The uneven path of British Liberalism : from Jo Grimond to Brexit / Tudor Jones.

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MUP 2020 titles.

1 Survival of a creed, 1954-56 -- 2. The advent of Grimond: the creed revived, 1956-59 -- 3 .Of progress, realignment and disappointed hopes, 1959-67 -- 4. The rise of community politics in uncertain times, 1967-765 Liberalism in a cul-de-sac, 1976-79 -- 6. Liberalism within the Alliance: denting the mould, 1979-88 -- 7. Liberals, Owen and the social market economy, 1983-88 -- 8 Recovery after a painful infancy, 1988-97 -- 9. Ashdown's unfinished project, 1997-99 -- 10. Advance and debate, 1999-2005 -- 11. Crisis, consolidation and reaffirmation, 2005-7 -- 12. Into uncharted post-1945 territory: coalition government, 2010-15 -- 13 Electoral collapse, 2015 and the future of British Liberalism -- Conclusion -- Index.

This book charts the development of political thought within the British Liberal Party and its successor, the Liberal Democrats. Beginning with Jo Grimond's rise to the leadership in 1956, it follows the Liberal resurgence in the second half of the twentieth century through to the major setbacks of the 2015 general election and the 2016 referendum on UK membership of the European Union. Drawing on interviews with leading politicians and political thinkers, the book examines Liberal ideas against the background of key historical events and controversies, including the period of coalition government with the Conservatives.

"[At the end of the Second World War, the Liberal Party was on the point of collapse. Once a major force in British politics, it had been relegated to the sidelines by the rise of Labour and a resurgent Conservative Party. But the distinctive principles of British Liberalism were to prove remarkably resilient, and subsequent decades would witness the Party's gradual revival and a dramatic struggle for its soul. This book charts the evolution of Liberal politics, starting with Jo Grimond's leadership during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and following the uneven path of the Liberal revival to the 2015 general election and the 2016 EU referendum - two setbacks that threw British Liberalism into crisis once more. Drawing on interviews with leading politicians and thinkers, including Vince Cable, Paddy Ashdown, David Owen and Shirley Williams, the book examines Liberal ideas against the background of key historical events and controversies, including the period of coalition government with the Conservatives. With the Liberal Democrats emerging once again from a period of electoral disaster, this book provides an unparalleled account of the ideas and values that have made them a perennial force in British politics." --

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Includes bibliographies and index.