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Welcome!

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Welcome to The Alliance Archival Project! Hello and welcome to  The Alliance Archival Project , a blog dedicated to preserving and sharing the  Fun Facts and interesting Bits of information related to the SDP-Liberal Alliance.  What was the SDP-Liberal Alliance? The  SDP-Liberal Alliance  was a political alliance formed in the early 1980s between two distinct political forces in the UK: the  Social Democratic Party (SDP)  and the  Liberal Party . The goal was simple yet ambitious— to create a centrist alternative to the established dominance of the Conservative Party and Labour Party . The origins of the Alliance can be traced back to a split in the Labour Party. A group of moderate Labour MPs, including the charismatic  Roy Jenkins, Bill Rodgers, David Owen  and  Shirley Williams , became disillusioned with the direction the party was taking under Michael Foot’s leadership. This led to the formation of the SDP in 1981. At the same ...
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1987- liberal party membership card holder

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big thanks to Henry again!  
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The SDP's 'Contact' leaflet still exists, even after almost 37 years of the SDP's demise

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When the Social Democratic Party (SDP)  published its campaign leaflets, they were branded under the name " Contact" . However, following the 1988 merger of the SDP and the Liberal Party to form the Social and Liberal Democrats (later the modern Liberal Democrats), most activists adopted the Liberal Party’s well-established "Focus" moniker for their local newsletters. Despite this shift, the Ormesby Liberal Democrats remained loyal to the "Contact" name, continuing to use it even after the SDP ceased to exist, preserving a unique link to the party’s past. This ward is served by  SDP founding member and Redcar and Cleveland councillor Glyn Nightingale. 18th edition of Ormesby's SDP "contact" Leaflet 232nd Edition of the Ormsby & Nunthorpe liberal democrats "contact" Leaflet Big thanks to Henry from Redcar for providing these! :D
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The liberal party assembly During the alliance years

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The liberal party assembly During the Alliance years 1981-llandudno date ~September 16th 1982-Bournemouth venue: Bournemouth Pavilion date ~September 23rd Image src  Kaleidoscope archive 1983- harrogate date ~19th-23rd of September 1984-Bournemouth Date~ venue: bournemouth Pavilion (title card used by BBC1 to open its Assembly coverage) image src  TVARK 1985-Dundee Venue: Caird Hall Date ~16th-21st of September 1986-eastbourne venue: Congress Theatre Date ~22-26th September Image src  Kaleidoscope archive 1987-Harrogate Date 14th-18th of September Venue: HCC (then HIC) (delegates voting in favour of the SDP-Liberal Merger) 1988-Blackpool (merger debate) Date 23rd-24th of January Venue: Norbreck castle hotel (Liberal assembly debating the merger )
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SDP conference list

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List of "original" SDP party conferences unlike our modern party, the liberals and the SDP held their conferences annually, the sap had a liking for unusual venues, very different that the usual rotation of mega convention centres  and arenas parties use nowadays here's a list of the SDP's conference locations 1981-Perth(September) venue: Perth city hall photo src: Morningstar  1981-London(October) venue: Methodist Central Hall 1982-derby venue: N\A 1983-Salford  Venue: Maxwell hall, University of Salford image src:  TVARK 1984-Buxton Venue: Pavilion gardens (Tittle card used by bbc1 Coverage of the conference) Image src:  TVARK 1985-Torquay Venue: Riviera international centre 1986-Harrogate Venue:HCC (then HIC) 1987-Portsmouth Venue: N/A (Charles Kennedy speaking at Portsmouth seen in the BBC Doc) 1988-sheffield (debate) Venue: Octagon centre (conference setup, footage incorrectly labeled as Portsmouth in the BBC doc)
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The SDP's lesser know logo

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The SDP's Lesser known logo Most politically informed individuals will recognize the original SDP logo, with its bold blue and red letters—simple and memorable. Political enthusiasts might also be aware of the post-1990 SDP emblem, which took a more modern approach to the three letters and the underscore." However, I was surprised to discover that Owen's desperate attempt to keep the SDP alive featured a different iteration of the party's trademark logo. This version of the logo is so rare that the only evidence I could find of its existence was both  a 'Thames News' report covering the remnant SDP's 1988 Torquay conference and the BBC merger documentary. It included a blue shadow beneath the red underscore and a large red tick following it. (The "Tick" logo on a banner hung up on the "continuing" SDP's conference in Torquay's Riviera international centre" (the "tick" logo visible on a delegate's badge, delegat...
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Location: 9 Vanehill Rd, Torquay TQ1 2BZ, Reino Unido
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