ABSTRACT
Despite grim prospects for success, the Social Democratic and Liberal leaders decided to enter the election to demonstrate their firm commitment and confidence in their widespread electoral support. The by-election campaign in Crosby revealed significant aspects of the developing Social Democratic Party (SDP). The SDP, in alliance with the Liberals, was clearly a powerful new force in British politics. Throughout the SDP's development, internal conflicts within the party and between the Alliance partners served to exacerbate other difficulties and thwart Social Democratic aims. Intraparty conflict was not limited to the SDP. What followed was the most serious internal conflict in the SDP (and Alliance) story, one that continued throughout the summer and provoked the Liberal assembly at Eastbourne to vote for a non-nuclear defense alliance with Europe. Publicly, Labour declared that its modern, professional campaign in 1987 demonstrated that it would return to Downing Street someday, contrary to the fatalistic pronouncements of pundits following the 1983 el.
