This article refers to the British political party. For similarly named parties in other countries, see Liberal Democratic Party.

Liberal Democrats
Leader	Nick Clegg
Founded	3 March 1988
Headquarters	4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB[1]
Ideology	Liberalism, Social liberalism, Market liberalism
International affiliation	Liberal International
European affiliation	European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European Parliament Group	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Official colours	Gold/Yellow, Black
Website www.libdems.org.uk

The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of the SDP. Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Social liberalism, also called new liberalism (as it was originally termed high liberalism radical liberalism, modern liberalism, or Economic liberalism is the Economic component of Classical liberalism. Liberal International is a Political international for liberal parties. The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (founded in 1993 is a liberal party, mainly active in the European Union, composed of 55 national parties from across The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ( French: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe) is an alliance between two European political parties Gold, also called golden, is a Yellowish orange Color which is a representation of the color of the element Yellow is the Color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M (long and medium wavelength Cone cells of the Retina about equally Black is the Color of objects that do not emit or Reflect Light in any part of the Visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party This is about the UK Social Democratic Party which existed between 1981 and 1988 The SDP-Liberal Alliance was an electoral alliance of the Social Democratic Party (SDP and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom that operated The party's leader is Nick Clegg. Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is

The Lib Dems are the third-largest party in the UK Parliament, behind Labour and the Conservatives. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. There are 63 Lib Dem Members of Parliament (MPs) – 62 were elected at the general election of 2005, and one in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 2006. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general The Dunfermline and West Fife By-election, in Dunfermline and western Fife, Scotland, was held on 9 February 2006 following The Scottish Liberal Democrats formed a coalition Scottish Executive with Labour in the first session of the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh party were in a coalition with Labour in the National Assembly for Wales from 2001 to 2003. The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal structure of the British Liberal Democrats; the others being the English The Scottish Government (SG ( Scottish Gaelic: Riaghaltas na h-Alba) is the executive arm of the government of Scotland. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral The Lib-Lab pact has been a working arrangement between the UK 's political parties of the Liberals (later Liberal Democrats) and the Labour Party The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales.

Promoting social liberalism, Lib Dems seek to minimise state intervention in personal affairs; criticising it as that of a 'nanny state'. Social liberalism, also called new liberalism (as it was originally termed high liberalism radical liberalism, modern liberalism, or Nanny state is a Derogatory term that refers to state Protectionism, Economic interventionism, or regulatory policies and the perception that Their president's book of office is John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, which defined the harm principle of law. John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 &ndash 8 May 1873 British Philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential On Liberty is a philosophical work by 19th century English Philosopher John Stuart Mill, first published in 1859 The harm principle is articulated most clearly in John Stuart Mill 's On Liberty, though it is also articulated in John Locke 's Second The party was not founded on a doctrine of economic liberalism, instead favouring social justice, the welfare state, and economic freedom where possible. Economic liberalism is the Economic component of Classical liberalism. Social justice, sometimes called civil justice, refers to the concept of a Society in which Justice is achieved in every aspect of society rather than This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. Economic freedom is freedom to produce trade and consume any goods and services acquired without the use of force fraud or theft

The party wants to cut the level of taxation for people on low and middle incomes, including cutting the basic rate of income tax by 4%, replacing council tax with a local income tax, scrapping vehicle excise duty, and cutting fuel duty in favour of green taxes. They support multilateral foreign policy; they opposed British participation in the War in Iraq and support withdrawal of troops from the country, and are the most pro-European party in the UK. Multilateralism is a term in International relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Pro-European is a subjective term applied to a person who supports the idea of European unification (mainly through the European Union (EU and generally supports The party has strong environmentalist values – favouring renewable energy and commitments to deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal Greenhouse gases are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere bothnatural and anthropogenic that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared Since their foundation, Lib Dems have advocated reforming elections to use proportional representation, replacing the House of Lords with an elected chamber, and cutting government departments. Electoral reform is change in Electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes

Contents 1 Ideology 1.1 Position 1.2 Policies 1.2.1 Human rights and law 1.2.2 Spending and taxation 1.2.3 International affairs 1.2.4 The environment 1.2.5 Government reform 2 History 2.1 Founding 2.2 Post-1988 history 2.2.1 Ashdown (1988-99) 2.2.2 Kennedy (1999-2006) 2.2.3 Campbell (2006-2007) 2.2.4 Clegg (2007-present) 2.3 Electoral results 3 Structure 3.1 Internal factions 4 Leaders 4.1 Deputy Leaders 4.2 Leaders in the European Parliament 4.3 Frontbench Team 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 7.1 Regional parties 7.2 Party sub-organisations 7.3 Historical information 7.4 Miscellaneous

Ideology

The Liberal Democrats describe their ideology as giving "power to the people"; they are against the concentration of power in unaccountable bodies. They propose decentralisation of power out of Westminster, and electoral and parliamentary reform, to create a system of tiered government structures to make decisions at what they see as the right level, including regional assemblies, the European Union, and international organisations. Lib Dems want to protect civil liberties, and oppose state intervention in personal affairs. thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government.

Position

The Lib Dems and their predecessor Liberal party have been the centrist party of United Kingdom politics,^[3] though Tony Blair repositioned New Labour to the centre in the 1990s. In Politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting Moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes The politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland takes place in the framework of a Constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is Head Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the ^[2]

Placing Lib Dems in the left-right political model may not accurately represent their ideology. Left-right politics or the Left-right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions political ideologies, or political parties The party does not place themselves in the left-right axis; former leader Charles Kennedy said that they were neither to the left nor the right. Charles Peter Kennedy (born 25 November 1959 is a British politician. ^[4] Using a two-dimensional scale, Political Compass defined the Lib Dems as social libertarians and economically liberal (bottom-right quarter of chart), and New Labour and the Conservatives as economically liberal and socially authoritarian (top-right quarter of chart). A political compass or political diamond is a multi-axis model used to label or organize political thought on several dimensions Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the Economic liberalism is the Economic component of Classical liberalism. Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union ^[2]

The centrist shift of Labour accelerated after the party's fourth consecutive election defeat in 1992. Results |} The turnout was 33514074 from an Electorate of 43275316 voting in a total of 651 seats After the election of Tony Blair, New Labour increased support by courting centrist Conservative voters. They were partly able to do this because their own voters had no party to the left to turn to – thus the Lib Dems tried to accommodate these people with social liberal policies. Social liberalism, also called new liberalism (as it was originally termed high liberalism radical liberalism, modern liberalism, or This was partly successful: for example, the Marxist Tariq Ali implored Londoners to vote for the party in the 2005 general election, over the Iraq war. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Tariq Ali ( Arabic: طارق علی) (born October 21, 1943) is a British - Pakistani historian novelist filmmaker ^[5] At the 2005 Lib Dem conference, there was a discussion on whether social liberal policies had attracted as much support as possible, and whether they should move to the right to attract Conservative voters. ^[6] Menzies Campbell dropped proposals such as a 50% tax rate for those who earn over £100,000 as part of a tax policy review;^[6] such policies were used by the Conservative press to portray the party as left-wing, which risked losing the support of wealthier swing voters in marginal constituencies. Sir Walter Menzies Campbell CBE QC (born 22 May 1941) commonly known as Ming Campbell, is a British Politician

Policies

Party policies can be found on their website:

• Policy portal
• Pocket Guide to Policy

Human rights and law

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". ^[7] The party's Presidential Book of Office, On Liberty, defines the harm principle: that no government should forcibly prevent people from exercising their civil liberties, except only where those actions harm others. On Liberty is a philosophical work by 19th century English Philosopher John Stuart Mill, first published in 1859 The harm principle is articulated most clearly in John Stuart Mill 's On Liberty, though it is also articulated in John Locke 's Second thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. ^[8] When Nick Clegg was spokesperson on Home Affairs, he proposed a Freedom Bill to repeal what he described as "illiberal or irrelevant legislation"; part of the 3000 criminal offences that the Labour government had created, which took up more pages than "two hundred copies of War and Peace". Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is War and Peace (Война и мир Voyna i mir) is a Novel by Leo Tolstoy, first published from 1865 to 1869 in Russkii Vestnik ^[9] Legislation that he wanted to repeal included: restrictions on protests in Parliament Square, DNA retention of those not charged or found innocent, and extradition to the United States without proper evidence. Parliament Square is a square outside the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in London. A national DNA database is a Government database of DNA profiles which can be used by law enforcement agencies to identify suspects of crimes The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[9]

The Lib Dems want the United Kingdom to have a written constitution to "enshrine the rights of the British people and the responsibilities of Government", and a Bill of Rights to "provide a final guarantee of civil liberties". A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity A Bill of Rights is a list or summary of rights that are considered important and essential by a group of people ^[7] They are in favour of laws against all forms of discrimination based on race, gender, disability, religion and sexuality in an 'Equality Act':^[7][10] in 2001 the party proposed to expand the Commission for Racial Equality to uphold such laws. The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE was a Non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom which aimed to tackle Racial discrimination and promote ^[11] 25 Lib Dem MPs including Nick Clegg signed EDM710, calling on the government to extend the protections for religious groups to lesbian women and gay men, in respect of discrimination in the provisions of goods, facilities and services. They first proposed civil partnerships in the UK, and want to end all differences in law and pensions between same- and mixed-sex marriages; they would make incitement of homophobic hatred an offence; and want to repeal acts in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act which discriminate against lesbian couples wishing to start a family. BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps The 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embrylogy Act is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ^[10]

In keeping with the defence of civil liberties, they opposed the more authoritarian of Labour's anti-terror laws, including 'detention without trial'. Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union The Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 was formally introduced into the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 19 November, 2001 two months after ^[7] They strongly oppose the British national identity card, supporting the NO2ID campaign,^[12] and would only allow the use of biometrics in passports, but the database behind these passports would carry only the information on the passport and the biometric match. Enabling legislation for the British national identity card was passed under the Identity Cards Act 2006 The NO2ID coalition was formed in 2004 to campaign against the United Kingdom government's plans to introduce UK ID Cards and the associated National Identity Biometrics ( ancient Greek: bios life metron measure refers to two very different fields of study and application A passport is a document issued by a national government which certifies for the purpose of international travel the identity and nationality of its holder ^[13] They would use phone-taps and other 'intercept communications' as evidence in court against terrorist suspects, making prosecution easier;^[13] and propose that judges should be able to give life sentences to those who should stay in prison forever, opposing mandatory life sentences for all serious crimes which may not mean life. Lawful interception (aka Wiretapping) is the interception of telecommunications by law enforcement agencies (LEA's and intelligence services in accordance with local law and ^[14] The party has been popular among campaigners for the decriminalisation of recreational drugs;^[15] due to their opposition of state intervention in personal affairs, Lib Dems want scientific reform of drug classification – they think that it is "not in the public interest" to prosecute for possession or cultivation of cannabis for personal or medical use, but would introduce a new offence of 'dealing' for those who supply illegal drugs, especially in sensitive areas such as near schools or psychiatric facilities. Recreational drug use is the use of Psychoactive drugs for Recreational purposes rather than for work, medical or spiritual purposes Cannabis ( Cán-na-bis) is a Genus of Flowering plants that includes three putative species Cannabis sativa subsp ^[16]

In January 2007 Clegg launched the 'We Can Cut Crime!' campaign, "proposing real action at a national level and acting to cut crime where we are in power locally. "^[17] The proposed '5 steps to a safer Britain' were: using the £97,000 per day spent on national ID cards to pay for more police officers; compulsory work and training in prison; better compensation for victims (funded from prison work); letting communities close trouble-making pubs and clubs; and making criminal sentences "mean what they say". ^[18] In 2005 the party announced that they wanted to fund 10,000 police officers on top of Labour’s plans, provide an extra 20,000 community support officers, and equip the police with new technology to cut time spent on paperwork. Police Community Support Officers ( PCSO) (Swyddogion Cymorth Cymunedol yr Heddlu SCCH or Heddlu Ategol are uniformed personnel working with the Police in England ^[19]

Spending and taxation

Historically Liberal Democrats favoured raising progressive taxes to spend on public services, and 'small-state' policies such as the abolition of government departments: in 2003 the party announced its policy to save £4 billion in central government by abolishing the Department for Trade and Industry. A progressive tax is a Tax imposed so that the Tax rate increases as the amount subject to taxation increases The Department of Trade and Industry was a United Kingdom government department which was disbanded with the announcement of the creation of the Department for Business ^[20] Their policy for most of the 1990s was to increase the basic rate of income tax by one percent to fund increase public funding (especially in education). ^[21] This proposal was abandoned after Tony Blair's Labour government increased national insurance contributions by the same amount, which had a similar effect. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the National Insurance (NI is a system of taxes and related Social security benefits in the United Kingdom. ^[21] Other previous fiscal policy included increasing the top rate of income tax by ten percentage points to 50% for those earning over £100,000 per year, but this was abandoned in 2006 after the party conference approved new tax policies which left the top rate at 40%. ^[6]

As part of increasing spending on public services, the Lib Dems support universal free education, and propose to abolish university tuition fees and set up a system of Government grants for university students. Top-up fees (not their official name are a new way of charging Tuition to Undergraduate and PGCE Students who study at universities ^[22] For schools, they want the government to guarantee equal access, basic standards and entitlements, but then to allow for independent variation and innovation;^[23] they want to spend £2. 5 billion to raise funding for the poorest 10% of pupils to the level of private schools, cut class sizes in primary schools, and to ensure all secondary schools are automatically funded at the level granted to specialist schools. For the film of this title see Private School (film. Private schools, or Independent schools are Schools not administered ^[24] In 2002 the party published a package called "Quality, Innovation, Choice", which stated their policy to use all National Insurance contributions to fund a decentralised National Health Service, and fund schools and local services from a 'local income tax', which would replace Council Tax. National Insurance (NI is a system of taxes and related Social security benefits in the United Kingdom. __FORCETOC__ Decentralization or Decentralisation (see Spelling differences) is the process of dispersing Decision-making governance closer to the people The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although Council Tax is the system of local Taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each ^[25] The party also released a set of targets to cut poverty in the United Kingdom by 2020: to remove five million people from poverty, bring two million into employment, and build one million more affordable homes by 2020. Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed " affordable " to a group of people within a specified ^[26] The strategies that the Lib Dems propose to achieve these include a £1. 5 billion 'Pupil Premium' to improve education for the poorest 1. 5 million children, raising child benefit by up to £5 per week for each family, expanding sex education to cut teenage pregnancy and STDs, and to reform tax credits to save £3 billion per year by reducing overpayments and concentrating payments on low-income families. Child benefit (or family allowance children's allowance is a Social security payment disbursed to the parents or guardians of Children Child benefit is means-tested Sex education is a broad term used to describe Education about human sexual anatomy, Sexual reproduction, Sexual intercourse, Reproductive Teenage pregnancy is defined as a Teenage or underage girl usually within the ages of 13-17 becoming pregnant A sexually transmitted disease ( STD) or venereal disease ( VD) is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between Humans The term tax credit describes two different concepts The first is a recognition of partial payment already made towards Taxes due. ^[26]

Lib Dems are campaigning against the closure of 2500 post offices on top of the 4000 closed in the Labour government and 3500 closed in the last Conservative government. A post office is a facility authorized by a Postal system for the posting receipt sorting handling transmission or delivery of Mail. Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for three successive parliamentary terms from 1997-2007 John Major was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for 6½ years from November 1990 to March 1997 ^[27] Their plan to keep post offices open includes allowing other mail delivery companies to run stores, and selling a 49% stake in Royal Mail to other companies to raise £2 billion to fund a wider range of services in each store. Royal Mail is the national postal service of the United Kingdom. ^[27] Unlike Labour and the Conservatives, the party supported and predicted nationalisation of the Northern Rock bank from the start of its financial difficulty. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government See also Nationalisation of Northern Rock Northern Rock plc is a British Bank, currently under public ownership See also Nationalisation of Northern Rock Northern Rock plc is a British Bank, currently under public ownership ^[28] In 2007 the party protested against Gordon Brown's budget, which was condemned when introduced in 2008 as it funded a 2% cut in the 22% income tax rate by abolishing the 10% rate. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is ^[29] Former leader Ming Campbell said the Brown had "asked the poor to subsidise the rich", and that "the prime minister made the case, the chancellor signed the cheque and the Conservatives voted it through. Sir Walter Menzies Campbell CBE QC (born 22 May 1941) commonly known as Ming Campbell, is a British Politician "^[29] In 2008 Clegg launched a plan to reform the finance industry, entitled 'A New Deal for the City'; to "curb boom-bust excesses" of 'binge lending' followed by negative equity and repossessions. Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. Negative equity is a term used to refer to when the value of an asset used to secure a loan is less than the outstanding balance on the loan Repossession is generally used to refer to a Financial institution taking back an object that was either used as collateral or rented or leased in a transaction ^[30] Their proposals include regulating excessive bonuses and salaries, taking house prices into account in the inflation index, and tougher rules on bank charges. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time ^[30] They would tax capital gains as income – Clegg said that "no more will hedge fund managers be able to present their income as capital to secure themselves an 18% tax rate, while their cleaners pay 31%. "^[31]

In 2007 the Lib Dems published their policies for reforming the taxation system. Their proposals included making the system: greener, with incentives for less use of resources; more centralised, to link it to local services; simpler, with less regulations and smaller tax returns; and fairer, with tax cuts for the poor and less loopholes exploited by the rich. Deregulation, a term which gained widespread currency in the period 1970-2000 can be seen as a process by which governments remove reduce or simplify Restrictions on Business ^[32] They also want to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £500,000, cut stamp duty on properties worth less than £500,000, and make non-UK residents' gains eligible for capital gains tax. Estate tax and Death duty redirect here Inheritance tax, estate tax and death duty are the names given to various taxes which Stamp duty is a form of Tax that is levied on documents Historically a physical stamp (a Tax stamp) had to be attached to or impressed upon the document to denote In Conflict of Laws, domicile (sometimes termed domicil in the U A capital gains tax (abbreviated CGT) is a Tax charged on Capital gains the profit realized on the sale of a non-inventory Asset that was purchased ^[32] The Lib Dems' proposal to replace Council Tax with a local income tax was approved at the 2003 party conference. Council Tax is the system of local Taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each ^[33] Ed Davey said that Council Tax was "the least fair major tax", as it took 5. Edward Jonathan "Ed" Davey (born 25 December 1965) a British Member of Parliament. 1% of the income from the poorest taxpayers, and 1. 2% from the richest; their replacement 'local income tax' would take a maximum of 3% from higher tax brackets and less than 3% for poorer brackets. The Scottish Government plans to bring forward Legislation to replace the Council tax with a local income tax (LIT as part of the funding for Scottish ^[33] In February 2008 Nick Clegg stated the party still advocated this, as part of devolving power to regional and local authorities, where they set their own tax levels. Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is ^[34] Clegg said that the tax burden should not rise, but that it should vary within the 3% ceiling, for example continuing the policy to cut income tax for low and middle income earners to 16%. ^[34]

International affairs

Liberal Democrats support the use of international law and institutions, to deliver security, tackle crime, protect human rights, regulate the international economy and protect the environment. International law is the term commonly used for referring to the system of implicit and explicit agreements that bind together nation-states in adherence to recognized values and standards ^[35] They want to increase the UK's international aid spending from 0. Aid (from the french word aide, also known as international aid, overseas aid, or foreign aid, especially in the United States) is 35% to 0. 7% of gross national income by 2011, to support fair trade and sustainable development schemes, and the UN Millennium Development Goals including eradicating extreme poverty, providing universal primary education and combating HIV/AIDS. Gross National Income (GNI comprises the total value produced within a country (i Fair trade is an organized Social movement and market-based approach to empowering developing country producers and promoting sustainability Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) is a Lentivirus (a member of the Retrovirus family that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ^[36]

Lib Dems consider military intervention to "always be a last resort", and only condone its use upon UN Security Council agreement, after options such as sanctions, humanitarian assistance and diplomatic pressure fail to protect human rights. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Humanitarian aid (also called succour) is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes typically in response to humanitarian crises Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states ^[35] With a few exceptions (including Paddy Ashdown),^[37] Lib Dem MPs opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but disagreed on whether troops should be withdrawn immediately or not once the war had begun. Jeremy John Durham Ashdown Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC, (born 27 February 1941 commonly known as Paddy Ashdown, is a The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia ^[38] The party supported forces that had been ordered to fight until the initial military action was completed, when they renewed their political opposition. The party was a strong advocate of the Kosovo War and intervention in Bosnia. The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 The War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, commonly known as the Bosnian War, was an international armed conflict that took place between March 1992 and November 1995

The Lib Dems have been consistently the most pro-European party in the UK; Labour have become pro-European, and the Conservatives more eurosceptic. Pro-European is a subjective term applied to a person who supports the idea of European unification (mainly through the European Union (EU and generally supports Euroscepticism Euro (disambiguation --> has become a general term for opposition to the process They want the UK to play a central role in the European Union, and support reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, increasing devolution and subsidiarity, and making EU institutions more transparent. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP) is a system of European Union Agricultural subsidies and programmes Subsidiarity is an Organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest lowest or least centralized competent authority There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union ^[39] Their 2005 constitutional reform policy included reviewing elections to the European Parliament so that UK MEPs are chosen by voters not parties, and increasing scrutiny of EU legislation and directives by the House of Commons and a reformed House of Lords. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU A directive is a legislative act of the European Union which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving ^[40] They support adoption of the euro if conditions change to make membership "the right option for Britain", and would campaign for it subject to a referendum. Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita ^[30] They want a referendum on whether to stay in or leave the EU, and would campaign to stay in. ^[41]

In 2005 the party announced its policy to establish a 'National Border Agency', bringing together officers from immigration, the police and customs to combat international crime, illegal immigration, terrorism and fraud. Illegal immigration refers to Immigration across National Borders in a way that violates the Immigration laws of the destination Country Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion In the broadest sense a fraud is a Deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual ^[13] They would cut illegal working by inspecting employers and bringing prosecutions against those who use such labour. ^[13] They want to establish an 'Independent Asylum Agency' to judge asylum claims independent of political interference, and end the use of overcrowded ordinary prisons to detain asylum seekers and their children among criminals. Right of asylum (or political asylum) is an ancient Judicial notion under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race ^[42] Clegg said in April 2008 that "immigration is good for this country", but that more resources were needed to cope with migrants, particularly to ensure that learning English is made compulsory. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States ^[43] The party supports an amnesty for illegal migrants who have lived in the UK for at least ten years and do not have a criminal record,^[44] and oppose the "protectionist labour market restrictions" imposed by some European governments on legal migrants from new EU member states. Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to Immigration policy. ^[45]

The environment

The Green Liberal Democrats association ensure that all of the party's policies are measured for their ecological impact;^[46] Lib Dems want the UK to take the lead in combating global warming by becoming a zero-carbon economy by 2050, and to ensure that G8 and EU countries commit to higher greenhouse gas emissions cuts per capita than developing countries. Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the A Low-Carbon Economy (LCE or Low Fossil Fuel Economy (LFFEis a popular term that refers to an Economy which has a minimal output of Greenhouse Gas (GHG emissions into the The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Greenhouse gases are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere bothnatural and anthropogenic that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared Developing countries are countries that haven't reached Western-style standards of democratic government free market economy industrialization social programs and human rights guaranties ^[47] In February 2008 Nick Clegg and Steve Webb launched the 'Climate Change – 60% cut is not enough' campaign, which seeks "to show the Government the strength of support for an 80% CO₂ target" so that such an amendment to the United Kingdom Climate Change Bill is passed. Steven John Webb, better known as Steve Webb is a British Politician, the Member of Parliament for Northavon and the Liberal Democrat Shadow The Climate Change Bill, published on 13 March 2007 is a Draft law aimed at moving the United Kingdom to a Low-carbon economy and society ^[48]

The party has scored highly in reviews of their policies and action on the environment – the Friends of the Earth gave their manifesto in 2001 a score of 37. Friends of the Earth (HK is not a member of Friends of the Earth International 5 out of 50, compared to Labour's 23 and the Conservatives' 6. 5. ^[46] Nine environmental groups audited the three parties in the 2007 Green Standard Report 'How Green Are Our Parties?' – the Lib Dems scored highest with three green, two amber and one red test scores; ahead of Labour with one green score, and the Conservatives with none. ^[49] On behalf of the groups, Stephen Hale said that "Liberal Democrats deserved praise for their approach to climate change but, like the other parties, they had neglected the countryside and wildlife agenda", and that all three parties still needed greater commitment to "policies and action on the scale required to meet the range and urgency of the environmental threats facing the world. Stephen Hale is director (since July 2006 of Green Alliance, an independent charity and green think tank working on environment policy in the United Kingdom. "^[50]

In 2007, the party published two strategies to prevent global temperatures rising more than 2 °C (3. 6 °F) above the 1990 average: one to generate 100% of the United Kingdom's electricity using renewables by 2050,^[51] the other by increasing energy efficiency in the home. ^[52] The 100% renewables strategy proposed that wind, tidal, solar power plants and international carbon trading schemes would be built to reduce emissions from power generation. Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was Tidal power, sometimes called tidal energy, is a form of Hydropower that converts the energy of Tides into electricity or other useful forms of power Solar energy is the Light and radiant heat from the Sun that powers Earth 's Climate and Weather and sustains Life Emissions trading (or emission trading) is an administrative approach used to control Pollution by providing economic Incentives for Electricity generation is the process of converting non-electrical Energy to Electricity. ^[51] The energy efficiency strategy proposed that Feed-in Tariffs should be used to encourage renewable energy use and micro-generation, and 'GreenHouse' building regulations from 2011 onwards would be used to cut fuel bills and reduce wasted heat to 5% of that of existing homes. A Feed-in Tariff (FiT FiL Feed-in Law solar premium or Renewable Tariff) is an incentive structure to encourage the adoption of Renewable energy through government Legislation Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal Microgeneration is the generation of zero or low-carbon heat and power by individuals small businesses and communities to meet their ^[52] These regulations would include the use of super-insulating building materials, draft exclusion, ventilation and passive solar gain technologies, and older housing stock would be brought up to the same standard with government and business subsidies. Passive solar buildings aim to maintain interior Thermal comfort throughout the sun's daily and annual cycles whilst reducing the requirement for active heating and cooling ^[52] At the 2007 autumn conference, Lib Dems voted in favour of plans to reduce the five million tonnes of packaging and 17 billion plastic bags used in the UK each year. ^[53] The proposals included requiring supermarkets to provide waste points for customers to deposit unwanted packaging, tightening packaging regulations, introducing checkout charging for plastic bags, and promoting voluntary bag-free zones. ^[53]

Increases in green taxes would be used for "taxing pollution not people", by cutting taxes for low- and middle-income families. Ecotax, short for Ecological taxation, can refer to A policy that introduces taxes intended to promote ecologically sustainable activities via economic incentives ^[54] In June 2008, Lib Dems launched their transport policy, covering road, rail and air travel, to cut carbon emissions "while ensuring there is fair access to an improved transport system for all". ^[55] The plans include to abolish vehicle excise duty and cut fuel duty, by switching to road pricing on motorways and trunk roads, which would include foreign hauliers, and cost around 8 pence per kilometre. Excise or Excise tax (sometimes called an excise duty) is a type of Tax charged on goods produced within the country (as opposed to Customs duties Hydrocarbon oil duty is the name given to the Excise duty levied on oils (mainly road vehicle fuels in the United Kingdom. Road pricing is an economic concept regarding the various direct charges applied for the use of Roads The road charges includes Fuel taxes licence fees Motorway is a term for both a type of Road and a classification or designation A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major Road &mdashusually connecting two or more cities, Ports Airports ^[55] They want to replace petrol-driven cars by 2040. ^[47] They would also increase surcharges on domestic flights, except where the alternative train journey was longer than six hours, to pay for expanding the high-speed rail network and electrifying all lines. ^[55] They want to reform aviation tax to include freight services, and to discourage half-capacity flights by basing the tax rate on the emissions of the flight, not the number of passengers. ^[54] In February 2008, Nick Clegg said that Lib Dems oppose the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport, as "people’s lives are more important than extra flights to a few extra places. "^[56]

Government reform

Liberal Democrats support the use of powers at what they see as the right level, including local and regional authorities, devolved parliaments, the Houses of Parliament and the European Union. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in ^[40] They advocate making the United Kingdom a federal state of constituent countries and English regions, with greater powers for the devolved parliaments,^[57] and are often categorised as unionist. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one British unionism or Unionism is a belief in the continued Political union between the Constituent countries of the United Kingdom, brought about The party has always favoured abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with a wholly or substantially elected second chamber. The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" For almost a century governments in the United Kingdom have attempted to find a way to undertake a comprehensive reform of the House of Lords, which is the Upper house ^[40][58] The party's 2007 constitutional policy paper proposed that the Lords would use the single transferable vote to elect one-third of its members every four years, for a non-renewable term of twelve years. Single transferable vote (STV is a preferential Voting system designed to minimize Wasted votes and provide Proportional representation ^[57]

Their constitutional policy also proposed to increase parliamentary oversight of the government, increasing the separation of powers and addressing devolution issues. ^[57] The party wants to replace the sovereignty of Crown in Parliament with that of 'the people in Parliament', to disestablish the Church of England, and to change the Queen's Speech so that a new four-year fixed-term government would only be formed after approval of its programme by the House of Commons. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself The Queen-in-Parliament (or during the reign of a male monarch King-in-Parliament) sometimes referred to as the Crown-in-Parliament, is a technical term of Disestablishmentarianism refers to the withdrawal of state support of an established church that was formerly part of the state establishment The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords ^[57] At the 2008 party conference, Clegg announced a policy for reforming elections, parties and parliament in a 'constitutional convention' of parties, civil society, churches and others, which would be a condition of forming a government in a hung parliament. In Parliamentary systems a hung parliament is one in which no one Political party has an outright majority and means it is most commonly equally balanced ^[59][60] This was welcomed by Charter88 as part of their campaign to introduce a Citizens’ Convention Bill to examine the governance of the UK. Charter88 was a British pressure group that advocated constitutional and electoral reform and owes its origins to the lack of a written constitution in the United ^[61] Reforms for increasing accountability included having more parliamentary oversight of the executive government,^[40] and having by-elections for those who break MP's rules. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. ^[60] The changes would also cut expenditure and monetary influence in politics; by having 150 fewer MPs,^[62] having a £25,000 cap on donations to parties and a £10 million annual party spending limit, and including the option on ballot papers to donate £3 of funding to a party of the voter's choice. ^[59][60] Clegg also vowed to 'end two-party politics' with more protests against 'the establishment', such as Commons walk-outs and event boycotts. ^[59][63]

Unlike the other parties in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Lib Dems strongly advocate proportional representation by the single transferable vote for the House of Commons and the Lords. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes Single transferable vote (STV is a preferential Voting system designed to minimize Wasted votes and provide Proportional representation ^[40][57] Proportional representation has always been a cornerstone of the party's policies, and has been the main requirement of any Lib Dem involvement in a coalition government;^[64] deals were struck with Labour and Conservative leaders in the past, but the two parties found it more advantageous to stick with first-past-the-post. A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a Cabinet of a parliamentary Government in which several parties cooperate The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member Electoral reform is part of their wider proposals to increase voter turnout and involvement in decision-making set out in their 2007 constitutional policy;^[57] which includes lowering the age for the right to vote and stand in elections to 16. ^[40]

History

Founding

The Liberal Democrats were formed on 3 March 1988 by merging the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party This is about the UK Social Democratic Party which existed between 1981 and 1988 The Liberals descended from the British Whig Party, the Radicals and the Peelites, and the SDP were a Labour splinter group. The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to The Radicals were a parliamentary political grouping in the United Kingdom in the early to mid 19th century who drew on earlier ideas of radicalism and helped to The Peelites were a breakaway faction of the British Conservative Party, and existed from 1846 to 1859. ^[65]

Having declined to third party status after the rise of the Labour Party in 1922, the Liberals were challenged for their place in the centre in the 1980s. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the When the Labour Party adopted hard-line socialist policies, a group of moderate Labour MPs broke away and established the Social Democratic Party (SDP), aiming to preserve previous Labour traditions. ^[65] The SDP and the Liberals realised that there was no place for two centrist political parties, and entered into the SDP-Liberal Alliance so that they would not stand against each other in elections. The SDP-Liberal Alliance was an electoral alliance of the Social Democratic Party (SDP and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom that operated The Alliance was led by David Steel (Liberal) and Roy Jenkins (SDP); Jenkins was replaced by David Owen. David Martin Scott Steel Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC (born 31 March 1938) is a British and Scottish Roy Harris Jenkins Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM PC ( 11 November 1920 &ndash 5 January 2003) was a British David Anthony Llewellyn Owen Baron Owen of Plymouth, CH PC FKC (born 2 July 1938) is a British Politician, ^[65] The two parties had their own policies and emphases, but produced a joint manifesto for the 1983 and 1987 general elections. For the Roxy Music album see Manifesto (album. A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions often Results The Conservatives won with a majority of 144 seats|} Total votes cast 30661309 Results |} All parties gaining over 500 votes listed Campaign and policies The Conservatives' campaign emphasized lower taxes a strong economy and defence

Following disappointing results in the 1987 election, Steel proposed to merge the two parties. Although opposed by Owen, it was supported by a majority of members of both parties, and they formally merged in 1988, with Steel and Robert Maclennan (who had become SDP leader in August 1987) as joint interim leaders. Robert Adam Ross "Bob" Maclennan Baron Maclennan of Rogart PC (born 26 June 1936, Glasgow) is a Scottish Liberal The new party was named Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD); after shortening this to The Democrats in October 1988, it changed to Liberal Democrats in October 1989, which is frequently shortened to Lib Dems. ^[65] The minority of the SDP who rejected the merge remained under Owen's leadership; some disliked the direction the party after Paddy Ashdown's election as leader and created a new 'Liberal Party'. Jeremy John Durham Ashdown Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC, (born 27 February 1941 commonly known as Paddy Ashdown, is a The 1988 Social and Liberal Democrats leadership election was called in the United Kingdom following the formation of the then Social and Liberal Democrats (later 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 ^[65]

Post-1988 history

Ashdown (1988-99)

The former Liberal MP Paddy Ashdown was elected leader in July 1988. Jeremy John Durham Ashdown Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC, (born 27 February 1941 commonly known as Paddy Ashdown, is a The party had a difficult birth, struggling to assert an identity, especially after two name changes – at the 1989 European Elections they received only 6% of the vote, beaten into fourth place by the Green Party. England Scotland and Wales Source UK Office of the European Parliament Note percentages are approximate Northern Ireland The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. ^[65] By the early 1990s, the party recovered under Ashdown's leadership: they performed better at the 1990 local elections and in by-elections – including at Eastbourne in 1990 and Ribble Valley and Kincardine & Deeside in 1991. A by-election or bye-election (called special election in the United States) is an Election held to fill a political office that has become vacant The Eastbourne by-election 1990 was a By-election held on 18 October 1990 for the British House of Commons constituency of Eastbourne The Ribble Valley By-election, in Lancashire, England, was called in 1991 following the elevation of United Kingdom The Kincardine and Deeside by-election was a parliamentary election held in Kincardine and Deeside, Scotland, on 7 November 1991 caused by the death of its Conservative This local popularity continued to grow throughout the decade.

The Lib Dems did not repeat the 20%+ shares of national votes in the 1990s which the Alliance had achieved in the 1980s: at their first election in 1992 they won 17. Results |} The turnout was 33514074 from an Electorate of 43275316 voting in a total of 651 seats 8% of the vote and twenty seats. ^[66] They more than doubled their representation at the 1997 general election, by gaining 46 seats^[66] – through tactical voting and concentrating resources in winnable seats. Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election In Voting systems tactical voting (or strategic voting or sophisticated voting) occurs when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her ^[67]

Following the election of Tony Blair as Labour leader in 1994, Ashdown controversially pursued cooperation between the two parties – to form a coalition government. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a Cabinet of a parliamentary Government in which several parties cooperate ^[68] This Lib-Lab pact failed to form because of Labour's massive majority after the 1997 general election, some MPs' strong opposition to a coalition, and because Labour would not introduce proportional representation and other Lib Dem conditions. The Lib-Lab pact has been a working arrangement between the UK 's political parties of the Liberals (later Liberal Democrats) and the Labour Party Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes ^[68]

Kennedy (1999-2006)

Ashdown retired as leader in 1999^[69] and Charles Kennedy was elected as his replacement. Charles Peter Kennedy (born 25 November 1959 is a British politician. The 1999 Liberal Democrats leadership election was called following the resignation of Paddy Ashdown as leader The party improved on their 1997 results at the 2001 general election, increasing their seats to 52 and their vote share to 18. Results |} Total votes cast 26368204 All parties with more than 500 votes shown 3%. ^[70] They won support from former Labour and Conservative voters due to the Lib Dems' position on issues that appeal to those on the left and the right: opposition to the war in Iraq and support for civil liberties, electoral reform, and open government. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. Electoral reform is change in Electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results Charles Kennedy expressed his goal to replace the Conservatives as the official opposition;^[71] The Spectator awarded him the 'Parliamentarian of the Year' award in November 2004 for his position on the war. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, or the Official Opposition, in the United Kingdom is led by the Leader of the Opposition. For other uses see Spectator. The Spectator is a weekly British Magazine first published on 6 July "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " ^[72] The party won seats from Labour in by-elections in Brent East in 2003 and Leicester South in 2004, and narrowly missed taking others in Birmingham Hodge Hill and Hartlepool. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A by-election or bye-election (called special election in the United States) is an Election held to fill a political office that has become vacant The Brent East by-election 2003 was caused by the death on 18 June 2003 of the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brent A By-election was held in Leicester South on July 15, the same day as the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. A By-election was held for the United Kingdom Parliament seat of Birmingham Hodge Hill, on July 15, the same day as the On July 23, 2004, the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool, in England, Peter Mandelson ( Labour) was nominated ^[73]

At the 2005 general election, the Lib Dems gained their highest share of the vote since the SDP-Liberal Alliance (22. Charles Peter Kennedy (born 25 November 1959 is a British politician. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general The SDP-Liberal Alliance was an electoral alliance of the Social Democratic Party (SDP and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom that operated 1%), receiving 62 seats. ^[74] Many had anticipated that this election would be the Lib Dem's breakthrough at Westminster; party acivists hoped to better the 25. 4% support of the 1983 election, or to reach 100 MPs. ^[75] 2005 could be considered a wasted opportunity for the party; but there was the problem with first-past-the-post elections: the party got almost a quarter of the total votes nationally but only one-tenth of the seats in the Commons. The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member ^[74]

One trend at the election was that Lib Dems replaced the Conservatives as Labour's main opponents in urban areas. Many gains came in previously Labour-held urban constituencies (e. g. Manchester Withington, Cardiff Central, Birmingham Yardley), and they had over 100 second-place finishes behind Labour candidates. Manchester Withington is a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester. Cardiff Central ( Canolog Caerdydd in Welsh) is a Borough constituency in the city of Cardiff. Birmingham Yardley is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ^[74] The British electoral system makes it hard for the Conservatives to form a government without winning some city seats out of its rural heartlands, such as the Lib Dem Bristol West constituency, where the Conservatives came third in 2005 after holding the seat until 1997. Bristol West is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ^[76]

Campbell (2006-2007)

The Conservatives' choice of David Cameron as leader in late 2005 led senior Lib Dems to question whether Charles Kennedy was capable of dealing with future challenges facing the party. Sir Walter Menzies Campbell CBE QC (born 22 May 1941) commonly known as Ming Campbell, is a British Politician David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966 is a British Politician and the current leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of Her Majesty's Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In a statement on 5 January 2006, Charles Kennedy admitted to a long battle with alcoholism, and announced a leadership election in which he intended to stand for re-election, while Sir Menzies Campbell took over as acting leader. Events 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions In the 2006 Liberal Democrats leadership election, Sir Menzies Campbell was elected to succeed Charles Kennedy as Leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third-largest Sir Walter Menzies Campbell CBE QC (born 22 May 1941) commonly known as Ming Campbell, is a British Politician ^[77]

For several years there were rumours alleging that Kennedy had problems with alcohol – the BBC's Nick Robinson called it "Westminster's worst-kept secret". Nicholas Anthony Robinson (born 5 October 1963 is the Political Editor of the BBC. ^[78] However, Kennedy had on previous occasions denied this: some suggested that he had deliberately misled the public and his party. ^[78] His admission also attracted sympathy; he is a popular figure, and was thought to have enough support among Lib Dem members to win the leadership election.

Kennedy initially planned to stand as a candidate; he withdrew from the election citing a lack of support among Lib Dem MPs. ^[79] Sir Menzies subsequently won the contest, defeating Chris Huhne and Simon Hughes, in a race that saw Mark Oaten withdraw due to a lack of support, Simon Hughes come under attack regarding his sexuality and Chris Huhne accused live on The Daily Politics of attempting to rig polls. Christopher Murray Paul Huhne, known as Chris Huhne, (born 2 July 1954 is a British Liberal Democrat politician and the current Member of Parliament Simon Henry Ward Hughes (born 17 May 1951) is a British politician and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for North Southwark Mark Oaten (born 8 March 1964, Watford) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom, and Member of Parliament Simon Henry Ward Hughes (born 17 May 1951) is a British politician and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for North Southwark Christopher Murray Paul Huhne, known as Chris Huhne, (born 2 July 1954 is a British Liberal Democrat politician and the current Member of Parliament The Daily Politics is a British Television show launched by the BBC in 2003. ^[79]

There was negative press over Kennedy's departure, however the leaderless party shocked by winning the Dunfermline and West Fife seat from Labour in a by-election in February 2006. Dunfermline and West Fife is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This was viewed as a particular blow for Gordon Brown, who lives in the constituency, represents the adjacent seat, and featured in Labour's campaign. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is ^[80] The party came second place by 633 votes in the Bromley and Chislehurst by-election, overtaking Labour. Bromley and Chislehurst is a parliamentary constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, represented by Bob Neill ^[81] In July 2007, Sir Menzies announced that the party wished to cut the basic rate of income tax from 20 to 16p per pound – the lowest rate since 1916 – which would be funded using green taxes and making money made from UK properties by non-UK residents eligible for Capital Gains Tax. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year A capital gains tax (abbreviated CGT) is a Tax charged on Capital gains the profit realized on the sale of a non-inventory Asset that was purchased ^[82]

Opinion poll trends during Campbell's leadership showed support for the Lib Dems decline to less than 20%. ^[83] Campbell resigned on 15 October 2007, and Vince Cable became acting leader until a leadership election could be held. Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> John Vincent Cable, known as Vince Cable The 2007 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell as leader on 15 October 2007, after 19 months ^[84] Cable received acclaim during his tenure, with praise for his performances at Prime Minister's Questions, during the Northern Rock crisis, HMRC's loss of child benefit data, and the Donorgate funding scandal. Prime Minister's Questions ( PMQs) (officially Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, where every See also Nationalisation of Northern Rock Northern Rock plc is a British Bank, currently under public ownership The 2007 UK child benefit data scandal was a Data breach incident in October 2007 when two computer discs owned by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs containing Donorgate is the colloquial name for the political scandal involving the British Labour Party in November and December 2007, when it was discovered that contrary ^[85]

Clegg (2007-present)

On December 18, 2007, Nick Clegg won the leadership election, becoming the party's fourth leader. Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is Clegg won the leadership with a majority of 511 votes (1. 2%) over his opponent Chris Huhne, in a poll of party members. Christopher Murray Paul Huhne, known as Chris Huhne, (born 2 July 1954 is a British Liberal Democrat politician and the current Member of Parliament ^[86] Clegg is the youngest party leader in the UK, the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam, and was an MEP for the East Midlands from 1999 to 2004. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Sheffield Hallam is a Parliamentary constituency covering the south west portion of the City of Sheffield, England. A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the D'Hondt method of Party-list proportional ^[87]

In his acceptance speech, Clegg declared that he was "a liberal by temperament, by instinct and by upbringing" and that he believes "Britain [is] a place of tolerance and pluralism". His priorities are: defending civil liberties; devolving the running of public services to parents, pupils and patients; and protecting the environment,^[88] and that he wanted to forge a "liberal alternative to the discredited policies of big government". ^[87] He also proposed a target to double the number of Lib Dem MPs within two elections, and before the 2008 local elections confirmed that he was pleased with their performance in the polls: "the polls yesterday were at 20%, that's considerably higher than 13% just a few years ago. The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on May 1, 2008. It's far, far higher than we've ever been at this point in the political cycle two or three years after a general election. "^[43]

Shortly after election, Clegg reshuffled the party's Frontbench Team, making Chris Huhne the replacement Home Affairs spokesperson, Ed Davey the Foreign Affairs spokesperson, and keeping Vince Cable as Shadow Chancellor. The Liberal Democrats are the third-largest Political party in the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Edward Jonathan "Ed" Davey (born 25 December 1965) a British Member of Parliament. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> John Vincent Cable, known as Vince Cable The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all Economic and Financial ^[89] His predecessors were also given roles: Campbell joined the all-party Commons foreign affairs select committee, and Kennedy is to campaign nationwide on European issues, as president of the UK's European Movement. The European Movement is an international Lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and private individuals desiring to work towards the construction ^[89]

Electoral results

In United Kingdom general elections, the Lib Dems succeeded the Liberal-SDP Alliance as the third most popular party, behind Labour and the Conservatives. This is a list of United Kingdom general elections since the first in 1802 The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Their popularity initially declined from levels achieved by the Alliance, however their seat count has risen to its current peak of 63 seats, despite not achieving the vote levels of the Alliance; this was credited to improved skill at targeting vulnerable seats. ^[67] The vote percentage for the Alliance in 1987 and the Lib Dems in 2005 is similar, yet the Lib Dems won 62 seats to the Alliance's 22. ^[74]

The British first past the post electoral system is not suited to parties whose vote is evenly divided across the nation, resulting in those parties achieving a lower proportion of seats in the House of Commons than their proportion of the popular vote (see table and graph). The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member The Lib Dems and their Liberal and SDP predecessors have suffered in particular,^[90] particularly in 1983 and 1987 when their electoral support was greatest; the increase in their number of seats in 1997, 2001 and 2005 was attributed to the weakness of the Conservatives, and the success of the Lib Dem election strategist Lord Rennard, who focused the party's resources on winnable constituencies. The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party This is about the UK Social Democratic Party which existed between 1981 and 1988 Christopher John "Chris" Rennard Baron Rennard (born 1960) is a British Liberal Democrat Politician. ^[67] Lib Dems state that they want 'three-party politics' in the Commons;^[91][63] the most realistic situation with first past the post is for the party to be the kingmakers in a hung parliament. In Parliamentary systems a hung parliament is one in which no one Political party has an outright majority and means it is most commonly equally balanced ^[92] Party leaders often set out their terms for forming a coalition in such an event – the party has supported introducing proportional representation since its foundation,^[64] and in 2008 Nick Clegg stated that the policy for the next general election is to reform elections, parties and parliament in a 'constitutional convention'. Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is Leadership of the main parties David Cameron became Conservative leader in December 2005 replacing Michael Howard. ^[60]

General election	Name	Share of votes	Seats	Share of seats	Source
1983	SDP-Liberal Alliance	25. Results The Conservatives won with a majority of 144 seats|} Total votes cast 30661309 4%	23	3. 5%	[93]
1987	SDP-Liberal Alliance	22. Results |} All parties gaining over 500 votes listed Campaign and policies The Conservatives' campaign emphasized lower taxes a strong economy and defence 6%	22	3. 4%	[93]
1992	Liberal Democrats	17. Results |} The turnout was 33514074 from an Electorate of 43275316 voting in a total of 651 seats 8%	20	3. 1%	[66]
1997	Liberal Democrats	16. Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election 7%	46	7. 0%	[66]
2001	Liberal Democrats	18. Results |} Total votes cast 26368204 All parties with more than 500 votes shown 3%	52	7. 9%	[70]
2005	Liberal Democrats	22. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general 1%	62	9. 6%	[74]

The party has performed better in local elections; Clegg said the party was a "success story" in local government, as they are in control of 31 councils. ^[94] In the 2008 local elections they gained 25% of the vote (ahead of Labour), increasing their total control by 34 to more than 4200 council seats (21%). The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on May 1, 2008. ^[95] They have performed more poorly in elections to the European Parliament, particularly before the change to proportional representation in 1999. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU In 2004 local elections, the Lib Dem national share of the vote was 29% (giving them second place, ahead of Labour)^[91] and 14. The United Kingdom local elections of 2004 were held on 10 June, as part of the 2004 set of elections along with the European elections 9% in the simultaneous European Parliament elections (putting them in fourth place behind the United Kingdom Independence Party). Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP, ˈjuːkɪp ^[96]

European election (UK)	Name	Share of votes	Seats	Share of seats	Source
1984	SDP-Liberal Alliance	18. England Scotland and Wales Source UK Office of the European Parliament Note percentages are approximate Constituency Results 5%	0	0%	[97]
1989	SDP-Liberal Alliance	6. England Scotland and Wales Source UK Office of the European Parliament Note percentages are approximate Northern Ireland 2%	0	0%	[98]
1994	Liberal Democrats	16. England Scotland and Wales Sources * UK Office of the European Parliament * United Kingdom election results Note Percentages are approximate 1%	2	2. 3%	[99]
1999	Liberal Democrats	12. England Scotland and Wales Source: UK Office of the European Parliament Note Percentages are approximate Northern Ireland 7%	10	11. 5%	[100]
2004	Liberal Democrats	14. England Scotland and Wales Turnout for all the regions was 37 9%	12	15. 4%	[96]

The Lib Dems were coalition partners with Labour in the Scottish Parliament from its establishment in 1999, until the Scottish National Party took power in 2007;^[101] the Lib Dems supplied the Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace, and his replacement, Nicol Stephen. A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a Cabinet of a parliamentary Government in which several parties cooperate The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral The Scottish National Party (SNP (Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba Scottis Naitional Pairtie is a Centre-left political party which campaigns for Scottish The Deputy First Minister of Scotland is the deputy to the First Minister of Scotland. For other uses see James Wallace. James Robert Wallace Baron Wallace of Tankerness PC QC (born 25 August Nicol Ross Stephen (born 23 March 1960) is the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen South, and was leader of the Scottish ^[102] There are 16 Lib Dem MSPs in the Scottish Parliament,^[103] and 13 Lib Dem MPs elected to represent Scottish constituencies in Westminster. ^[74] The party was also in a coalition with Labour in the National Assembly for Wales from 2001 to 2003. The Lib-Lab pact has been a working arrangement between the UK 's political parties of the Liberals (later Liberal Democrats) and the Labour Party The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. ^[104]

Structure

The Liberal Democrats are a federal party of the parties of Wales, Scotland and England. A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" Scotland and England are further split into regional parties. The parliamentary parties of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly form semi-autonomous units within the party. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The leaders in the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament are the leaders of the federal party and the Scottish Party; the leaders in the other two chambers, and the officers of all parliamentary parties, are elected from their own number. The Lib Dems had around 73,000 members in 2004,^[1] and in the first quarter of 2008, the party received £1. 1 million in donations and have borrowed £1. 1 million. This compares to Labour's £3. 1 million in donations and £17. 8 million of borrowing, and the Conservatives' £5. 7 million in donations and £12. 1 million of borrowing. ^[105]

Specified Associated Organisations (SAOs) review and input policies, representing groups including: ethnic minorities (EMLD), women (WLD), the LGBT community (Delga), youth and students (LIBERAL YOUTH), engineers and scientists (ALDES), parliamentary candidates (PCA) and local councillors (ALDC). DELGA is the LGBT organisation of the British Liberal Democrats political party the full name being Liberal Liberal Youth (formerly Liberal Democrat Youth and Students is the youth and student group of the UK Liberal Democrats. A councillor or councilor ( Cllr, Coun, Clr or Cr for short is a member of a Local government council such as a Others can become Associated Organisations (AOs) as pressure groups in the party, such as the Green Liberal Democrats, Liberal Democrats Online and the Liberal Democrat Disability Association.

Like the Conservatives, the Lib Dems organise in Northern Ireland, though they do not contest elections in the province: they work with the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, de facto agreeing to support the Alliance in elections. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI is a Political party in Northern Ireland. ^[106] Many individuals, including parliamentarians and Alliance Party leader David Ford, hold membership of both parties. David Ford is a Northern Ireland politician He is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly and has been leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Alliance members of the House of Lords take the Lib Dem whip on non-Northern Ireland issues, and the Alliance Party has a stall at Lib Dem party conferences. The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" Whip is a role in party-based politics whose primary purpose is to ensure control of the formal decision-making process in a parliamentary legislature The term Party Conference usually refers to a general meeting of a political party The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, and their 12 MEPs sit in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group in the European Parliament. Liberal International is a Political international for liberal parties. The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (founded in 1993 is a liberal party, mainly active in the European Union, composed of 55 national parties from across The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ( French: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe) is an alliance between two European political parties The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU

Internal factions

Liberal Democrats can be classified into two factions – social and market liberals – which are unrelated to membership of the party's predecessors – many social liberals (including Paddy Ashdown) were former Liberal MPs, and some market liberals (such as Vincent Cable) were from the SDP. Jeremy John Durham Ashdown Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC, (born 27 February 1941 commonly known as Paddy Ashdown, is a WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> John Vincent Cable, known as Vince Cable

Social liberals have dominated the party since its formation. Social liberalism, also called new liberalism (as it was originally termed high liberalism radical liberalism, modern liberalism, or Drawing inspiration from David Lloyd George, William Beveridge and John Maynard Keynes, this wing advocates the welfare state, higher taxation and public spending, government regulation to protect consumers, employees and the environment, and support civil liberties and human rights. David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only For the Scottish footballer and athlete see William Beveridge (footballer William Henry Beveridge 1st Baron Beveridge ( 5 March John Maynard Keynes 1st Baron Keynes CB (ˈkeɪnz "cains" (5 June 1883 &ndash 21 April 1946 was a British Economist whose ideas This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled Examples of social liberals include Paul Holmes, Norman Baker and Simon Hughes. Paul Robert Holmes (born 16 January 1957, Sheffield) is a politician in the United Kingdom. Norman John Baker (born 26 July 1957) is a British politician Simon Henry Ward Hughes (born 17 May 1951) is a British politician and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for North Southwark

The market liberal or libertarian wing shares with social liberals a belief in basic civil and political freedoms (negative freedoms). Economic liberalism is the Economic component of Classical liberalism. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the The concept of negative liberty refers to freedom from interference by other people However, social liberals argue that the state should provide social and economic rights to its citizens (positive freedoms), whereas market liberals are non-interventionist and are critical of government's ability to increase/decrease freedom. ||-||} Positive liberty refers to the opportunity and ability to act to fulfill one's own potential as opposed to Negative liberty, which refers to freedom from This often manifests itself as support for greater economic freedom, causing tension between the two wings. Economic freedom is freedom to produce trade and consume any goods and services acquired without the use of force fraud or theft Many MPs from this wing contributed to the Orange Book (2004),^[107] a collection of essays intended to spark debate on a greater role for free-market liberalism in policy. The Orange Book Reclaiming Liberalism (ISBN 1-86197-797-2 is a book written by a group of prominent British Liberal Democrat politicians and edited "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Some party donors, journalists and party officials back this wing of the party. ^[108] Leading market liberals in the party include Vince Cable, David Laws and Nick Clegg. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> John Vincent Cable, known as Vince Cable David Anthony Laws (born 30 November 1965 is a politician in the United Kingdom. Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is ^[107]

Leaders

See also List of United Kingdom Liberal Democrat leaders

		Entered office	Left office	Date of Birth
1. The Liberal Democrat members elect the United Kingdom Liberal Democrat leader. 1	David Steel 1	7 July 1987	16 July 1988	31 March 1938
1. David Martin Scott Steel Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC (born 31 March 1938) is a British and Scottish Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 2	Robert Maclennan 2	6 August 1987	16 July 1988	26 June 1936
2	Paddy Ashdown	16 July 1988	9 August 1999	27 February 1941
3	Charles Kennedy	9 August 1999	7 January 2006	25 November 1959
4	Sir Menzies Campbell 3	2 March 2006	15 October 2007	22 May 1941
	Vincent Cable 4	15 October 2007	18 December 2007	9 May 1943
5	Nick Clegg	18 December 2007	Incumbent	7 January 1967

• ¹ Joint interim leader, as leader of the Liberal Party before the merge. Robert Adam Ross "Bob" Maclennan Baron Maclennan of Rogart PC (born 26 June 1936, Glasgow) is a Scottish Liberal Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Jeremy John Durham Ashdown Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC, (born 27 February 1941 commonly known as Paddy Ashdown, is a Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Charles Peter Kennedy (born 25 November 1959 is a British politician. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sir Walter Menzies Campbell CBE QC (born 22 May 1941) commonly known as Ming Campbell, is a British Politician Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> John Vincent Cable, known as Vince Cable Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967 known as Nick Clegg, is Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party
• ² Joint interim leader, as leader of the Social Democratic Party before the merge. This is about the UK Social Democratic Party which existed between 1981 and 1988
• ³ Interim leader between the resignation of Charles Kennedy on 7 January 2006 and his own election on 2 March 2006. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
• ⁴ Interim leader between the resignation of Menzies Campbell on 15 October 2007 and the election of Nick Clegg on 18 December 2007. Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Further information: Social and Liberal Democrats leadership election, 1988

Further information: Liberal Democrats leadership election, 1999

Further information: Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2006

Further information: Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2007

Deputy Leaders

• Russell Johnston, 1988–1992
• Alan Beith, 1992–2003
• Sir Menzies Campbell, 2003–2006
• Vincent Cable, 2006–present

Further information: Liberal Democrats deputy leadership election, 2003

Further information: Liberal Democrats deputy leadership election, 2006

Leaders in the European Parliament

• Graham Watson, 1994–2002 (President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party)
• Diana Wallis, 2002–2004
• Chris Davies, 2004–2006
• Diana Wallis, 2006–2007 (Vice-President of the European Parliament)
• Andrew Duff, 2007–present

The Liberal Democrats did not have representation in the European Parliament prior to 1994. The 1988 Social and Liberal Democrats leadership election was called in the United Kingdom following the formation of the then Social and Liberal Democrats (later The 1999 Liberal Democrats leadership election was called following the resignation of Paddy Ashdown as leader In the 2006 Liberal Democrats leadership election, Sir Menzies Campbell was elected to succeed Charles Kennedy as Leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third-largest The 2007 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell as leader on 15 October 2007, after 19 months Russell Johnston redirects here for other people with similar names see Russell Johnson (disambiguation. Sir Alan James Beith (born 20 April 1943 Sir Walter Menzies Campbell CBE QC (born 22 May 1941) commonly known as Ming Campbell, is a British Politician WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> John Vincent Cable, known as Vince Cable The 2003 Liberal Democrats deputy leadership election took place in February 2003 following the decision by the incumbent Alan Beith to stand down as Deputy Leader of the The 2006 Liberal Democrats deputy leadership election began on March 2 2006, when the sitting Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Menzies Campbell Graham Watson MEP (born 23 March 1956 is a European Politician from the United Kingdom. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (founded in 1993 is a liberal party, mainly active in the European Union, composed of 55 national parties from across Diana Paulette Wallis (born 28 June 1954 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire) is a Member of the European Parliament for the Liberal "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " This article is about the British politician For the Australian cricketer see Christopher Davies (cricketer. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Diana Paulette Wallis (born 28 June 1954 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire) is a Member of the European Parliament for the Liberal Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU Andrew Duff OBE (born December 25 1950 in Birkenhead, Cheshire) is a Liberal Democrat politician and a Member of the European

Frontbench Team

Further information: Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team

The key positions on this team include:^[89]

• Nick Clegg – party leader
• Vince Cable – deputy leader, Treasury spokesperson
• Ed Davey – Foreign Affairs spokesperson
• Chris Huhne – Home Affairs spokesperson
• Simon Hughes – Lib Dem Leader of the House of Commons, party president

See also

British politics List of Liberal Democrat MPs Beveridge Group Glee Club Liberal Democrat Christian Forum Lloyd George Society

Contributions to liberal theory Liberal democracy Liberalism worldwide Liberalism in the United Kingdom List of liberal parties

References

External links

• Liberal Democrats' official website
• Liberal Democrats' official videos

Regional parties

• Scottish Liberal Democrats
• Welsh Liberal Democrats
• London Assembly Liberal Democrats
• Gloucester Liberal Democrats
• Northampton and Northants Liberal Democrat Youth

Party sub-organisations

• Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors
• Liberal Democrats in Business
• Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidates Association
• Delga: Liberal Democrats for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality
• Liberal Democrat Youth & Students
• Liberal International British Group
• The Beveridge Group
• Liberal Democrats Online
• Liberal Democrat Christian Forum

Historical information

• Liberal Democrat History Group
• An archive of Liberal/SDP/Liberal Democrat electoral manifestos from 1900-present

Miscellaneous

• Upcoming Liberal Democrat meetings countrywide
• Guardian Unlimited Politics: Liberal Democrats
• Liberal International British Group
• Liberator – a British liberal publication
• Lord Bonkers' Liberal Satire from Rutland
• Liberal Review, a review of Liberal Democrat blogs and media
• Lib Dem Blogs, an aggregator of Liberal Democrat blogs
• Lib Dem Image, for official party merchandise

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