Tag Archives: george watson

Deserving of more than a footnote: George Watson and The Unservile State

By Peter Sloman | Wed 31st December 2014 - 3:45 pm

The announcement that the Cambridge academic George Watson had left the Liberal Democrats £950,000 in his will was one of the most surprising political stories of 2014.

George Watson was a distinguished literary scholar and a lifelong Liberal. After working for the European Commission as a translator and interpreter during the 1950s he became a Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge, in 1961 and remained there until he retired in 1990. As a scholar, he was known for serious bibliographical work, spirited polemics, and a traditional approach to literary criticism. He also made two forays into electoral politics, contesting Cheltenham in 1959 and Leicester in the 1979 European Election.

Watson is perhaps best remembered by Liberal Democrats, however, as the editor of The Unservile State – a 1957 volume billed as ‘the first full-scale study of the attitudes and policies of contemporary British Liberalism since the famous Yellow Book’ of 1928.

Posted in Books | Also tagged economics, history, jo grimond, liberal party and welfare | 10 Comments

Two pieces of good Lib Dem news from Cambridge

By Stephen Tall | Fri 14th November 2014 - 10:09 am

Here’s the first piece of good news… Viki Sanders gained a seat from Labour in a crucial city council by-election last night (comparison with 2012 result):

Viki Sanders (Liberal Democrats): 933 votes (36%, +1%)