September 1976
Scorched by the Thorpe scandal,
the Liberals seek to rebuild their party
CONTEXT: Years in the political wilderness had suddenly led to unprecedented prominence after the twin 1974 General Elections, in which the Liberal vote dramatically shot from 7 to 19% under Jeremy Thorpe's leadership. Although depressed by the strong No result in the 1975 Referendum, the Liberals had every expectation of a strong result in the 1976 General Election, but the infamous Rinkagate scandals both sunk Thorpe's political career - costing him his seat - and almost dragged down the entire party through collapse in Wales and England, the Liberals being only saved from complete collapse due to the strong performance of the Scottish Liberals. As a result, with Thorpe now gone the Liberal leadership - chosen by the membership - will be contested by two of the leading Scottish MP's.
The Candidates:
David Steel: Chief Whip and an MP since 1965, the young and effective campaigner Steel represents the more consensual wing of the party, and cites as his key argument the need for the Liberals to engage in the "politics of cooperation" and secure Liberal policies by working with other parties. A man of the center-left, Steel favors standard liberal pledges on social liberalism and liberal progressive economics, a pro-Europe mindset, and strong support for electoral reform, to which he adds a staunch belief in regional devolution.
Laura Grimond: Wife of former leader Jo Grimond, granddaughter of former PM Asquith and a newly elected MP, Grimond - known as an effective speaker - represents the more confrontational wing of the party, arguing the Liberals should be wary of losing their identity via pacts unless they come with the price of electoral reform. Although broadly holding similar views to Steel (if somewhat more centrist), Grimond places additional emphasis on local politics, women's rights and environmental conservationism.
Two days.
Poll
