Tag Archives: spitting image

YouTube ‘cos we want to: an SDP special

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.

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

Recent Comments

  • Dennis Delice
    I love this parallel you've made; I couldn't help but think the same. Rather than responding to shots being taken in a defensive mentality, we are are strugglin...
  • paul barker
    There is one obvious trend that looks unstoppable, The Decline of Reform. That is unalloyed Good News but it does have the side effects of A Conservative Recove...
  • Dennis Delice
    You are right that rejoining the EU could be a key differentiator, but incremental single market/customs union re-entry are more achievable near-term than full ...
  • Simon Costain
    If AI is the sum of all human knowledge, then those private sectors entities that make use of it should pay a usage fee - personally I'd direct the proceeds tow...
  • Meral Hussein-Ece
    A very good article reminding us of why the British have a special historic responsibility to support a Palestinian state, human rights & self determination...