Community Politics: Ideals, Myths and Realities

Abstract

The Liberal Democrats are the third party in British politics, formed out of the merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party in March 1988. They are the smallest of the three main national parties in Britain, with a membership of approximately 100,000, compared to the approximate figure of 400,000 for the Labour and Conservative Parties. Their smaller scale is reflected in their expenditure: at the 1997 General Election they spent a total of £2.3 million compared to the £25.7 million and £28.3 million spent by the Labour and Conservative Parties respectively (Neill, 1998).