Title: Being Liberal
Subtitle: The Liberal Disposition in Contemporary British Politics
Subject Classification:  Politics and Government  
BIC Classification: JP
BISAC Classification: POL042020, POL058000, POL015000
Binding: Hardback, Paperback, eBook
Publication date: 24 Apr 2026
ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-83711-832-8
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-83711-833-5
ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-83711-834-2

To view a sample of the book, please click here

e-books available for libraries from   Proquest  and   EBSCO   with non-institutional availability from  GooglePlay

For larger orders, or orders where you require an invoice, contact us  admin@ethicspress.com

Description

Being Liberal is about the instincts of British Liberals – about what those instincts are, and why they still matter. It argues that a Liberal disposition in politics consists of seven traits: openness, hating the abuse of power, being non-judgmental, treating people as individuals not as members of categories or classifications, disliking bombast and hierarchy, trying to be cool and rational, and looking for compromise and moderation. It builds its case not from theories of liberalism but from the lives, writing and experiences of real Liberal people, including Liberal and Liberal Democrat party leaders and prominent supporters, many of whom the author has known and worked with, including all the party leaders of the past 50 years. It acknowledges that Liberals have characteristic weaknesses as well as strengths but argues that anti-liberalism, now fashionable and even intellectually dominant, not only misunderstands Liberals but also poses dangers that only Liberals and Liberalism can counteract.

Biography

Author(s):  David Howarth is Professor of Law and Public Policy at Cambridge, Fellow of Clare College, former Liberal Democrat MP and Shadow Justice Secretary, former UK Electoral Commissioner, and erstwhile long time member of the Liberal Democrat Federal Policy Committee.

Reviews

"David Howarth has written a remarkable and engaging book. It combines recent British political history, personal biography and liberal philosophy. The book is full of his very readable and balanced commentary on the post-war evolution of Liberal/Liberal Democrat fortunes. His discussion of the seven key features of Liberal philosophy is refreshing and very accessible. I would unreservedly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in who are the present-day Liberal Democrats, how they came to survive and to continue as a major force on the political scene, and what are their core political principles and beliefs."
- Alan Butt Philip, Convenor, John Stuart Mill Institute trustees.