• Ambitious leader speech sees Vince Cable aiming for the top job

    Paula Keaveney, Edge Hill University As the Liberal Democrats met for their first conference since the 2017 general election, many were feeling disappointed at the state of things. The party came away with a mere 12 election victories after mistakenly believing the Brexit referendum had given it a branding which would help it capture more…

  • PR challenges facing Vince Cable

    By Paula Keaveney, senior lecturer in PR and Politics It is all change at the top of the Liberal Democrats, with Vince Cable replacing Tim Farron. Cable’s  position comes as a result of Farron standing down in the wake of the most recent General Election. The Lib Dems will forgo a leadership election though as Cable…

  • Britain’s first post-Brexit by-election a triumph for Liberal Democrats

    For those who like to read the runes of politics, parliamentary by-elections are a gift. Each local area of course has its own characteristics but these contests offer a snapshot verdict on the government and major parties between general elections. It’s also a chance for those parties to try out and refine campaigning techniques. The…

  • Liberal Democrats in Brighton – why their party conference still matter

    Party conferences are strange beasts. They can be a mix of sales conference, rally, social event, training course, decision-making forum, networking opportunity and job interview. And there will always be several “conferences” going on at once. For a charity campaigner or trade union lobbyist, the conference will be very different to that experienced by an…