Winning Here

Chris Rennard's long relationship with the Liberals, andlater the Liberal Democrats, began when a compassionate Liberal candidatehelped his disabled mother receive her widowed mother allowance. By his20s Rennard was the most successful election campaigner his party has everknown.

He helped the Liberal Party win power in Liverpool in the1970s and campaigned for ShirleyWilliams and Roy Jenkins in famous by-elections which helped the Liberal SDPAlliance to compete for power before its acrimonious collapse in the late 80's.He was then responsible for a series of spectacular by-election victories thatrescued his party's fortunes and he oversaw a huge increase in the party's numberof MPs and elected representatives. Liberal leaders Paddy Ashdown, CharlesKennedy, Menzies Campbell and Nick Clegg would all rely on him as the partygrew to the peak of its success.

This volume of memoirs spans his first 30 years in politics(to 2006) and includes the highs and lows of his party during the leadershipsof Paddy Ashdown (including his hopes for coalition with Tony Blair) andCharles Kennedy, (including the latter's enforced resignation after revealingpublicly his problem with alcohol).

There will never be a better inside account of a politicalparty, or contemporary history of the Liberal Democrats. Winning Here isa record that shows how election campaigns are really fought and won and howparty leaders change and parties develop. Similarly, there will never be acommentator better placed to tell this story.