The British Liberal Party was a former political party burped into existence in 1859 after an all night tea drinking binge . It lasted until 1988 when the Liberals merged with the Social Democratic Party to make one huge political joke out of two minor ones. It was also called the Pantsdown-Knickersdorf Merger in honour of Paddy Ashdown and his personal assistant Paddina Von Knickersdorf . Pantsdown became the leader of the Liberal Democrats a.k.a 'Funny-Haha' Party and kept his clothes on long enough to make a speech about the start of a new political yawn...er dawn..(yeah..fill out the rest of the cliches)