A summary of main issues the party will face in the future:
- The Labour party may face an economic crisis as they are in financial trouble i.e. they have huge debts in the bank.
- Their funding may reduce rapidly if their supporting big businesses and companies and trade unions come into an economic crisis.
- Their donations received may have to be given back if they are given secretly especially substantial high amounts.
- They may lose the next general election because of economic crises which may unable them to fulfil their promises.
The Conservative Party
Brief history of Party:
The Conservative Party has a long history, during which it has passed through many phases and changes. For significant periods of modern British history it has been the dominant governing party, but it has also suffered divisions, defeats and spells in the political wilderness. The Conservative Party has remained relevant because its programme and outlook have adapted to the changing social and political environment, and it has never been exclusively linked to any one issue or group. Continuity is provided by the fact that the Conservative Party has always stood for social stability and the rights of property. The following is history of the party in further details:
- The origins of the Conservative Party can be traced to the 'Tory' faction, which emerged in the later seventeenth century.
- Under Pitt and Lord Liverpool the Tory Party established a strong hold on government between the years 1783 and 1830.
- After Lord Liverpool’s retirement in 1827 the unity of the party was destroyed when the Duke of Wellington and Robert Peel were forced largely for the results of the events occurred in Ireland and to concede full political emancipation to Roman Catholics.
- The collapse of the Tory party in the 1830s allowed the return of the Whigs and also a series of measure such as the Great Reform Act in 1832 that changed the political scene; and also in the general election, which followed the Act reduced the Tories to only 180 MPs.
- In 1832 there was the Reform Bill, which produced a vote of 500,000 middle-class voters, supplying evidence that a new party would be rising.
- It was in the mid-1830s when the name ‘Conservative’ became more popular and was often used; as this was due to Peel who sought to rally the opponents of further reform.
- Peel was successful in bringing the supporters back to the party and became prime minister after winning the election in 1841.
- However in 1846 the party split from the top to the bottom when many of Peel’s followers outraged by his decision to reverse course and repeal the protectionist Corn Laws.
- Then modern conservatism came along under the era of Disraeli who was probably had strongest claim amongst many others to be the founding father of modern conservatism.
- In 1866 the Whig Ministry collapsed and allowed a minority conservative administration under the 14th Earl of Derby to tackle the question of extending the franchise.
- A Second Reform Act occurred in 1867 shaped by Disraeli's adroit tactics in the Commons, which sought to protect Conservative interests and restore their credibility as a governing party.
- Most of the new voters were in the industrial towns and cities and with the aim of improving the prospects of the conservative party Disraeli found the central pillars of the party organisation i.e. The National Union which began in 1867 as a gathering and also further on in 1870 the Central Office was established.
- The period of Diraeli’s rule in government i.e. 1874-1880 was a landmark in fortune for the conservatives because its domestic measures widened its appeal to the urban lower and middle classes.
- In 1880 the Conservative party was defeated due to economic problems and Gladstone's revival of Liberal spirits.
- Despite this setback, the position of the Conservative Party was becoming much stronger in the final quarter of the nineteenth century.
- The party was becoming a national presence with an appeal to all communities and due to these changes and combination that led to a party dominance during the period of 1886-1906.
- Disraeli's successor, the 3rd Marquis of Salisbury, though by temperament deeply pessimistic, was an astute strategist.
- These Liberal Unionists first gave informal support to Salisbury's government of 1886-1892, and then shared office as a junior partner when Salisbury returned to power in 1895.
- As a result the 'Unionist' displaced Conservative as the general term for the Party and its supporters from the 1890s to the 1920s.
- Salisbury retired in 1902 therefore the outlook for the new party leader appeared to be favourable, and the outcome was that the party’s fortunes were swiftly declined when the party was taken over by his nephew and successor Arthur Balfour.
- The period of 1902-1914 was the party’s worst period of defeat and disunity in the Party's modern history and this was due to the divisions over Joseph Chamberlain's programme of pro-Empire tariff reform, which was strongly opposed by a small group of free traders.
- In 1903 internal divisions that followed caused a purge of the Cabinet and did much to cause three successive electoral defeats: Firstly the landslide in 1906 that left only 157 Conservative MPs and the second and final defeats are the narrower reverses in January and December 1910.
- These defeats also led to organisational reforms where in 1911 the post of Party Chairman was created to oversee the work of the Central Office.
- In December 1916 the conservatives were concerned over lack of direction in the war and therefore supported the supplanting of Asquith by a more energetic and charismatic Liberal, known as David Lloyd George.
- In the restructured coalition of 1916-1918 the Conservatives had a larger share of the office and also provided most of the backbench support in the House of Commons.
- Victory finally came in 1918 where Lloyd George was at the height of his popularity, and therefore Bonar Law readily agreed that the Coalition should continue in order to tackle the problems of peace making and reconstruction.
- After economic depression and failures of policy in 1920-1921 the Coalition became increasingly unpopular amongst Conservative MPs and local activists.
- In March 1921 Bonar Law resigned for reasons of health, and Austen Chamberlain became the new Conservative leader.
- Austen Chamberlain’s approach was too autocratic and inflexible, and he seemed too closely tied to the discredited Lloyd George.
- On 19 October 1922 Chamberlain was defeated at the meeting of Conservative MPs held at the Carlton Club due to a revolt against the Coalition being swelled up from the lower ranks of the party.
- Bonar Law led the victorious rebels, and thus ousted both Chamberlain as Party Leader and Lloyd George as Prime Minister.
- The fall of the Coalition was the formative event in Conservative politics between the wars and so the events of 1922 also brought to the fore a group of anti-coalitionist junior ministers who dominated the leadership until 1940.
- In May 1923 Stanley Baldwin who was the most important of these, replaced the dying Bonar Law as party leader and Prime Minister.
- Despite leading the Conservatives into an unnecessary defeat in December 1923 and a serious assault upon his position in 1929-1931, Baldwin remained leader until 1937.
- Between 1918 and 1945 the Conservatives were the largest party in the House of Commons for all but two and a half years.
- In the crisis of August 1931 the Conservatives agreed to serve under the former Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, in a National government in which the Conservatives formed by far the largest element.
- In 1935 Baldwin replaced MacDonald as Prime Minister, and in 1937 he handed on both the Premiership and the Conservative leadership to Neville Chamberlain.
- The latter's period as leader was dominated by controversy over the policy of appeasement. Chamberlain exerted a much closer grip over the Party than Baldwin had done, and until the outbreak of war he was strongly supported by the grass roots and almost all MPs.
- During the 1930s an isolated Conservative critic known as Winston Churchill now became Prime Minister; where later in the same year he also succeeded Chamberlain as party leader.
- Churchill rallied the nation, but even his prestige could not shelter the Conservative Party from popular blame for the failures of the 1930s. This led to its second major electoral defeat of the century in 1945, when it was reduced to only 210 MPs.
- Churchill remained rather unenthusiastic, but certain policies that were agreed enabled the Conservatives to regain power in 1951 and then to remain in office continuously until 1964.
The key figures in this period were Anthony Eden, who succeeded Churchill in April 1955 but retired after the failed Suez invasion in January 1957; Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister and Conservative leader from 1957 until November 1963; and R.A. Butler. Butler twice seemed on the brink of becoming leader and Prime Minister, but in 1963 Macmillan was instead unexpectedly succeeded by Sir Alec Douglas-Home. Macmillan's sudden resignation was due to ill health, but since 1961 his ministry had been mired in economic stagnation and public scandal, and by 1963 defeat seemed likely.
- In August 1965 Douglas-Home stood down, and the first formal party leadership election by a ballot of MPs took place; it was also the first change of leadership whilst in opposition since 1911.
- The victor was Edward Heath, whose lower middle-class background was thought more publicly acceptable than the aristocratic image of Macmillan and Douglas-Home.
- Heath survived the Party's loss of further seats to Labour in the 1966 election, but never secured the affection of the public or Conservative backbenchers. To general surprise, he won the 1970 election and became Prime Minister.
- Despite his personal achievement in taking Britain into the Common market, the failures of the Heath ministry of 1970-1974 have been the catharsis of modern Conservatism.
- The reversals of policy, the failure to control inflation or contain the trade unions through legislation on industrial relations, and two defeats at the hands of the coal-miners led first to the fall of Heath and second to the rise and development of Thatcherism.
- After losing the two elections of February and October 1974, Heath was forced to hold a ballot for the Party leadership in February 1975 in which he was defeated by Margaret Thatcher.
- In opposition during 1975-1979 the new leader developed a radical agenda founded upon the 'free market', rolling back government intervention and leaving as much as possible to individual initiative; this was the core of thatcherism.
- Concern over economic decline and the power wielded by the trade unions created a receptive public mood, and Thatcher led the Conservatives to three successive victories in 1979, 1983 and 1987.
- She was the dominant political personality throughout the 1980s, especially after securing victory in the Falklands war of 1982.
- She is widely credited with restoring Britain's status as an enterprise-based economy and as a significant influence on the international stage. However, at the end of the decade economic recession, her commitment to the deeply unpopular 'poll tax', and internal disputes over European policy led to Mrs Thatcher's defeat in a leadership ballot in November 1990.
The main ideology of the party and the most important factions:
There was the ideology of Conservatism, which is more of an approach than just a set of ideas. Hence a conservative in one country could cherish very different values from a conservative in another. The other ideology is Liberalism which is equal opportunities but not with equal outcomes, Liberals believe that man is naturally individualistic and only realises his full potential when he is free to decide for himself i.e. you are given the opportunity but it is up to you to make the best possible outcome out of that opportunity. Many members of the Conservative Party had embraced the free-market ideas of Liberalism and viewed the increasing influence of Trade Unions and government in the economy with alarm, and attributed economic decline to it. Conflicts may occur between these two ideologies as they have different beliefs and views as the views of these ideologies are:
Conservatism
- Rejecting constitutional reform.
- Supporting ‘family values’.
- Being tough on law and order and immigration and defence.
- Being supportive of NATO and the ‘special relationship’ with the USA, while being sceptical about European integration.
Liberalism
- Privatising many nationalised industries.
- Refusing to intervene to support ailing industries, leaving many inefficient manufacturing industries to collapse.
- Abandoning the goal of full employment in favour of control of inflation.
- Trying to cut back on social welfare, introducing ‘internal markets’ and encouraging individuals to take out private health insurance and pensions, so as to better control the money supply.
- Introducing laws to reduce the power of Trade Unions and effectively cut them out of any influence in policy-making.
- Cutting direct taxes while raising indirect taxes e.g. VAT to the benefit of the better off.
There since many views of these two ideologies are different and against each other the two ideology groups come into conflict and the best way available to them to solve these problems is to come to a ‘compromise’.
The Key policies of the party:
- To accept the pillars of the post war consensus i.e. the Welfare state.
- The public ownership of certain industries.
- Government intervention in economic affairs.
- Partnership in industry between Trade unions and employers.
A brief evaluation of the party:
The structure of the conservative party hinges around six basic themes, they are: unity, decentralisation, democracy, involvement, integrity and openness. The conservative party in parliament was created In the 1830s in a pre-democratic age. The wider party was established separately, to sustain the parliamentary one the leader appoints the Cabinet as PM and Shadow Cabinet as the leader of the opposition, decides policy and writes the manifesto and appoints the chairman of the party.
Evaluation of the role and power of the party leader:
In 1997 the conservative party suffered a crushing election defeat, and John Major resigned. His successor William Hague set about reforming a party that was in a lamentable state. Membership had dipped to an all-time low, and many members were too old to be active. Funds were so short that there were less than 200 full-time agents at local level. Hague proposed the biggest restructuring of the party of the century. He recognised that membership would have to double, that younger members would have to be recruited, and that members wouldn’t join unless they were given more of a say, he also made the following changes:
- Election of party leaders by ‘one member one vote’.
- Selection of candidates by ‘one member one vote’.
- Creation of a powerful board to manage the whole party.
- Creation of a policy forum to enable members to have more input.
- Creation of a National party convention to replace the central council of the National union.
- The use of a primary election to choose the London mayoral candidate.
Evaluation of how party is financed:
- The party receives donations from its supporting members where high amounts have to be reported publicly otherwise returned if smuggled secretly into the party.
- The party can also receive donations if it has support from big businesses and companies and also the Trade unions.
- Party membership is low, insufficient to make parties self-financing.
- Also membership subscriptions and local constituency fund raising.
- Parties now have to fight General, European, Local and devolved assembly elections and referendums when necessary e.g. The 1997 General election cost the conservatives £28 million.
- Parties are very frugal; they easily run up debts especially after general elections e.g. in 1992 the conservatives ran up a debt of £19 million.
- In 1989 the monopolies and mergers commission was highly critical of the stranglehold that 6 large brewing companies had over the market. Donations of £125,000/year by these companies to Conservative party funds may have been the reason why the government did not act on the commission’s recommendations.
- The Board is the ultimate decision making body of the Conservative Party. It is responsible for all operational matters including; fundraising, membership and candidates. It is made up of representatives from each section of the Party - the voluntary, political and professional.
Summary of the main issues that the party must face in the future:
The future of the conservative party is a new youth movement with a new agenda. The party wants to break down the barriers in politics i.e. to make politics more relevant and approachable to young people. The party’s aim is to provide an opportunity for more young people to join the party. The party wants to keep the public informed about matters that affect them i.e. and know what you think about today's key issues. The future of the conservative party is to be run by young people, and for young people to represent the views of other young people.
Liberal Democrats
A brief history of the party:
- The origins of the Liberal Democrats go back over 300 years to the late 17th Century.
- At that time they were known as the Whigs and dominated the British political establishment in the 18th Century.
- During the 19th Century they reformed the party and changed the name to the Liberal Party and they were instrumental in introducing a series of reform acts to 'democratise,' the country and the Parliament.
- In the early 20th Century they ruled during the First World War and under their most famous Prime Minister, David Lloyd George who also introduced pensions and National Insurance.
- In 1920, there was the rise of the Labour but however during this period the Liberals collapsed.
- In 1922 the party were in government with over 300 seats in the House of Commons but by 1935 they had only 21 seats.
- They did not recover and continued to lose popularity and respect.
- At the 1951 General Election they won only six seats obtaining a mere 2.5% of the total vote.
- In the 1970's and 1980's the Liberals made a slight comeback and improved their situation and in 1983 won a respectable 13.7% of the vote.
- In 1979, with the Labour Party moving to the left under Michael Foot a new party was created, the Social Democratic Party.
- They quickly gained popularity from certain elements of British society and obtained 11.6% of the vote in 1983.
- Ideologically the Liberals and the Social Democrats were very similar and at the 1987 General Election they formed an Alliance.
- By the 1992 General Election they became one party and named themselves, the Liberal Democrats.
- In the 1992 and 1997 elections under the leadership of Paddy Ashdown the Liberal Democrats were regaining seats, which the Liberal Party had not held for fifty years.
- The party had now firmly established itself as the third party in British Politics.
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After devolution in Scotland and Wales and elections in 1999, the Liberal Democrats re-entered government in a Lib-Lab pact in both countries.
Their most important figures:
- Charles Kennedy: He is the current leader of the party and MP since 1983. He was elected leader in 1999, after Paddy Ashdown stood down.
- Simon Hughes: He is the Shadow Home Secretary of the party. He is a popular figure in the party who almost became leader in 1999, coming second to Charles Kennedy.
- Baroness Williams of Crosby: He is the Leader of the Party in the House of Lords. Former member of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan's Labour governments and Social Democratic Party MP.
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Paddy Ashdown: He is the Leader of the Party during the 1992 and 1997 General Elections. Now a Liberal Democrat Lord sitting in the House of Lords.
The main ideologies of the party and the most important factions:
The ideology in the Liberal Democrat party is anti-authoritarian. The two main ideologies involved with the ‘Liberal’ ‘Democrat’ party are Liberalism and Social Democracy i.e. social democratic. Liberalism is the equal opportunities given but with different outcomes i.e. not equal outcomes, Liberals believe that man is naturally individualistic and only realises his full potential when he is free to decide for himself. Social Democracy is a hybrid of Socialism and Liberalism. Social democrats believe in individual liberty and political equality but also share the desire of socialists for economic equality. Social democracy is less coherent as an ideology but has considerable electoral appeal. Ideologically the Liberals and the Social Democrats were very similar which allowed them to form an alliance in the general elections of 1987. Due to them being similar they must share similar views and similar objectives, which may cause less arguments and less conflicts between the two groups; therefore the two groups can join and turn into one group rather than splitting into two.
List of some Key policies:
- Pro Britain's entry into the European Single Currency.
- Proportional Representation in elections.
- Legalisation of Cannabis.
- Scrap Tuition fees.
- Fewer regulations for business and support of free-market.
- Reduce voting age to sixteen.
- Higher pensions for the elderly.
- More police on the streets.
A brief evaluation of the party:
The Liberal Democrats are the third largest party in Britain and have been since the 1920's. Recently under the leadership of Paddy Ashdown and now Charles Kennedy they have represented basic Liberal but never to radical ideals on issues concerning both the economy and society. Since Tony Blair became Prime Minister and Labour have moved more to the right, the Liberal Democrats have been the most left-wing of the main three parties, however they rarely talk language or express opinions which does not conform to the normal political ideas expressed by other parties and by the media. For many years now they have supported the Labour Party ahead of the Conservative Party, and in both the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are in power via a coalition with Labour i.e. they do depend a lot on their voters in the south-west and rural areas as it from there is where they get most of their votes.
Evaluation of the role and power of the party leader:
The party leader at the present time is Charles Kennedy after Paddy Ashdown stood down in 1999. In the general election which had followed and less than six weeks later he was elected to the House of Commons, defeating the sitting government minister to become the youngest MP of the time. During his term in parliament he has acted as a spokesperson on issues ranging from the welfare state to Europe, agriculture and rural affairs. He has served on the All-Party Select Committee that introduced the televising of the chamber. He was the first SDP MP to back the merger with the Liberals after the 1987 general election, and moved a successful motion to this effect at the party conference that year. Charles Kennedy was elected UK Party President, the equivalent of party chairman, in 1990, and served in that post until 1994. In August 1999 he was elected as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, and he was appointed to the Privy Council in October 1999. Recently under the leadership of Paddy Ashdown and now Charles Kennedy they have represented basic Liberal but never to radical ideals on issues concerning both the economy and society.
Evaluation on how the party is financed:
The party is financed from:
- Membership subscriptions and local constituency fund raising.
- Affiliated trade unions.
- Donations from companies.
- Donations from individuals.
- In the years 1916-1922 Liberal PM David Lloyd George sold honours in return for funds for the Liberal party.
Summary of the main issues that the parties must face in the future:
- Economic problems, the party must pay off their debts.
- Losing money in general elections when not getting as much votes as expected.
- The number of votes in elections may reduce further down since the Labour party are also involved in encouraging voters to support them from the rural and southern areas i.e. where the liberals get many of their votes from.
- If the party does not keep its promises and fulfil their key policies then their supporters will lose hope in them and consider a party that fulfils their promises.
The Socialist Alliance party
Brief history of the party:
- The Socialist Alliance was formed in 1996 by the Socialist Party whom was looking to build a significant coalition of left-of-Labour people.
- The Communist Party of Great Britain and the Socialist Workers Party soon joined the coalition and by 2000 they stood a candidate in every constituency for the Greater London Assembly elections.
- After obtaining 27,0733 votes at the London elections the Alliance grew with many Labour Party members angry with Blair's "Tory," policies leaving and joining the Socialist Alliance.
- At the 2001 General Election the Alliance were extremely organised holding mass meeting throughout the country (1,500 in London), released a manifesto, and standing around 150 candidates.
- Although the party only won 57,533 (1.75% in each seat where they stood), as this was their first election many members are confident that the Alliance will grow and become a significant political force in the future.
- Since the general election the Alliance have continued to campaign and have had significant numbers at trade union and have stopped the War protests.
Important figures:
- Liz Davies: He is the Former Labour Party National Executive Committee (NEC) member who defected in 2000 and is now Chair of the Socialist Alliance's NEC.
- Bob Crow: He is the General Secretary of the Rail & Maritime Trade Union (RMT). He has never stood as a candidate for the Socialist Alliance in any election or is on their NEC; nevertheless he is amongst the most important figures in the British trade union movement and a public supporter of the Socialist Alliance.
- Dave Nellist: He is Former Labour Party MP in Coventry and now local Socialist Alliance councillor.
The key policies of the party:
- Re-nationalisation of the railways.
- Higher minimum wage (£7.40 an hour in the election manifesto).
- Increase taxes for the rich and for big business.
- Better workers and trade union rights including a 35-hour week.
- Opposition of War in Afghanistan and against sanctions on Iraq.
- Defend asylum seekers.
- Cancel Third World Debt.
- Scrap tuition fees.
Summary of the party’s ideology:
There is a significant difference within the Alliance in terms of ideology. The members are all left-wing socialists but some are revolutionary socialists, like those in the Socialist Workers Party and others are Social Democrats. The best way to summarize the Socialist Alliance is to say that they represent the same ideals as Clement Atlee's 1945-1951 Labour Government. They are a new party, founded in 1996 but with a great deal of support including a relatively large membership for their size of over 5,000 and the backing of influential trade unionists, journalists and comedians. They are naturally a coalition of a variety of parties, organisations and individuals whom are all to the left of the Labour Party. These include the Marxist, Socialist Workers Party, and the Communist Party of Great Britain as well as many former members of the Labour Party.
Analysis of why it has failed to challenge the dominance of the two main parties:
This party has failed to challenge the dominance of the two main parties because this party is a minority party and it lacks in many things such as it doesn’t have such a high financial status as the two main parties, it doesn’t have as many voters behind them since they are a very recent and newly built party. This party has done pretty well for a start, and it does have the values and beliefs of the three main parties one party. The only thing is that the two main parties have been in the business or in the category for many years or even decades and they have a successful history therefore they have attracted many people from the past and people tend to stick to their old favourite rather than changing to a new one which probably has a bright future as this party surely does. Also since they do not have many supporters and may not have supporters from big businesses their funding will be very low and they wouldn’t receive any large donations unless they prove they are serious candidates in challenging the two main parties. Also the key policies and promises, which they have made would not necessarily be believed by the public that they will be achieved since they have no history behind them stating they have fulfilled the promises they had made before.