''Liberator'' is a radical liberal

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magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

associated with but not officially connected to the Liberal Democrats. Founded in 1970 as the magazine of the then Young Liberals, it has often published articles critical of the party leadership, in particular over the

Liberal Party 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 ...

's debacle over

nuclear disarmament Nuclear disarmament is the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons. Its end state can also be a nuclear-weapons-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated. The term ''denuclearization'' is also used to describe the pro ...

in 1986, the merger of the Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party and the

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

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. Internation ...

project. Previous editors include

Peter Hain Peter Gerald Hain, Baron Hain, (born 16 February 1950), is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2007, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2007 to 2008 and twice as Secretary of State ...

in 1973–75, later a Labour MP. Since 1982, the magazine has been edited by an

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...

collective, whose former members include

Liz Barker Elizabeth Jane Barker (born 16 May 1975) is an English television presenter, best known for her work on ''Blue Peter'' from 2000 to 2006. Early life and education Born in Cambridge, Barker grew up in the village of Oakington, near Cambridge a ...

, now a Liberal Democrat peer. The magazine merged with ''Radical Bulletin'', mostly topical and distinctly off-message news, in 1983. Regular features include a column by the fictional peer Lord Bonkers who "was Liberal MP for Rutland South-West between 1906 and 1910. Since 1990 his diaries have appeared in ''Liberator'' magazine, giving a unique perspective on British politics. Lord Bonkers' Diary is dictated to Jonathan Calder". A history of the magazine was published in the 300th issue in December 2004. - refer to pages 10–11 in particular

References

External links

Liberator
official website
Thirty years of Liberator (A Newspaper of the Young Liberal Movement) by John Smithson: Journal of Liberal History, Issue 30, Spring 2001
1970 establishments in the United Kingdom Bi-monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Political magazines published in the United Kingdom Liberal Party (UK) publications Liberal Democrats (UK) publications Magazines established in 1970 {{UK-mag-stub