Description:
The decline of the Liberal party is one of the most controversial subjects in twentieth-century British politics, and this book makes a distinctive contribution to the debate by focusing on the South West, where Liberalism remained a powerful force after 1918.
Brief description: Garry Tregidga is Assistant Director, Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter. He undertook both his Mphil and PhD degrees with the University of Exeter. He was appointed as the Assistant Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies in October 1997 and lives in his native mid-Cornwall. He has published a wide range of articles on Cornish themes.
Review Quotes:
"A thoughtful and persuasive account of a significant part of twentieth-century Liberal history." (Journal of Liberal Democratic History, Issue 29, Winter 2000) "Tregidga has identified several persistent themes in the survival of Liberalism and makes a good case for the peculiarities of politics in the South West." (English Historical Review, Sept 2001) "Meticulously researched, sourced and argued, like all the best political histories this is a road map of social change, local and national, through the fastest shifting century of them all . . . It is a book that needed to be written, and deserves to be read." (Western Morning News, December 5, 2000) "A well-researched work, drawing on many sources, this book is, however, not a turgid tome. It is replete with interesting detail . . . a welcome contribution to the debate about the Liberal Party's survival in the face of a sea change in British history." (Tavistock Times, November 23, 2000) "this study convincingly shows how grassroots agents and issues can have a transformative effect on national politics." (Albion, Spring 2002) "a fascinating and scholarly study, ably illuminated by pertinent quotations and sharing a good grasp of region and localities." (Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries, 2003)