POLITICS - UK POLITICS - THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

what does it mean to be a liberal

liberal ideology believes in freedom,ideology and protection of rights

how did the liberal party start

emerged in 1830s from the whigs

who was the early liberal party heavily influenced by

• john locke

• Adam Smith

what type of liberals were the early liberal party and what freedoms did they believe in

• classic liberals

• believed in negative freedoms (freedoms that cannot be impeded on)

• small government

what policies did lib pm William Gladstone implement

• enhancing religious freedom for Catholics

• uni entry to be based upon merit not patronage

• married women could own property

• extended the franchise to more groups

what was William Gladstones economic policies

• believd in laissez-faire capitalism , free market capitalism

• repealed protectionist policies that prevented imports (corn laws)

• reduced government expenditure

• reduced taxes

• advocated for minimal state

who was Gladstones main political rival how did their ideas differ

• main rival was Benjamin Disraeli , pioneer of one nation conservatism

• Gladstone was opposed to Disraeli paternalist onc ideology

• emphasises people should be independent and self reliant

how did liberalism change/develop in 20th century

• it was argued that individual freedom required a basic standard of living

• freedom wasnt just freedom from gov but freedom from poverty ,illness ect

• this shifted the focus from negative freedoms to positive freedoms (freedoms the state shld provide and protect)

• believed the state should intervene in health ,education and labour to make sure equal opportunity

what were some policies implemented by these modern liberal govs

• introduced pensions

• sickness benefits

what was the aim of the state intervening in such matters

• to make sure there is equality of opportunity and meritocracy

what caused the decline of the liberal party

• the rise of the labour party in the 20th century

• the party carried on but only had single digit seats by the 50s

what happened in 1981 that reshaped the liberal party

• labour moderates broke away from the party and formed the SDP

• the SDP and liberal party formed an alliance

• in 1988 the 2 parties merged to form the liberal Democrats

what had caused the SDP to break away

• after the loss to thatcher hard left michael foot elected as labour leader

• adopted policies of nationalisation and nuclear disarmament

• this alarmed moderates in the party

how did the SDP-LIB Alliance perform in 1983

• despite winning 25% of the vote the SDP-LIB alliance only won 23 seats

• FPTP produces disproportionate outcomes and as the alliances support was widespread but not concentrated it did not translate into seats

what are classic liberal ideals

• emphasises individual responsibility and self reliance

• advocates for minimal economic interference , minimal regulations

• opposes centralized government power , favouring decenralisation and local gov

• individual rights best protected by limiting the gov

• argues wages should be determined by the market

• supports minimal immigration restriction, supports movement of ppl and goods as the market demands

what are modern liberal ideals

• Believe that the state has a responsibility to provide healthcare access to all citizens.

• Supports policies to reduce barriers to education ensuring equal opportunity

• Promotes regulation of industries for the protection of consumers and the environment.

• Believe that government should create programmes to assist disadvantaged groups to increase oppurtunity

• Supports government-funded education to ensure all individuals have equal opportunities to succeed.

• Supports social services to enable individuals to fully participate in the workforce.

• also supports minimal immigrationr restrictions emphasizing movement of labour

what does it mean that modern liberals believe in an enabling state

the state should actively provide social services and oppurtunities to empower its citizens to reach their potential

how did the liberal democrats perform in 1992

• secured 17% , 20 seats due to FPTP

• began establishing themselves promoting policies of proportional representation , environment protection and increased health and education funding

how did lib dems do in 1997

• targeted constituencies they had a strong presence in and cld capaitalise on conservative discontent

• won 46 seats with 16% of the vote

• key focus was investment in education

how did lib dems do in 2001

• under new leadership of Charles Kennedy

• won 52 seats , 18% of vote

• kennedy able to appeal to wider voter base

• focused on abolishing uni fees attracting young support

• increased nhs and public services investment

how lib dems do 2005

• 62 seats , 22% vote

• gained surge in popularity due to opposition to 2003 Iraq war

how lib Dems do 2010

• new leadership of Nick clegg

• 57 seats , 23% vote share

• hung parliament no majority

• formed coalition with conservatives

what policies did the lib dems achieve as part of the coalition

• pupil premium , funding to schools for disadvantaged pupils

• environmental policies

• same sex marriage

what was the drawbacks on entering the coalition

• forced to u-turn on their promise of abolishing uni fees , tripled fees up to 9 Grand

• led to severe loss of trust with their voter base as this had won them many young voters

• additionally the parties association with the austerity measures taken to fix the budget deficit harmed their perception

how did the lib dems perform in 2015/17/19

• 2015 was disatorous , 8 seats , 7% vote

• tuition fee u turn had severely hurt them

• campaigned in increased funding for nhs and services but voters skeptical due to coalition austerity measures

• in 2017 the lib Dems won 12 seats with 7% of the vote

• in 2019 the party increased its vote share but fell too 11 seats ,leader jo swinson lost her seat

• in 2019 had campaigned on reversing brexit

how did the lib Dems perform in 2024 GE

• ed Davey leader

• emphasised environment policy , adressing inequality , education funding

• best seat result , 72 seats , 12% vote

• did well in conservative seats in south

• won chichester which had been con seat for over 100 years

• targeted affluent/middle class voters who usually voted conservative but had become dissatisfied with the gov

what was the lib Dems view on iraq

lib Dems only major party who were anti Iraq war

Charles Kennedy spoke at stop the war march

what is the ‘orange book’

• in 2004 the orange book was published by prominet lib figures including Nick clegg and ed Davey

• these figures worried the party had moved too far to the left

• advocated for a return to gladstonian liberalism

• when Nick clegg became leadaer this ideology was in control

what are some key lib dem pledges 2024 manifesto

• employ 8,000 more GPs (modern liberalism,state providing welfare and healthcare)

• scrap the Rwanda scheme

• net zero by 2045 (modern liberalism , gov must intervene in market to protect environment )

• triple pupil premium

• rejoin the single market (classic liberalism , free movement of goods , which is what single market does)