Short History of the Liberal Party (PALGRAVE MACMILLAN)

The Liberal Democrats have languished in the political shadows for a generation. With the advent of the 2010 television debates, they have returned once more to the spotlight. Cleggmania, 'I Agree With Nick' and talk of the 'Kingmaker' dominated coverage of the British Election of 2010. At the Polls, the electorate delivered a Hung Parliament and placed the Party back in Government, in coalition with the Conservative Party. Chris Cook lifts the lid on the 'third Party'. Providing an indispensable account of their journey over the last century, he charts the Party's history from the landslide victory of 1906 under Asquith, via their descent into divisions and decline in the interwar years, to in-depth analysis of the 2010 election. And asks, what of their future? Will the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition divide the party? Or, will the coalition win the nations hearts?