Realignment of the Left?
A History of the Relationship between
the Liberal Democrat & Labour Parties

By Peter Joyce
April 1999
Macmillan UK
ISBN: 0333682963
360 pages
$140.00 hardcover

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This book is concerned with the realignment of progressive political forces in Britain.

It focuses on the relationship between the Liberal and then Liberal Democrats and the Labour parties, and seeks to provide an understanding of the factors which have created the potential for the realignment of the centre left of the political spectrum and the forces which have historically impeded its attainment.

This authoritative account of the British left and centre since the nineteenth century offers essential background for current politics.

Contents:
Introduction
The Formation and Development of the Liberal and Labour Parties
The Liberal Party, Progressive Politics and Liberal-Labour Relationships, 1906-1929
Liberal-Labour Party Relationships, 1929-1939
Labour's Pursuit of the Liberal Vote, 1945-1959
Liberal and Labour Relationships 1959-1966: Revisionism and the Realignment of the Left
The Failure to Secure Realignment
Liberal Politics 1967-1979
The Emergence of the Social Democratic Party
The Relationship Between the Liberal and Social Democratic Parties, 1981-1988 and the Formative Years of the Liberal Democrats
Modernisation and Renewal in the Labour Party and the Potential for Labour-Liberal Democrat Cooperation in the 1990s
Conclusion: Liberal Democrat - Labour Cooperation After 1997
Bibliography
Index

Author Biography:
PETER JOYCE is Senior Lecturer in Politics at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he has worked since 1980. He teaches politics, criminology and police studies. He has published widely in these areas. His current research includes a book on Law, Order and Social Unrest (Macmillan, forthcoming 1999) and research on Jo Grimond's role in Liberal history.


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