At the Richmond (Yorks) by-election in 1989 (which was won by future Tory leader and Foreign Secretary William Hague) the rump continuity SDP which refused to merge with the Liberal Party and form the (Social and) Liberal Democrats, managed to come within 2,500 votes of winning. Basically WI the SDP had managed to win the by-election - could this have prevented the embarrassment of Bootle in by-election and perhaps prevented the party disintegrating in May 1990 and perhaps enabled the two SDP MP's (John Cartwright and Rosie Barnes) and perhaps David Owen himself to hold their seats at the 1992 General Election?