What does remnant mean here?

Does it refer to "a small part or portion that remains after the main part no longer exists"?
If so, it will be quite confusing. Becuase Liberal Party is still the third largest political parties in Great Britain.


Context:

The art of medicine
Defending democracy and the National Health Service

The dismantling of the National Health Service (NHS)
and of the welfare state proceeds apace. The historic
settlement of 1948, born of the recession of the
1920s and 1930s and the carnage of World War 2, is
being picked apart systematically by the UK’s Coalition
Government, which ironically includes the remnants of
the Liberal Party that played such an important part in
building the foundations of the welfare state in 1906
and 1911. In 1906, in the aftermath of the Second
Boer War, about a third of working-class recruits to the
armed forces were found to be unfit for military service
on account of physical stunting and poor health—this
despite 100 years of global economic domination by
the British Empire. Fearful of the rise of Germany as a
military force, the Liberal administration introduced
free school milk and meals and established the school
health service. In 1911, with the storm clouds of war on
the horizon, David Lloyd George introduced the National
Insurance Act, which provided schemes for health and
unemployment insurance for working men to protect
them against the worst threats of ill health.

Remnants | Define Remnants at Dictionary.com

This doesn't say anything about the main part no longer existing.

The remnant here refers to the small number of Liberal Party members who still remain.

NewHopeR said:

Does it refer to "a small part or portion that remains after the main part no longer exists"?
If so, it will be quite confusing. Becuase Liberal Party is still the third largest political parties in Great Britain.


Context:

The art of medicine
Defending democracy and the National Health Service

The dismantling of the National Health Service (NHS)
and of the welfare state proceeds apace. The historic
settlement of 1948, born of the recession of the
1920s and 1930s and the carnage of World War 2, is
being picked apart systematically by the UK’s Coalition
Government, which ironically includes the remnants of
the Liberal Party that played such an important part in
building the foundations of the welfare state in 1906
and 1911. In 1906, in the aftermath of the Second
Boer War, about a third of working-class recruits to the
armed forces were found to be unfit for military service
on account of physical stunting and poor health—this
despite 100 years of global economic domination by
the British Empire. Fearful of the rise of Germany as a
military force, the Liberal administration introduced
free school milk and meals and established the school
health service. In 1911, with the storm clouds of war on
the horizon, David Lloyd George introduced the National
Insurance Act, which provided schemes for health and
unemployment insurance for working men to protect
them against the worst threats of ill health.

Click to expand...

"The UK's Coalition government contains the remnants of the Liberal Party" - I've marked it in red. The Conservative Party forms a much larger part of the coalition and the Liberal Party these days barely resembles the Liberal Party of 1906-1911 when it was truly radical.

The Liberal Party is not in government (in fact it hardly exists at all). Most of them formed an alliance with the short lived Social Democratic Party in the 80s to form the Liberal Democrats. It is they who are in government, in a coalition with the Conservative Party.

bhaisahab said:

The Liberal Party is not in government (in fact it hardly exists at all). Most of them formed an alliance with the short lived Social Democratic Party in the 80s to form the Liberal Democrats. It is they who are in government, in a coalition with the Conservative Party.

Click to expand...

Apologies for not differentiating between the LibDems and the Liberal Party. Mind you, that's a bit like differentiating between the Conservative Party and the Labour Party these days - impossible to do. ;-)