Liberal landslide: the 1906 election
If you were to ask me which politician of the 20th century was least likely to have delivered Good Morning leaflets, I think Attlee would have been near the top of the list. … Read the full post »
Herbert Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith (1852-1928) was Liberal Prime Minister from 1908-16. Usually known as H.H. Asquith, he was the last solo Liberal Prime Minster – David Lloyd George succeeded him but only at the head of a coalition government.
On this day in 1909, the first state pensions came in – thanks to a Liberal government
January 1, 1909 saw the first state pensions come into force in the UK, thanks to David Lloyd George and the Liberal government elected in the 1906 landslide. … Read the full post »
Kingston Liberal says ‘Vote Labour’: a leaflet from 1945
Anthony Asquith, son of Liberal Prime Minister H.H. Asquith, stunt double in Boadicea and respected film director, never quite fulfilled the promise of his talent. … Read the full post »
Winston Churchill – Liberal or Tory?
Was Liberalism Winston Churchill’s true political ideology? Or should we judge his position from his re-ratting in 1924 and his long association and later leadership of the Conservatives? … Read the full post »
Paddy Ashdown, Julian Glover and Shirley Williams on the party’s history
It would be a brave person who walked up to Paddy Ashdown or Shirley Williams and told them to their face that they are history… … Read the full post »
House of Lords reform 1911–2011: conference fringe meeting
For the latest edition of the Journal of Liberal History, I wrote up a report of our fringe meeting held at the party’s spring conference on the subject of Lords reform. … Read the full post »
Continuity and change in election campaigns: the 1910 and 2010 election campaigns
There is rather more similarity than you might expect between two general election campaigns a century apart. … Read the full post »
The history of Prime Minister’s Questions
Today sees Nick Clegg take to the Despatch Box to answer Prime Minister’s Questions in David Cameron’s absence from the UK. … Read the full post »
A Delicate Balance: the history of Liberals and hung Parliaments
The Liberal Democrat History Group meeting at Bournemouth conference, supported by The Guardian, looked at hung Parliaments and lessons from the past for the Liberal Democrats. … Read the full post »