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The UK '''Liberal Democrat''' party is one of the oldest political parties in the world, tracing its roots back to the [[Whigs]] of the era of [[William of Orange]].

The '''Liberal Democrats''', often known as the "Lib Dems", are a political party in the [[United Kingdom]]. They have traditionally occupied the center of the political spectrum, between the [[Labour Party]] on the left and the [[Conservative Party]] on the right ("liberal" in British political parlance means "centrist" or "moderate" rather than "left-wing", as it does in the United States). At the present time, the party is seen as being moderately left-leaning.

The modern incarnation stems from the merger of the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberals]] with the [[SDP]] in the 1980s - in each election since then they have steadily increased their presence in the [[House of Commons]], gaining 62 seats in the 2005 general election.

The Liberal Democrats' current leader is Sir [[Menzies Campbell]], a Scottish lawyer.

 

The Liberal Democrats were formed in 1988 by a merger between the old [[Liberal Party]] and the moderately left-wing [[Social Democratic Party]]. The Liberal Party was one of the oldest political parties in the world, tracing its roots back to the [[Whigs]] of the era of [[William of Orange]].

 

Since its foundation, the party has steadily increased its presence in the [[House of Commons]] at each successive election. The party won 62 seats in the 2005 general election - the most that the party or its predecessors had won since the election of 1923.

Their policies can be broadly described as social-democratic, with a libertarian bent - they have mooted the idea of decriminalising recreational drugs, whilst arguing for a rationalisation of the currently confused status of the various components of the [[United Kingdom]].

Their policies can be broadly described as social-democratic, with a libertarian bent - they have mooted the idea of decriminalising recreational drugs, whilst arguing for a rationalisation of the currently confused status of the various components of the [[United Kingdom]].

[[category:political Parties]]

[[category:political Parties]]