104UK-4-2._Government_and_the_Commonwealth(终).pptVIP

3.3 The Liberal Democrats自由民主党 The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems or just Liberals, are a centrist/centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger(合并) of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party（SDP）; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of the SDP. The partys leader is Nick Clegg. The Lib Dems are the third-largest party in the UK Parliament, behind Labour and the Conservatives. Promoting social liberalism, Lib Dems seek to minimise state intervention in personal affairs: they oppose what