallace and Hannah Bettsworth.
Overview by Neil Carter. Commentaries from Chris Huhne, Ed Davey and Fiona Hall.
Overview by Timothy J. Oliver. Commentaries from Lynne Featherstone, Norman Baker and Caron Lindsay.
Overview by Peter Sloman. Commentaries from Jenny Willott and Alex Marsh.
Overview by Peter Sloman. Commentaries from Paul Burstow, Norman Lamb and Evan Harris
Overview by Simon Griffiths. Commentaries from David Laws and Helen Flynn.
Overview by Matt Cole. Commentaries from Vince Cable, Jo Swinson and David Howarth.
An examination of the legacy of the Social Democratic Party.
Evening meeting of the Liberal History Group, 19 July 2015.
Targeting and its effect on Liberal Democrat performance in the 2015 general election; Can Liberals learn from history?
A comparison of the coalition with the Scottish experience of 1999–2007; and a look at parallels from history.
Analyses of the election result, and a look at what happened to the party’s campaigning machine.
The coalition and Liberal Democrat members; and the impact on the party in Scotland.
How did the coalition work as a government? And how was the party itself managed?
Analyses of why the coalition experiment ended so disastrously for the Liberal Democrats; plus a review of Seldon and Finn, The Coalition Effect 2010–2015.
Interviews with Nick Clegg and ten other former Liberal Democrat ministers on their experiences of the 2010–15 coalition.
Introduction to this special issue of the Journal
A review of Charles Kennedy’s obituaries and tributes
The political heroes of Tim Farron and Norman Lamb
Review of Dr Elizabeth Evans, Gender and the Liberal Democrats – Representing Women? (Manchester University Press, 2011)
Examination of the sources of electoral support for the Liberal Democrats.
Introduction to this special issue of the Journal.
Review of David Dutton, A History of the Liberal Party Since 1900 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd edition, 2013).
Report of a Liberal Democrat Conference fringe meeting, September 2013, with Paddy Ashdown, Duncan Brack, John Curtice, Mark Pack and Julie Smith.
Review of A Flagship Borough: 25 years of a Liberal Democrat Sutton Council (Sutton Liberal Democrats, 2012).
Review of Robert Worcester and Roger Mortimore, Explaining Cameron’s Coalition (Biteback Publishing, 2011).
Review of Chris Bowers, Nick Clegg: The Biography (Biteback, 2011; paperback edition, 2012) and Jasper Gerard, The Clegg Coup (Gibson Square, 2011).
Has the mould of British politics finally cracked?
Continuity and change in election campaigning.
Review of Kevin Hickson (ed.), The Political Thought of the Liberals and Liberal Democrats since 1945 (Manchester University Press, 2009).
Review of David Laws, 22 Days in May (Biteback, 2010) and Rob Wilson, 5 Days to Power (Biteback, 2010).
Review of Tudor Jones, The Revival of British Liberalism – From Grimond to Clegg (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011).
The 2015 election decisively ended the Liberal Democrats’ participation in government. Did what the party achieved in coalition between 2010 and 2015 justify the damage? Could the party have managed coalition better? The meeting marks the publication of the autumn Journal of Liberal History, a special issue on the policy record of the coalition. Speakers: […]
This year, 2013, marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Liberal Democrats. From near-annihilation to entry into government, the years since 1988 have been a roller-coaster ride for the party. Discuss which factors were important in the survival and success of the Liberal Democrats, and speculate about the future, with: Duncan Brack (Editor, Journal of Liberal […]
