Labour Party

The history of the Labour Party is different from that of the Conservative and Liberal parties. The Labour Party was founded outside Parliament, stimulated by work of socialist propagandists and trade unions. Its aim was to protect legal rights of the unions, to promote legislation in the direct interests of Labour through working-class representatives in Parliament. In 1900, when the Party was formed, its name was the Labour Representative Committee. In 1906 it was renamed into Labour. At its first stages the party collaborated with the Liberal Party making an unofficial alliance with it which was known as "Lib-Lab" policy. This collaboration lasted till the Labour Party itself was strong enough to become one of the main Parliamentary parties.

By its officially stated ideas and purposes the party has claimed to be progressive. Its central ideal has been the brotherhood of men. It has rejected discrimination on grounds of race or colour, it has defended the right of all peoples to freedom, independence and self-government, it has supported the work for world disarmament, it has affirmed the duty of richer nations to assist poorer ones, it stood for social justice and the creation of the socialist community with a classless society and with planned economy. It claims to obtain and hold power only through free democratic institutions, by reforms.

The party has always been unique as it comprises collective members which are trade unions, small parties, different social organizations and groups. The proportion of individual members of the party is comparatively small.

The Labour Government undertook some steps to improve the life of the working people. In the 1960s it increased old-age pensions, abolished fees for some medical services, introduced comprehensive schools, which admit pupils without insulting 11+" exams, and nationalized some important industries. But by and by the policy of the Labours has been shifting rightwards coming closer to that of the Conservatives. The process was precipitated after losing General Elections four times in the second half of the 20th century. The party decided that nuclear bombs were a good thing after all, that low taxes made sense and that privatization had been a success. Labour finally dropped all its old socialist ideas. It got rid of Neil Kinnock with his Welsh accent and working-class background, and chose as its leader a public school educated lawyer with a conservative upbringing – Tony Blair, for the first time the Labour leader was more upper class than the Conservative leader. Blair had done all in his power to cut Labour away from its trade-union ruts. While Tories made a series of mistakes and suffered from the resulting bad publicity, Labour won the 1997 and 2001 elections by a landslide: 63 % seats against 25 % of the Conservatives.

Notes to the text:

Lib-Lab – «либ-лаб» (сторонник союза либералов и лейбористов), от Lib(eral) + Lab(our)

by and by – вскоре

to precipitate – ускорять

rut – колея, борозда

landslide – внушительная победа

Task 7. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations: переименовывать, сотрудничать, сотрудничество, братство, разоружение, получать и удерживать власть, предпринимать определенные шаги, пенсия по старости, отменить плату за медицинские услуги, национализировать промышленность, проиграть всеобщие выборы, ядерные бомбы, избавиться от, консервативное воспитание, страдать от дурной славы, одержать внушительную победу на выборах.

Task 8. Guess the words used in the text by their definitions: link between two groups; to work together; abolition of weapons by a country; money paid to doctors, schools, etc.; money taken by the state from incomes; training of a child; an electoral victory in which one party is totally defeated; to put (a private industry) under government ownership; way of pronouncing.

Task 9. Define the function of “that” in the following sentences:

1. The history of the Labour Party is different from that of the Conservative and Liberal parties.

2. The party decided that nuclear bombs were a good thing after all, that low taxes made sense and that privatization had been a success.

3. But by and by the policy of the Labours has been shifting rightwards coming closer to that of the Conservatives.

Task 10. Answer the questions:

1. What is the origin of the Labour Party?

2. What political priorities does the Labour Party have?

3. What members or organizations does the party comprise?

4. What did the Labour Government do to improve the life of the working people?

5. Why did the Labours lose General Elections four times in the second half of the 20th century?

6. What did the Labour Party do to be in power again?

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