For almost a century, first the Liberals and now the Liberal Democrats have had to consign themselves to being the third force of British politics. This minor status though can conceal the party’s rich history of contributing to broader intellectual thought. David Lloyd George, John Maynard Keynes and William Beveridge are the classic cases; Matthew Taylor and Tim Leunig are more recent examples. A raft of current government policies have their roots in Liberal policy papers. Devolution, Bank of England independence and the pensions triple lock were all proposed in various Liberal manifestos, years before being enacted into law. Indeed, it........

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