Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrats' HQ

Federal Party Headquarters
Liberal Democrats
4 Cowley St
London SW1P 3NB

0171 222 7999 (Tel)
0171 799 2170 (Fax)

www.libdems.org.uk

Full text of the 1997 Liberal Democrat manifesto

Basic Principles

Liberalism is a broad philosophy which has its origins in the industrial and political revolutions of the 17th-19th centuries. Originally referring to the belief that politics should preserve individual rights and maximise freedom of choice, "new" liberalism sees an important role for the state or the community in liberating people from poverty, ignorance and discrimination. In the twentieth century liberal parties have been classified as 'centre' or 'centre-left' parties whilst they themselves prefer the label 'radical'.

History of the Liberal Party

In 1832 a faction of "Liberals" or "Radicals" emerged out of a political party called the Whigs. Gradually the number of Liberals increased, gaining more converts in 1846 when the Tory Party split. The next twenty years was a period of confusion over party labels, but 1859 is a commonly accepted date for the beginning of the modern party.

In 1868 a majority Liberal government was formed. The Liberal Party themselves split in 1886, when many members refused to support its proposal of Home Rule for Ireland. Despite this division, Liberals and Conservatives alternated in a two party system until the end of the First World War when the Liberals were supplanted as the opposition by the newly formed Labour Party.

The Liberal Party continued to exist at a low ebb for the next forty years, winning a few parliamentary seats in peripheral areas of the country. In the 1960's they began a gradual revival and focused on community politics. This strategy was endorsed at the 1970 Liberal Assembly. The 1970s saw the Liberals rejecting an offer from the Conservatives to support their minority administration (after Ted Heath lost the February 1974 election), the resignation of the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe over a sex scandal, his replacement by David Steel and an agreement with the Labour government from March 1977 to August 1978 that came to be known as the "Lib-Lab pact".

More dramatic changes followed when some MPs broke away from the Labour Party in 1981 and founded the Social Democratic Party (SDP). They were soon joined by more converts from the Labour and a few from the Conservative party (but just one MP) and formed an Alliance with the Liberal party, contesting the elections of 1983 and 1987 together, despite some difficult policy wrangles, especially over defence.

Paddy Ashdown

The two parties merged in 1988 to become the Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD) or 'Democrats' for short. A period of uncertainty and low morale followed as some members refused to joined the new merged party. The SDP continued to exist under David Owen for some time and there was also a small band of disenchanted Liberals under Michael Meadowcroft. David Steel was replaced by Paddy Ashdown, the current leader, and the party changed its short name in 1989 to the one we know today, the Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems).

In the 1990s

In 1990 the Lib Dems won a formerly safe conservative seat in Eastbourne and the next year they gained Ribble Valley and control of 17 councils in the local elections. In the 1992 general election the party polled 18.3% of the vote and 20 MPs were returned, with gains mainly in the south west of England.

After the 1992 election, the Lib Dems made it clear that they were no longer "equidistant" from the Conservatives and Labour - the party would not support the Conservatives in the event of a hung parliament. Paddy Ashdown also promised "no let up on Labour" - criticising them for being "timid", "uncertain" and "unclear how they will pay for their promises". Liberal Democrat and Labour politicians have, however, worked together on some issues - most notably on constitutional reform where the two parties have agreed a joint programme promising Scottish and Welsh devolution, reform of the House of Lords, and a referendum on electoral reform.

In 1994, the Lib Dems took two seats in the European Parliament for the first time in 1994. Controlling 55 councils, they became the second largest party in local elections, beating the Conservatives into third place.

Campaigning in 1997

The party's leadership decided that its future lay in sharpening a distinctive image for the party and in relying less on 'protest' votes. Aiming for a higher profile, the party attempted to stake out a distinctive position - as the one party that would "make a difference" - with a commitment to add a penny on income tax to fund investment in education; to increased tobacco tax for additional spending on the health service; clear policies on Europe (with a pledge of a referendum), and considerable emphasis placed on environmental issues.

Traditionally successful in the south west and other areas of the Celtic fringe, the party spent the mid-90's building a strong national base in local government. It hoped to win enough seats in the General Election to have a firm influence on policy, amidst speculation that there could be a role for them in a Blair administration if Labour did not win outright. There was considerable emphasis on targeting key, generally Conservative-held, target seats.

In the past, the third party, rather than Labour, has tended to gain from Conservative losses. However, even when the Conservatives looked weak in the run-up to the 1997 election, observers remained cautious about the Liberal Democrats' likely electoral performance. Bearing opinion poll data in mind, it not only looked like Labour would be at least as likely to benefit significantly from a steady flow of switchers away from the Conservatives, but also that they would eclipse Lib Dem support in the process.

During the campaign, several key business people pledged their support for the Liberal Democrats, including the founder of the Pizza Express, the Director of Psion, Chairman of Mitsubishi and the ex-chairmen of the National Coal Board and the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank. In the event, the collapse of the Conservative vote not only increased Labour's final majority, but it also gave the Liberal Democrats record-breaking representation in the new Parliament.

Winning 46 seats in total, the Liberal Democrats had their largest number of seats since 1929, when the Liberals held 59 seats. They hold 28 more seats than they won in 1992, even though their 17.2% share of the vote was marginally down. They secured their South West strongholds, though most notably they broke new ground in the South East, including gains from the Tories in Richmond Park and Sutton & Cheam. Some 29 of the Lib Dem intake are brand new MPs. Even so, Labour did eject high profile Liberal Democrat Liz Lynne from her Rochdale seat. There are still only three Lib Dem women MPs.

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