Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Liberal Party | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Leader | Cllr. Steve Radford |
| Founded | Disputed; 1859 or 1988 |
| Headquarters | 1 Coningsby Road, Anfield, Liverpool L4 0RS |
| Political Ideology | Liberalism, Euroscepticism |
| Political Position | Centre-left |
| International Affiliation | none |
| European Affiliation | none |
| European Parliament Group | n/a |
| Colours | Orange |
| Website | http://www.liberal.org.uk/ |
| See also | Politics of the UK |
The Liberal Party is a United Kingdom political party. It was formed in 1989 by a group of people who felt that the merger of the old Liberal Party with the Social Democratic Party to form the Liberal Democrats had ended the spirit of the Liberal Party, claiming that the new Liberal Democrat party was dominated by Social Democrats.
Initially, at the time of the 1988 merger, many members believed that the new party would be broadly a continuation of the Liberals, but as the Liberal Democrats settled down and developed clear policies as well as electing Paddy Ashdown as their leader (who although previously a Liberal MP had long been seen as closer to the SDP on many issues dividing the two parties), some Liberals such as the former Member of Parliament (MP) Michael Meadowcroft decided that the Liberal Democrats were not the party for them and so they set out to found a new Liberal Party.
It was legally a new organisation (the headquarters, records, assets and debts of the old party were inherited by the Liberal Democrats), though its constitution asserts it to be the same party as that which had previously existed. The Liberal Party has several councillors. It put up a full slate of candidates in the North West England region for the 2004 European Parliament elections, and came seventh, with 4.6% of the vote (0.6% of the total British popular vote).
Amongst many policy differences with the Liberal Democrats, the Liberal Party is strongly opposed to Britain's membership of the European Union and advocates withdrawal, a policy in direct opposition to the original position of the old Liberal Party.
The Liberal Party's current strongholds include Wyre Forest District Council and the Tuebrook ward in Liverpool. At the 2001 UK general election, the party came second behind Labour in Liverpool West Derby, pushing the Liberal Democrats into third place. However, they were unable to repeat this at the 2005 general election, finishing third behind the Liberal Democrats but still beating the Conservatives.
According to the party's accounts for the year 2005, it had income of around £4,500 and expenditure of about £8,000. Membership fees came to £1,232.
The party president is Cllr Steve Radford and the party chairman is John Hein. The party anthem is The Land, also popular amongst Liberal Democrats.
[edit] See also
- Liberalism
- Contributions to liberal theory
- Liberalism worldwide
- List of liberal parties
- Liberal democracy
- Liberalism in the United Kingdom
- Liberal Assembly
- Progressive Canadian Party
[edit] External links
- The (post-1988) Liberal Party official site
- The Liberal Party in Wales official site of Welsh branch
