The end of an era - Shirley Williams gives her last speech in the House of Lords

As Liberal Democrats we claim a long political heritage through the Liberal Party that preceded us, but the current incarnation of the party did not take shape until the late 80s. Shirley Williams (now Baroness Williams of Crosby) had been one of the four founder members of the Social Democratic Party, formed to take a more centre position in UK politics after a split from the Labour Party in 1981. Later, the Social Democratic Party spent some time in an electoral alliance with the Liberal Party, and in 1988 these two centre parties merged formally. The following year, the new party was renamed as the Liberal Democrats, adopting the familiar "Bird of Liberty" as its logo. Throughout the history of the Liberal Democrats, Shirley Williams has been a vibrant figure in the party. It is with both fondness and sadness - and a great deal of respect - that we see her now poised for retirement. You can watch Shirley's retirement speech in the video link on the BBC News website.