Political Parties of Great Britain

Members of the House of Commons belong to one of the British political parties. The party that wins the majority of parliamentary seats forms a government with the party leader as Prime Minister. Of the remaining parties, the one with the largest number of seats becomes the official opposition.

The two largest political parties in the United Kingdom are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

The Conservative Party

The origins of the Conservative Party – whose full title is the Conservativ e and Unionist Party – go back to the Tones of the late seventeenth century: the word "Conservative" first came into use in the 1830s.

"The fundamental principles of the Conservative Party can be summarised as follows. First, individuals have an absolute right to liberty. Second: ownership is the strongest foundation of individual freedom, opportunity and independence. Third, Conservatives believethat freedom entails responsibilities – to family, neighbours, and to nation. Fourth,it is the role of Government to strengthen individual libertyand choice while protecting the most vulnerable members of the community. Fifth, in economic affairs the Government should establisha climate in which enterprise car, flourish,without directing or ove^r-regulating businesses. Finally, Conservativesbelieve that Britain mustremain strong, with secure defences, in order то provide the surest guarantee of peace".

The Labour Party

The Labour Party was formed in 1906 as a democratic socialist party. Clause 4 of the updated party constitution states: "bythe strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which Dower, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect".

The Labour party advocates socialism and supports the nationalisation of basic industries and services. In general it opposes the power of big business. Many of its members would like to abolish the House of Lords and the annual awards of titles and honours. The party supports higher rates of unemployment compensation, old-age pensions, and other forms of welfare. It was responsible for the establishment in 1948 of the United Kingdom's free medical service, known as the National Health Service. The party gains much of its support from the trade unions, but it has been troubled with internal divisions and decreasing numbers of trade-union members. It lost many votes in the 1987 election because of its controversial defence policy, which called for partial British unilateral disarmament. The main strongholds of Labour support are in the industrial north of England, in Scotland, and in southern Wales.

To this end the partyseeks to achieve: "a dynamic economy serving the public interest", "a just society, which judges its strength by the condition of the weak as much as the strong”, “An open democracy, in which government is held to account by the people”, "A healthy environment,which we protect, enhance and hold in trust for future generations".

The Liberal Democrats

For many years, another party, called the Liberal Party, was the Conservative Party's chief opponent. It developed from the Whig Party, which emerged in the late 1600's. But by the mid-1930's, the Liberal Party had become much smaller than either the Conservative or the Labour party.

In 1981, a number of members of the British Parliament in the moderate wing of the Labour Party quit that party and established the Social Democratic Party.

The Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party then formed an alliance. Each party supported candidates of the other in elections. In addition, the two parties worked together for common goals in Parliament. In 1988, the two parties officially merged to form the Social and Liberal Democratic Party, now called the Liberal Democrats.

The Liberal Democrats were formed in 1988 following the merger of the Liberal Party, established in the 1850's, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), established in 1981. The two parties had fought the next general elections with a joint programme as the Liberal/SDP Alliance.

The Liberal Democrats stand for the right of individuals to have control over their own lives. Individual liberty lies at the heart of their beliefs. They aim to enable men and women to develop their own talents to the full,free from the arbitrary interference of government. The role of the government is to guarantee this freedom, to create an enterprising, competitive, sustainable, market-based economy, to provide high quality services that work for all people and to build peace and prosperity across the planet

Other parties

Other parties in Britain are small nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales – the Scottish National party and the Welsh Nationalist party, Plaid Cymru. In Northern Ireland there are several parties, including the Ulster Unionist party, the Ulster Democratic Unionist party, and the Social Democratic and Labour party. There are also some small far-left parties in Britain – such as the Communist party, the Socialist Workers' party, and the Workers' Revolutionary party – which play no real role in present-day politics.

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