1976 Liberal Party Leadership Election
The 1976 Liberal Party leadership election was called following the resignation of Jeremy Thorpe in the wake of allegations which would eventually lead to Thorpe's trial and acquittal for conspiracy to murder in 1979. Background There were two candidates, David Steel and John Pardoe, who were elected by a ballot of an electoral college made up of representatives of the various constituency associations, with their vote "weighted" by the strength of the Liberal vote at the previous general election. This electoral system was devised by Michael Steed, and this election proved to be the only time it was ever used to elect a Liberal leader. The election was won by David Steel, who served as leader of the Liberal Party until merger with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1988, forming the Liberal Democrats. David Steel later served as interim leader of the Liberal Democrats (jointly with Bob Maclennan of the SDP) for the duration of the 1988 leadership election which eventually ele ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood (born 31 March 1938) is a retired Scottish politician. Elected as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (UK Parliament constituency), Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles, followed by Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (UK Parliament constituency), Tweeddale, Ettrick, and Lauderdale, he served as the final leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party, from 1976 to 1988. His tenure spanned the duration of SDP–Liberal Alliance, the alliance with the Social Democratic Party (UK), Social Democratic Party, which began in 1981 and concluded with the formation of the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats in 1988. Steel served as a Member of the UK Parliament for 32 years, from 1965 to 1997, and as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 1999 to 2003, during which time he was the parliament's Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Presiding Officer. He was a member o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Pardoe
John Wentworth Pardoe (born 27 July 1934) is a British retired businessman and Liberal Party politician. He was Chairman of Sight and Sound Education Ltd from 1979 to 1989. Early life and education Pardoe was the son of Cuthbert B. Pardoe and Marjorie E. W. (''née'' Taylor). He attended King's College School, Cambridge, and was a chorister in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. He then went to Sherborne School, a boarding independent school for boys in the market town of Sherborne in Dorset, followed by Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He was active in the famous Footlights drama club; one critic of their 1955 revue panned future comedian Jonathan Miller, whilst predicting a bold comedic future for Pardoe. He gained an MA at Cambridge. Early career Pardoe worked for Television Audience Measurement Ltd from 1958 to 1960, Osborne Peacock Co. Ltd from 1960 to 1961 and ''Liberal News'' from 1961 to 1966. Political career In the 1964 general election, Pardoe unsuccessful ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jeremy Thorpe
John Jeremy Thorpe (29 April 1929 – 4 December 2014) was a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979 and as leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. In May 1979 he was tried at the Old Bailey on charges of conspiracy and incitement to murder his ex-boyfriend Norman Scott, a former model. Thorpe was acquitted on all charges, but the case, and the furore surrounding it, ended his political career. Thorpe was the son and grandson of Conservative MPs, but decided to align with the small and ailing Liberal Party. After studying Law at Oxford University he became one of the Liberals' brightest stars in the 1950s. He entered Parliament at the age of 30, rapidly made his mark, and was elected party leader in 1967. After an uncertain start during which the party lost ground, Thorpe capitalised on the growing unpopularity of the Conservative and Labour parties to lead the Liberals through a period of electoral success. This cu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michael Steed
Michael Steed (25 January 1940 – 30 August 2023) was a British psephologist, political scientist, broadcaster, activist and Liberal Democrat politician. He wrote extensively on political parties and elections. Education and early life Michael Steed was born on 25 January 1940 in Kent, where his father was a farmer. He was educated at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate, and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. In 1960, the South African authorities refused him entry to Sharpeville to deliver food aid to victims of the Sharpeville shootings. From 1963 to 1965, Steed undertook postgraduate research at Nuffield College, Oxford, under David Butler. At the same time he was active in the Young Liberals, particularly on the issue of apartheid in South Africa. He became national Vice-Chairman of the Young Liberals. Career In 1966, Steed became Lecturer in Government at Manchester University, a post he held for many years until taking early retirement through ill health. As a pseph ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two Major party, major List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Beginning as an alliance of Whigs (British political party), Whigs, free trade–supporting Peelites, and reformist Radicals (UK), Radicals in the 1850s, by the end of the 19th century, it had formed four governments under William Ewart Gladstone. Despite being divided over the issue of Irish Home Rule, the party returned to government in 1905 and won a landslide victory in the 1906 United Kingdom general election, 1906 general election. Under Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime ministers Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1905–1908) and H. H. Asquith (1908–1916), the Liberal Party passed Liberal welfare reforms, reforms that created a basic welfare state. Although Asquith was the Leader of the Liberal Party (UK), party leader, its domin ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a centrist to centre-left political party in the United Kingdom.The SDP is widely described as a centrist political party: * * * * * The party supported a mixed economy (favouring a system inspired by the German social market economy), Electoral reform in the United Kingdom, electoral reform, European integration and a Decentralization, decentralised state while rejecting the possibility of trade unions being overly influential within industrial relations. The SDP officially advocated social democracy, and unofficially for Social liberalism#United Kingdom, social liberalism as well. The SDP was founded on 26 March 1981 by four senior Labour Party (UK), Labour Party moderates, dubbed the "Gang of Four (SDP), Gang of Four": Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank, Bill Rodgers, and Shirley Williams, who issued the Limehouse Declaration. Owen and Rodgers were sitting Labour Members of Parliament (MPs); Jenkins ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Liberal Democrats (UK)
The Liberal Democrats, colloquially known as the Lib Dems, are a Liberalism, liberal political party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1988. They are based at Liberal Democrat Headquarters (UK), Liberal Democrat Headquarters, in Westminster, and the leader is Ed Davey. They are the third-largest political party in the United Kingdom, party in the United Kingdom, with 72 Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. They have members of the House of Lords, 5 in the Scottish Parliament, 1 in the Welsh Senedd, and more than 3,000 local council seats. The party holds a twice yearly Liberal Democrat Conference, at which policy is formulated. In contrast to its main opponents, the Lib Dems Liberal Democrat Conference#All-member Conference voting system, grant all members attending Conference the right to vote on policy, under a one member, one vote#United Kingdom, one member, one vote system. The p ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bob Maclennan
Robert Adam Ross "Bob" Maclennan, Baron Maclennan of Rogart, (26 June 1936 – 18 January 2020) was a British Liberal Democrat politician and life peer. He was the last leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), serving during the negotiations that led to its merger with the Liberal Party in 1988. He then became joint interim leader of the new party, known as the Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD) and later as the Liberal Democrats. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1966 to 2001, when he was elevated to the House of Lords. Early life MacLennan was born in Glasgow in 1936. His father, Sir Hector MacLennan, was a renowned gynaecologist and obstetrician. His mother, Isabel Margaret (née Adam), was a physician and public health activist. He was the brother of actor and director David MacLennan, actress and writer Elizabeth MacLennan, and Kenneth MacLennan. He was educated at Glasgow Academy; Balliol College, Oxford; Trinity College, Cambridge; and Columbia Un ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon (27 February 194122 December 2018), better known as Paddy Ashdown, was a British politician and diplomat who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. Internationally, he is recognised for his role as High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2002 to 2006, following his vigorous lobbying for military action against Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Ashdown had an interpretership qualification in Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin and was fluent in several other languages, including Malay language, Malay, German, French and Bosnian language, Bosnian. After serving as a Royal Marine and Special Boat Service officer and as an intelligence officer in the UK security services, Ashdown was elected Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Yeovil (UK Parliament constituency), Yeovil in 1983 before retiring in 2001. Ashdown was appointed Knight Grand Cro ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1976 Elections In The United Kingdom
Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic relations are established between Bangladesh and Pakistan 5 years after the Bangladesh Liberation War. * January 27 ** The United States vetoes a United Nations resolution that calls for an independent Palestinian state. ** The First Battle of Amgala (1976), First Battle of Amgala breaks out between Morocco and Algeria in the Spanish Sahara. February * February 4 ** The 1976 Winter Olympics begin in Innsbruck, Austria. ** The 7.5 1976 Guatemala earthquake, Guatemala earthquake affects Guatemala and Honduras with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''), leaving 23,000 dead and 76,000 injured. * February 9 – The Australian Defence Force is formed by unification of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Au ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Liberal Party (UK) Leadership Elections
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems of Australia and Canada share many similarities, the Liberal Party of Australia is Australia's major party on the centre-right, while the Liberal Party of Canada is typically described as centre-left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a list of existing and active Liberal Parties worldwide with a name similar to "Liberal party". Defunct liberal parties See also * * Liberalism by country, for a list of liberal parties, such as: ** Democratic Liberal Party (other) ** Liberal Democratic Party (other) ** Liberal People's Party (other) ** Liberal Reform Party (other) ** National Liberal Party (other) ** New Liberal Party (other) ** Progressive Liberal Party (other) ** Radi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |