1990 National Committee Meeting on the future of the SDP

A National Committee meeting was convened on the 4th June, 1990 to discuss the future of the SDP following electoral defeats and a decline in membership and funds. The 1989 Richmond by-election, the 1990 Upper Bann by-election, and more importantly, the May 1990 Bootle by-election had revealed that the party was facing sharp decline.

The details of the meeting had been leaked to the press before it had happened, leading John Cartwright to comment that "Perhaps we could get more press attention if we held our funeral every week". The meeting resulted in the dissolution of Owen's SDP, however, Jack Holmes remained defiant and went on to lead the SDP in its third iteration.

## Context

The National Committee met at the St. James' Court Hotel, Victoria. In attendance were the Committee's 25 members:

1. David Owen, Leader of the party
2. John Cartwright, President of the party
3. Ian Wright, Vice-President of the party
4. Rosie Barnes, MP for Greenwich
5. John Martin, computer businessman
6. Jack Holmes, failed candidate in the Bootle by-election

## Process

### Opening

Cartwright opened the meeting, explaining that a debate on the party's future would be held following Owen's speech. This was to be followed by a series of votes.

Owen argued that the party's rapid decline in membership was the reason why the SDP must die, not its finances, as others had argued. The party had become smaller, ceasing to be fully democratic, meaning that members would begin to simply appoint themselves to positions. There was little evidence that the decline in membership would reverse meaning that the party was at its end. Owen concluded that the SDP had no automatic right to be a permanent feature of the political scene.

### The debate

Barnes simply noted that the SDP could no longer function as a national party.

Martin - a constant thorn in the side of Owen - rebelled against the idea that membership decline had been its major problem, instead arguing that it was the party's lack of resources that caused the embarrassment in Bootle. He also pointed to Owen's interview in *The Times*, published on the day of the by-election, that implied that he could re-join the Labour Party, confusing the electorate. Martin argued that, at this point, there hadn't been clear evidence that party membership was in sharp decline. Furthermore, he argued that the National Committee lacked the authority to dissolve the party without consulting the Council for Social Democracy or the membership as a whole.

A total of 19 members spoke around the table. They were reportedly sad but few criticised Owen's suggestion that the party should dissolve. None suggested that they would join another party post-SDP.

### The voting

It was Wright who was charged with firing the last shot into the SDP's body, moving that the party's constitution be suspended, which carried at 5:15 by 17 votes to five.

Martin moved the issue should be put to the Council for Social Democracy, being shot down by 18 votes to three.

Holmes moved the issue should be put to the party, which also failed to pass, this time by 13 to seven.

Owen's statement was accepted by 18 votes to three.

### The conclusion

After Owen's statement was accepted by the National Committee, the SDP was dissolved. Owen thanked the staff and was greeted with applause. Wright thanked the three MPs, more applause broke out. There was hand-shaking, rueful smiles, and tears including those on the cheeks of Rosie Barnes.

As the members of the National Committee left, one or two revealed the whole idea of the SDP continuing after the merger vote had been based on false premise. They had said that the SDP should on continue if it had more 15,000 members. They had been told that there were more than 30,000. The records had been properly checked the previous may, revealing that there had only been 11,000 members all long meaning that the party had never been viable.

## Aftermath

Holmes continued to lead the third iteration of the SDP following the National Committee's vote to dissolve the party without much success.

### The SDP-aligned

Senior members that remained in the SDP following the merger scattered in different directions following the party's dissolution. All three of the party's MPs continued to sit as Independent Social Democrats, still committed to social democratic values, however, none of them joined Holmes' new SDP. Similarly, a number of the SDP's peers, including Lord (Alastair) Kilmarnock and Lord (Henry) Wilson of Langside pursued the same strategy in the Lords, labelling themselves as *Social Democrats* or simply *SDP* whilst being crossbenchers.

### The Conservative-aligned

Many members that were close to Owen or those who were involved with the Social Market Foundation became associated with the Conservative Party.

### The Labour-aligned

Many other members joined, or in some cases, re-joined the Labour Party. Prominent members of this group include David Sainsbury, Mary "Polly" Toynbee, and peers such as Baron (Jack) Diamond, Lord (Wayland Young) Kennet, Baron (Thomas) Taylor of Gryfe, and Lord (Michael) Young of Dartington (who had left the party in 1989). This attraction was largely due to the change in policy that Labour had undergone in regards to the EEC and Trident.

### The others

Very few members joined the Liberal Democrats, the most notable being Lord (Herbert Bowden) Aylestone, the former Chair of the Social Democratic Party Peers.

Owen's SDP had been more Eurosceptic than its predecessor, leading to some members to eventually support the future UK Independence Party (UKIP), most prominently Duke (Andrew Cavendish) of Devonshire and future MEP Julia Reid.