POLITICAL PARTIES IN ENGLAND

LABOURThe general election of June 2001 brought a landslide victory

to Tony Blair and New Labour (it moved away from traditional left-wing policies such as public ownership of industries).

The Labour party is committed to collectivist values, to the defense of the poor and to strong executive. It is keyed to socialism and was under the influence of Fabian leaders and trade-unions.

2/3 of working class voters voted Labour in the post-war years. After the war, Labour enjoyed an overwhelming victory under the leadership of Clement Atlee. It carried out nationalisations and set up the Welfare State. It was established to represent the interests of the workers and has always been supported by trade-unions. It now tries to appeal to a wider electorate.

Labour policy relies on high public spending.

THE NECThe NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

supervises all the work of the Labour Party outside Parliamentformulates policy proposalsmakes annual reports for the party conferencework on the party programme

New LabourTony Blair was the youngest-ever leader of the Labour Party. He was known to be a moderniser. While opposed by some traditionalists, the proposed change won overwhelming support. This was followed in 1996 by the publication of New Labour, New Life for Britain, the draft manifesto that was discussed and voted upon by party members across the country. Labour's agenda centred on five pledges: education; crime; health; jobs and economic stability.  

In 1997, New Labour won a landslide total of 418 Labour MPs, including a record 101 Labour women, and a majority of 179. 

As a Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair introduced a National Minimum Wage, one million more jobs, imposed smaller class sizes in primary schools, and initiated the biggest ever sustained investment in the NHS. 

On 7 June 2001 Tony Blair led Labour to a second victory in a General Election. Four years later, on 5 May 2005, Labour achieved a third consecutive term in government.

In 2007, Gordon Brown was declared Leader of the Labour Party. Three days later, Tony Blair stepped down.

Ed MillibandEd Miliband was elected Labour leader in September, 2010, pledging

to restore trust in the Labour party.  

Ed Milliband argues that his vision for the future is based on his values—values of family, fairness, community and decency at work. Hewas born in North London in 1969 and attended his local comprehensive school, Haverstock. He went to primary school for a time in Leeds and graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and obtained a Masters degree from the London School of Economics.  Before entering parliament, Ed Milliband worked briefly as a journalist and later with Gordon Brown and the Labour government. He served in the Labour government from 2007 to 2008 as Minister for the Cabinet Office and as Secretary of State for Climate Change between 2008 and 2010.   

How the Labour Party presents itself« Labour has only been in government for four short

periods of the 20th century. However its achievements have revolutionised the lives of the British people. The values Labour stands for today are those which have guided it throughout its existence.

• social justice • strong community and strong values • reward for hard work • decency • rights matched by responsibilities”http://www.labour.org.uk/what_is_the_labour_party

The ConservativesThe Conservative party is older than Labour. It

developped from the Tory party in the 1880s. It is on the political right: conservative supporters

generally come from the richer sections of society. It is a right-wing party supporting capitalism and

free enterprise. They seek to avoid any role for the state in economic life. They favour no government control.

It has been the dominant party throughout the 20th century (in government for 58 years between 1918 and 1997).

It has a strong paternalistic tradition.

A strong hierarchyLeader of the PartyThe Parliamentary partyThe National Union (coordination and

dissemination of conservative ideas, a channel of communication between the grassroot and the leaders)

The Conservative Central Office (the organizational core of the party)

The Conservatives’ political agenda BIG SOCIETY: « We are helping people to come together to improve

their own lives. The Big Society is about putting more power in people’s hands - a massive transfer of power from Whitehall to local communities. We want to see community empowerment, the opening up public services, and people encouraged and enabled to play a more active part in society.”

CLEANING UP POLITICS: “We have a wide-ranging programme to improve the political system we inherited from Labour. We are bringing forward reforms which aim to restore people’s faith in their politics and politicians. We want our political system to be more accountable and more transparent.

CLIMATE CHANGE: “The Government believes that climate change is one of the gravest threats we face, and that urgent action at home and abroad is required. We need to use a wide range of levers to cut carbon emissions, decarbonise the economy and support the creation of new green jobs and technologies. We will implement a full programme of measures to fulfil our joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy.”

More at: http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Manifesto.aspx

David CameronDavid Cameron became Prime Minister after

the General Election in May 2010. He leads a Conservative / Liberal Democrat Coalition Government inspired by the values of freedom, fairness and responsibility.

Prior to becoming Prime Minister, David Cameron was elected Leader of the Conservative Party in December 2005 on a mandate to change and modernise his Party. During his time as Leader of the Opposition he promoted social justice and social action; advanced the green agenda; set protecting the NHS as a top priority; and was proud to see a significant increase in the number of women and ethnic minority candidates standing for the Conservative Party.

Evolution of party ideologies

Older divisions: the Whigs and the ToriesThe Whigs wanted to restrict royal authority

while the Tories supported the monarchy.The Whigs believed that Parliament should

have more power than the King or Queen. The Whigs were in favour of religious

freedom and political reforms. The Tories were the party of the Church of England. They developped into the Conservative party in the 1880s.

In the 19th c. the Whigs changed into the Liberal Party.

The lib-demsThe Liberal Democrats are the third major party. It has enjoyed victories in the local elections mostly.They are generally closer to Labour in their opinions."The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free

and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. We champion the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals, we acknowledge and respect their right to freedom of conscience and their right to develop their talents to the full. We aim to disperse power, to foster diversity and to nurture creativity. We believe that the role of the state is to enable all citizens to attain these ideals, to contribute fully to their communities and to take part in the decisions which affect their lives.“

http://libdems.org.uk/who_we_are.aspx

A historic coalition http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8676607.stmBritain took a leap into the political unknown last night when theConservatives and Liberal

Democrats formed the first full coalition government in Britain since 1945, with David Cameron serving as the country's 52nd prime minister and Nick Clegg becoming his deputy.

The ending of Gordon Brown's premiership and 13 years of Labour rule followed the collapse of last-ditch efforts to forge a progressive government of Labour and the Lib Dems, provoking bitter recriminations on both sides over how Clegg's party arrived at the decision to decide to prop up a Tory government on what will be a five year fixed term .

Cameron finally entered Downing Street after seeing the Queen at Buckingham Palace last night – concluding a remarkable five-day political tug of war.

On the steps of Downing Street, Cameron, Britain's youngest prime minister since 1812, said: "This is going to be hard and difficult work. A coalition will throw up all sorts of challenges. But I believe that together we can provide that strong and stable government that our country needs."

The deal with the Lib Dems, ensuring a 77-seat majority, was finally agreed after Clegg decided he could not create a stable coalition with Labour, partly due to a revolt inside the parliamentary Labour party at the concept of a deal, as well as its likely terms.

If the deal works, it will change the shape of the Conservative party – and if it fails, the Lib Dems could find themselves rubbed out as a progressive force.

The Guardian, 12 May 2010

The coalition in cartoons

This  cartoon by  Peter Brookes from The Times relates to the UK coalition government's plans to cut the budget deficit.

The scene is the  trenches in the First World War. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne is holding the ladder for Treasury Secretary  David Alexander, who is about to " go over the top" and face a hail of bullets—and almost certain death.

Steve Bell, The Guardian