Talk:1973 West Bromwich by-election

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Politics of the United Kingdom

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Misleading sentence

"In common with a number of by-elections at the time, the Liberal Party did not compete for this seat."

But the Liberals competed at Sutton and Cheam before this, and at Ripon and Isle of Ely after it. The important point is that the party's support in the West Midlands area was very weak, and had been so for decades. The Ladywood by-election was won under special circumstances, by a very atypical Liberal candidate (Wallace Lawler).

This factor is mentioned in some books, although I have not seen it analysed in depth. Something of it is mentioned here. Harfarhs (talk) 12:46, 23 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]