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LiberalHistoryToday

@LibHistoryToday

Discussion and research on histories of the Lib Dems and predecessors, Liberal Party and SDP, and of Liberalism. Publish quarterly Journal of Liberal History.

 United Kingdom
liberalhistory.org.uk/
Joined February 2013
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We're now on YouTube - you can watch many of our previous talks and meetings here! Let us know what else you would want to see. youtube.com/channel/UCOSDXWa…
Liberal Democrat History Group

Liberal Democrat History Group

The Liberal Democrat History Group promotes the discussion and research of topics relating to the histories of the British Liberal Democrats and its predecessor parties, the Liberal Party and the...

youtube.com
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#OTD 1865 1/3 - Following the sudden death of Lord Palmerston, Queen Victoria asks Earl Russell to form his second administration. Russell made few changes to Palmerston's cabinet. The Earl of Clarendon succeeded Russell at the Foreign Office and George Goschen...
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2/3 - ...entered the cabinet for the first time as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Russell's key policy during his short-lived ministry was to fulfil his commitment to extend the franchise. Unfortunately for Russell his proposals did not command the full support of the...
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3/3 -...Liberal Party and was opposed by the 'Adullamites' led by Robert Lowe. They allied with the Conservatives and in June 1866 the reform bill was defeated. In the wake of the defeat Russell resigned after just nine months in office.
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LiberalHistoryToday retweeted
Lee David Evans (@LeeDavidEvansUK) profile picture
Lee David Evans
@LeeDavidEvansUKOct 27
Interesting thread on Churchill's big, bold offer to bring the Liberal leader into his Cabinet in 1951. The Liberals' refusal paved the way for Florence Horsburgh to become Minister of Education, and subsequently the first Conservative woman Cabinet minister.
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LiberalHistoryToday (@LibHistoryToday) profile pictureLiberalHistoryToday@LibHistoryTodayOct 27
#OTD 1951 1/4 -Liberal Party leader Clement Davies meets newly elected Conservative Prime Minister Winston Churchill at Churchill's London home at Hyde Park Gate. The meeting was to discuss Churchill's offer to include Davies in his cabinet as Minister for Education...
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#OTD 1928 1/3 - Happy birthday to Bill Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank. First elected as Labour MP for Stockton-on-Tees at a by-election in 1962, Rodgers served in the governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, entering the cabinet in 1976 as Secretary of State...
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2/3 - ...for Transport. In 1981, along with Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams and David Owen, Rogers formed the 'Gang of Four' who founded the Social Democratic Party. Out of parliament following the 1983 election, Rodgers led the successful 'Yes to Unity' campaign in the SDP in...
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3/3...favour of merger with the Liberals. Appointed to the House of Lords in 1992, Rodgers succeeded Roy Jenkins as Liberal Democrat leader in the Lords and led the peers from 1997-2001. Retiring from the Lords in Dec. 2023. Rodgers published an autobiography Fourth Among Equals.
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#OTD 1951 1/4 -Liberal Party leader Clement Davies meets newly elected Conservative Prime Minister Winston Churchill at Churchill's London home at Hyde Park Gate. The meeting was to discuss Churchill's offer to include Davies in his cabinet as Minister for Education...
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3/4 - The Executive voted by 11 to 1 to reject the offer (the sole vote in favour being that of Lady Violet Bonham Carter) & Davies announced that he 'felt unable' to accept Churchill's offer. This act ensured the survival of the Liberal Party, as any move towards the...
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4/4 - ...Conservatives could have seen them disappear. A fate that befell the National Liberal Party in 1968. Prof. Deacon calls this '...the most important act by any Welsh Liberal to determine the party’s future, it was also perhaps the greatest act undertaken by any Liberal.'
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#OTD 1800 1/3 - Birth of Thomas Babbington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, poet, historian and Whig MP for Calne 1830-32, Leeds 1832-34 and Edinburgh 1839-47 & 1852-56. A key figure in early 19th century literature and politics,
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2/3 - Macaulay's series of popular ballads Lays of Ancient Rome were required reading in schools for many years, while his History of England with its theme of human progress gave rise to the Whig interpretation of history. Macaulay served in several Whig governments in the 1830s
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3/3 - & 40s as Secretary of War and Paymaster General. He was also involved in Indian administration and played a major part in drafting India's penal code, (including controversial Section 377 on the ban of 'sexual acts against the order of nature'), which is still in force.
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#OTD 1981 1/3 - William "Bill" Pitt wins the Croydon North West by-election for the Liberal/SDP Alliance. The by-election had been caused by the death of the sitting Conservative MP Robert Taylor. Liberal and SDP leaders were keen for Shirley Williams to stand...
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2/3 - ...for the Alliance but the local Liberal Association backed by the Party Council refused to play ball and selected three time candidate Bill Pitt. Pitt, standing as a "Liberal with SDP support," duly won the by-election moving from third place to win...
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3/3 - ...with a 3,254 majority on a swing of 24.2%. Pitt remained MP for the rest of the parliament but lost the seat to the Tories at the 1983 election.
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#OTD 1784 Birth of Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Tory then Whig MP for Newport 1807-11, Cambridge University 1811-31, Bletchingly 1831-32, Hampshire South 1832-35 and Tiverton 1835-65. Prime Minister 1855-58 and 1859-65.
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#OTD 1922 1/3 - David Lloyd George resigns as Prime Minister. On 18 October 1922, the Conservative Reginald Clarry won a by-election at Newport in Monmouthshire, signalling a grassroots Tory revolt against the coalition government of Conservatives and Lloyd George Liberals.
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2/3 - A meeting of Conservative MPs had been organised at the Carlton Club for the next day and in the aftermath of the by-election result, triumphant anti-coalition MPs won the day and voted to fight the next election as an independent party.
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3/3 - On hearing the news LL.G resigned, although he remained as Prime Minister until 23 October, as Bonar Law refused to take up the post until he had been elected as leader of the Tory Party. Lloyd George remains the last Liberal to hold the office of Prime Minister.
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