How are the mighty fallen

QUESTION The Lib Dems won a share of power after the 2010 Election only to have their numbers decimated in the next one, while Ukip achieved its aim of Brexit, only to encounter internal turmoil. What other examples are there of political success followed by catastrophe?

It’s not the first time this has happened to the Liberals.

the Liberal Party was a dominant force in British politics at the start of the 20th century. In 1914, under Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, they ran the government, but by 1924 they were reduced to just 40 seats — and never recovered.

the biggest loss occurred in the 1918 General Election. Of 285 candidates who stood as independent Liberals, only 26 were elected. Of the 159 who stood in support of the coalition government, 127 won.

Various theories have been offered for the 1918 collapse: the working man gaining the vote; the rise of organised labour and union support for the new Labour Party; and the damaging split between Asquith and Lloyd George within the Liberal Party. Asquith had also taken the UK to war. the slaughter and sense of incompetence at the top — ‘lions led by donkeys’ — was largely blamed on his party. the Labour Party had dominated politics in scotland for decades when it was wiped out by the SNP in the 2015 General Election. It went from 56 seats (of 59) under tony Blair in 1997 to 41 under Gordon Brown in 2010, to one under Ed Miliband in 2015.

Andy Willis, Bristol.

QUESTION I drank a bottle of Ernie Els’s ‘Big Easy’ Shiraz. What other celebrities make wine?

FURTHER to the earlier answer, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie own Chateau Miraval, a Provençal estate, producing one of the best roses in the region. Its future is uncertain following their split.

Ann Whittaker, Tenby, Pembrokeshire.