Liberal democrats (the United Kingdom)

See also: democratic Liberal party

The Démocrates liberals (in English, Liberal Democrats, in LibDems summary) is a Political party Britannique, traditionally of the center. The federal party is the 3rd more important group with the Parlement of the United Kingdom.

It has to with it 62 Député S in the House of Commons, after the legislative elections of 2005. With the Scottish Parliament, of 1997 until 2007 it formed a government coalition with the Workers party, and Jim Wallace of the liberal Democrats Scot was the defect Prime Minister of Scotland. There exists also a Welsh branch in the Welsh Assemblée, and with twelve appointed European it is the principal party of the Alliance of the democrats and the liberals for Europe, which it directs.

He seems to benefit from the rejection of the Worker government and the conservative opposition and could become, in the long term, a formation of alternative vis-a-vis the two great political parties which have dominated the British political scene for one century. Because of the centring of the Workers party under the direction of Tony Blair, it is often perceived like the left party of British, pacifist euro-federalist and as regards foreign politics.

It results from fusion in 1988 of old the the Liberal party British and most recent the social democrat Parti, a faction which left the Workers party in 1981. Two parties having beforehand formed an electoral alliance, baptized SDP-Liberal Alliance, during a few years, but the general elections in 1983 and 1987 were disappointments for Alliance. They gained much voice in the elections, slightly less than the Workers party, but they did not gain a quantity comparable of seats with the House of Commons. After fusion, the new party elected Paddy Ashdown, first leader of the plain party. After two elections without a significant growth of the seats, the general election in 1997 doubled their number of seats. Ashdown resigned in 1999, and Charles Kennedy replaced it. Under the control of Kennedy, the party increased the number of its seats at the time of the elections of 2001 and also in 2005. Charles Kennedy was obliged to resign on January 7th, 2006 because of an internal cabal, because rumors on its alcoholism was going to be made public. Sir Menzies Campbell was selected as leader for the election of March 2nd, 2006.

This party which is presented in the form of “the more scrupulous” of the British political chessboard saw some of its leaders being marked unforgivable misdemeanors in policy and scandals. The leader-writers of the popular press stigmatize the “policy with fraud” of this Party in which the duplicity of the ones disputes it with the hypocrisy of the others. The party is also threatened by the Conservative party, which was restored after L `election of David Cameron their new leader.

Deputies of the liberal Democrats elected in the general elections since 1983

Leaders of the Democratic Liberals

See too

  • Liberal Democrats
  • Liberal Scottish Democrats
  • Liberal Welsh Democrats
  • Delga: Liberal Democrats for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Action
  • Ploughing 4 Liberals
  • Liberal Democrat Youth & Students
  • Green Liberal Democrats
  • An file off Liberal/SDP/Liberal Democrat electoral manifestos from 1900-present
  • Local Liberal Democrats websites directory
  • Liberator has liberal British publication
  • Lord Bonkers' Liberal Satire from Rutland
  • '' LookSmart '' Liberal Democrats directory category
  • '' Open Directory Project '' Liberal Democrats directory category
  • '' Yahoo! '' Liberal Democrat obvious Parties directory category
  • Liberal Democrats and Software
  • Liberal Democrat Watch

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