February 1983 - After a sudden collapse in 1982, the Liberals seek a new leader
The Liberal Party had dared to dream with ambition, only to see those dreams crushed. Despite finally becoming the main Opposition to the Conservative Party from 1978 to 1982, the inexperienced and erratic leadership of Michael Steed and the outrage at the internal scandals of the party during the 1982 campaign had doomed the Liberal revival that had been on the making for the past twenty years. Losing more than half their vote share the Liberal parliamentary party had been obliterated under the weight of FPTP, costing Steed, Pardoe, Jenkins their seats alongside dozens of Liberal MP's.
Steed made it clear he was resigning in the aftermath of the disaster, although the leadership contest itself was delayed for a few months as the party attempted to recover, Deputy Leader David Steel standing up for the Liberals in the House of Commons as Steed was away from parliament. Finally the election was set for early 1983, and with David Steel returning as a leadership candidate he was also joined by Michael Meadowcroft and Richard Wainwright:
The Candidates:
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David Steel: Back again, Deputy Leader Steel has criticized the turn to the left led by Steed, advocating instead for a return to a Lubbock/Grimond style center-left and pragmatic Liberalism. Still defending the 1978 Liberal manifesto as a sign of success, Steel argues that due to the loss of support by the Liberals the party should prepare to work with either Labour or the Conservatives to achieve as many Liberal initiatives as possible.
Michael Meadowcroft: Heir of sorts to the left-wing of the party (and linked to Steed and the Young Liberals), Environment Spokesman Meadowcroft styles himself as a liberal philosopher, arguing for the Liberal Party to take a more ideological road of "radical liberalism", emphasizing the differences of liberalism with conservatism and socialism and seeking to restore the lost status of the party through an aggressive strategy. Meadowcroft also emphasizes the relevance of a "community politics" strategy to appeal to local communities, as well as decentralization.
Richard Wainwright: Far older than Steel and Meadowcroft at 65, Chief Whip Richard Wainwright is seen as a "safe pair of hands", having served as an effective party organizer with strong links to the party grassroots. Coming from a Methodist background Wainwright identifies itself with an anti-socialist brand of Liberalism, and runs on a platform of taking an uncompromising stand to scandals inside the party and rebuilding the Liberals into a more coherent and effective force.
Two days. If no candidate garners a majority, we go to a second ballot.
Poll
