'The Land' - Party Anthem of the British Liberal Democrats

"The Land" is a protest song that originated from the Georgist movement, which advocates for land value taxation. It was first published in 1887 in a Chicago Georgist publication called "The Single Tax," under the title "The Land Song." For several decades, it was sung at the end of each year's Liberal Assembly and served as the anthem for the Liberal Party. When the Liberal Party merged with the SDP to form the Liberal Democrats, "The Land" continued to be their unofficial anthem. It is also sung as the opening song of the Liberal Democrats' Glee Club and at the Liberal Democrat Conference twice a year. The song is associated with the continuity Liberal Party as well. During the chorus, the phrase "ballot in our hand" is accompanied by the audience waving any paper they have, often a Liberator song book.

Michael Foot, former leader of the Labour Party, grew up in a Liberal household and recalled hearing and learning the song. He praised it as the best political song he had ever heard, highlighting its democratic spirit and its intention to strike fear in the hearts of landlords.

"The Land" gained popularity as a radical anthem among Liberals following David Lloyd George's "People's Budget" in 1909, which proposed a land tax. It was used as the campaign song for the governing Liberals in the two general elections that followed. Sheet music and a 78rpm recording of the song were released. A recording from around 1990 made at a Glee Club is now archived at the Janey Buchan Political Song Collection in Glasgow. Michael Foot's comments about the song, along with snippets of the song itself, were featured in a series on political songs broadcasted on The World Today on the BBC World Service. The entire series is now held in the British Library Sound Archive.