Description
Book SynopsisA biography of a long-standing Liberal MP. As well as the revival of the Liberal Party and the formation of the Liberal Democrats, it examines his experiences as a Conscientious Objector in the Second World War; his work in the Methodist Church; his role in the resignation of Jeremy Thorpe and in the Lib-Lab Pact.
Trade Review... Cole examines how Wainwright cultivated the local press and re-energised his constituency's Liberal clubs as part of his bid to enter parliament.
The result is an occasionally curious but often revealing study of Liberal politics in the middle and late twentieth century.
Biography of this high quality reminds us that it is often the middle-ranking political outsider, rather than the party big-wig in London that can provide the best insight into a grassroots organisation.
Cole has written a gem of biography, exploring the forgotten nooks and crannies of a political figure who played a pivotal role in the survival and subsequent revival of the Liberal party in the North of England.
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Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part One: Before Parliament
1. Early life
2. Cambridge
3. Wainwright’s War
Part Two: Outside Parliamen
4. Liberal Clubs
5. Wainwright’s Faith
6. The Press
7. The Party in the country
Part Three: In Parliamen
8. Colne Valley
9. Campaigning
10. The LPP
11. Wainwright & Thorpe
12. The Lib-Lab Pact
13. The Alliance
14. Merger and the Liberal Democrats
Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendices
