Liberal history news Spring 2012

Orpington celebrated iberal legend Eric Lubbock seat with a near 22 per cent swing, very effectively’, and his ‘fantastic celebrated the 50th anniver- giving him a near 8,000 majority. team’ who ‘made a big difference’. Lsary of his Orpington by- He went on to hold it until 1970. While Meadowcroft rightly election winner with a star-studded Another veteran of the cam- observed that Orpington did not dinner at the paign, William Wallace (now Lord ‘herald a great change in politics’ last month, writes York Membery. Wallace of Saltaire), explained how at the time, the final speaker of the A host of big names past and the Orpington by-election was ‘a night, party president , present attended the fifth Orp- world away from today’s world’. who wasn’t even born when it took ington Circle Dinner, chaired by ‘We did most of our canvassing place, argued that it had greater Paul Hunt, to pay tribute to the in the afternoon back then, and long-term significance than is still-sprightly octogenarian and there was nearly always someone sometimes appreciated. to talk about the campaign and its at home,’ he said, noting that many ‘The Orpington by-election significance. of those who eventually voted for rightly occupies an important Former Liberal MP Michael the Liberals were the sons or daugh- place in Liberal mythology,’ he Meadowcroft, who campaigned ters of Nonconformists. ‘What’s said. ‘It was a David versus Goliath alongside Eric at Orpington in more, people were keen to discuss struggle. Up until Orpington, the March 1962, told the hundred plus politics.’ party’s success had depended upon guests at the banquet: ‘This was a After a letter of congratulation Eric Lubbock, a handful of people who refused to by-election where the Tories got it from the party leader , Lord Avebury accept that “the game was up”, the all wrong – and we not only got it thanking Eric for his ‘astounding (front row, conventional wisdom of the day – right, but did “disgustingly well”, contribution as an MP, chief whip centre), with but afterwards things were never to quote Jo Grimond.’ and peer’ was read out, Eric, who Orpington quite the same again.’ ‘Like everyone working at party now sits in the Upper Chamber as by-election He added, to applause: ‘The HQ at the time, I was sent to Orp- Lord Avebury, got up to say a few veterans simple truth is that without Orp- ington to help out in the campaign,’ words himself. The 83-year-old (photo Michael ington there would have been no recalled Meadowcroft. ‘The origi- modestly attributed much of the O’Sullivan; www. Bermondsey, Christchurch or Rib- nal Liberal candidate, Jack Gal- Liberal success at the by-election michaelosullivan. ble Valley. In short, the long march loway – a man who had a personal to Chitnis, ‘who ran the campaign co.uk) back to power began at Orpington.’ defect that he shared with Lloyd George – had been replaced at the eleventh hour by Councillor Eric Lubbock, a sound local squire and a figure of great moral rectitude.’ The seat had been left vacant for five months and in Peter Goldman the Tories clearly chose the wrong man to fight it. ‘He’d park his cara- van in a street. Tthe Tories would announce that “Peter Goldman is here” and urge anyone who wanted to meet him to visit him in his caravan,’ said Meadowcroft. ‘I don’t think he knocked on one door.’ The day before the by-election, Liberal campaign manager Pratap Chitnis (now Lord Chitnis) got wind of the fact that a new opin- ion poll in the Daily Mail showed the party closing on the Tories in the seat. He ‘somehow got hold of 5,000 copies of the paper which we handed out to commuters on the day of the by-election,’ added Meadowcroft. The by-election duly saw Eric sensationally win the

4 Journal of Liberal History 74 Spring 2012 liberal history news

Even before this dinner, the Orpington Circle had raised Audio recordings available £25,000 for the Liberal Demo- crat by-election fund. 2002–06 CDs and tapes In approximate chronological order, the following interviews have now been transferred to CD (some singly, some in pairs according to length): Now hear what leading John Pardoe, and , , Bill Rodgers, Jim Wallace, Mike German, Simon Liberal Democrats really Hughes, Tim Razzall and Chris Rennard, Ludovic Kennedy (2002) and Grigory Yavlinsky (2006), thought – by Adrian Slade (2004) and (2006) ince 2004 the Journal of Liberal History has been The following are still available on audio-cassette: of what, John Lee, Eric Avebury (Lubbock), Paul Marsden (2002), Mike Storey and Sir Trevor Jones, Barry Norman (2003), S Tony Greaves, Tom McNally and Charles Kennedy (2003). although I say it myself, is now becoming a uniquely interest- ing party archive – a set of 2006–11 CDs CDs and audio-cassette tapes and Nick Clegg (2008/9), Tavish Scott and (2008), Brian Paddick, Ros Scott of in-depth interviews I have and Lembit Opik (2008), Susan Kramer and Tim Farron (2010); conducted with leading Liberal QUESTIONS OF STATE series: Michael Moore and , and Chris Huhne, Steve Webb Democrats of the last decade. and , Nick Harvey and Tom McNally, Paul Burstow and Jeremy Browne (2011); Nick Clegg (2010 The collection spans the years and 2011), and Brian Paddick (2011). 2002–11 and each interview is now available for listening from the Journal archive. recorded versions. The list fea- and the archive has been sub- of all those above, enthusiasts The collection includes the tures all the most familiar Lib- stantially expanded, exclusively for Liberal/Liberal Democrat very last media interview given eral Democrat names in today’s on CD, to include more inter- History may now borrow these by Roy Jenkins, the very first party, but there is also an inter- views conducted between 2006 CDs and tapes from the Journal, UK interview given by Paddy view with one significant name and 2011. Readers of the Journal to copy and listen to at home Ashdown after his return from from the past, Ludovic Ken- or any others interested can, for (subject to certain conditions) for a four years in Bosnia, interviews nedy, and a 2006 interview with example, now listen on CD to token fee of £5 per CD or £3 with the Federal Party Presi- a beleaguered Russian Liberal, any or all of the recordings of per tape. If you are interested, dents and Welsh and Scottish Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of my 2011 interviews with a the ask Mark Pack (mark.pack@ leaders and London Mayoral Yablokov, the Russian Demo- Liberal Democrat Secretaries gmail.com) for a copy of the candidates of the past ten years cratic Party., who addressed the and Ministers of State in the full interview list, summary and, most recently, interviews Lib Dem conference in Septem- Coalition or my three full- content details, conditions of with Nick Clegg and all the ber 2006. length interviews with Nick use and application form or, if Liberal Democrat Secretaries or Now many of the original Clegg in 2009, 2010 and 2011. you are certain what you want Ministers of State in the Coali- earlier recordings have been For a unique insight into to hear, just return the form tion Government. I have also transferred from tape to CD the thoughts and motivations below. retained separately from this archive taped interviews with all To: Mark Pack, Journal of Liberal History archive, 2a Heathville Road, London N19 3AJ the new Liberal Democrat MPs I am interested in listening to of the 2005 and 2010 intakes. (a) the full CD recording(s) and/or In the summer of 2002 (b) the full tape recordings of Adrian Slade’s interview(s) with the following interviewees (include dates): when, for my own interest, I interviewed former Liberal leadership contender John ...... Pardoe, I never thought that this would become the first in a ...... nine-year series of similar talks with other significant Liberal ...... Democrats. Before 2002 the party had had no spoken record of how its leading members I enclose a cheque for £ ...... (£5 per CD, £3 per tape) payable to Liberal Democrat History Group. viewed their political past, their earlier party experiences, I will abide by the conditions that I will receive prohibiting any public use of the recordings without special the more dramatic events that permission. and I undertake to return the original cassette(s) within two weeks of this request. shaped their political lives or their current views of the party Signed ...... Date ...... and its prospects. All my write-ups of these Name ...... interviews have subsequently been published in the Journal or Liberal Democrat News but inevi- Address ...... tably they are in abbreviated form. Only the Journal archive Email ...... Tel...... has the full, unexpurgated,

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