Tag Archives: bill rodgers

Helen Duffett

“It was a tough battle” – Shirley Williams on the birth of the SDP

By Helen Duffett | Thu 29th November 2012 - 4:17 pm

Shirley Williams tells the story of the 1981 Gang of Four breakaway, which eventually led to the formation of the Liberal Democrats, in the first issue of AD LIB magazine, out next week.

“…we said, if we haven’t got anywhere else to go, we’ll create one.”

Those nascent views crystallised after the party’s 1981 Wembley conference which committed it to unilateral nuclear disarmament and withdrawal from the EEC and NATO. Within hours Williams, Owen and Rodgers were drawing up the plans which would lead to the creation of the SDP.

“The three of us met – not Roy, at that point –

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | 11 Comments
Stephen Tall

YouTube ‘cos we want to: an SDP special

By Stephen Tall | Sat 1st August 2009 - 8:00 am

If the SDP had lived on*, 2009 would have marked its 18th** 28th birthday – which spurious segue is all the excuse we need to dust off three video clips tracing its rise and fall.

Let’s begin at the beginning, with the explosion of the ‘Gang of Four’ – Roy, David, Shirley and Bill – onto the scene, here holding their first press conference in March 1981:

For a year or more it really did seem as if the SDP might truly break the mould of British politics. But the party was shattered by the results of the June 1983 general election, winning only six seats. Here’s the start of the BBC’s election night results programme.

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Posted in YouTube | Also tagged , , , , , , , and | 4 Comments



Recent Comments

  • User AvatarPaul Pettinger 23rd May - 12:42am
    Liberal Tory's moved back a while ago - see Nick Clegg
  • User AvatarMartin 23rd May - 12:18am
    I'm really sorry to go off on a tangent but somebody was BUTCHERED in London today by two lunatics. What has the Lib Dem party...
  • User AvatarA Social Liberal 22nd May - 11:25pm
    This government has condemned even more to at least a lifetime of fear and quite possibly death at the hands of the Taliban because only...
  • User AvatarEddie Sammon 22nd May - 11:14pm
    Very well put Helen.
  • User AvatarAlex Harvey 22nd May - 10:53pm
    Your leader is rubbish, and I hope you guys keep him :D
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