1956-1976
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Grimond and the first post-war revival
The apogee of two-party politics in the UK was reached in the 1950s. At the 1955 election, the Conservative and Labour parties, and their allies, between them took 96.10 per cent of the vote and 98.73 per cent of the parliamentary seats in the UK.
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Realignment of the left
The end of Jo Grimond's leadership in 1967 heralded a bleak period for the Liberal Party. His successor, Jeremy Thorpe, was never assured of the complete confidence of his parliamentary colleagues. Unlike Grimond, he displayed little interest in ideas, though he was an accomplished organiser, fund-raiser and speaker.
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The Liberal predicament, 1945-64
How, despite the desperate state of their party, many Liberals kept the faith going at the nadir of the Liberal Party’s fortunes.
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Sir Frank Medlicott (1903-72)
The life and political career of a Liberal and Liberal National MP and activist.
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Battle of ideas or absence of leadership?
Analysis of the ideological struggle in the Liberal Party in the 1940s and 1950s.
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The Liberal Party and general elections
Report of Liberal Democrat History Group meeting of February 2003, with David Butler and Neil Stockley.
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Liberalism and Unionist Northern Ireland
1921 – 1971: despite all the obstacles, Liberalism survived in Northern Ireland after partitition.
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Alliance, Liberals and the SDP
1971 – 1985: the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland was born in the midst of the Troubles, in April 1970. This article looks back at the party’s history and its relationships with the Liberal Party and the SDP.