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| | David Owen Papers - Biographical notes |
 | | In 1960 David Owen, a medical student at St Thomas' Hospital, London, joined the Labour Party, inspired particularly by the politics and integrity of Labour Party leader Hugh Gaitskell, whilst also moved by the conditions of poverty and squalor which he was shocked to encounter during his hospital work in London. |
 | | David Owen served as Deputy Leader of the new party from Oct 1982-Jun 1983, and Party Leader from Jun 1983-Aug 1987, but his efforts to steer the Party clear of a merger with its electoral allies, the Liberals, and retain its separate identity, were finally defeated by pro-mergerists in both parties in 1987. |
 | | The continuing SDP was re-established under David Owen's leadership in Mar 1988, but suffered from diminished membership and failure to reach electoral agreement with the merged party, the Social and Liberal Democrats, and was finally wound down as a national party in Jun 1990. |
| sca.lib.liv.ac.uk /collections/Owen/biog.htm (1623 words) |
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