The modern multi-party system of Great Britain was the result of the industrial revolution, which took place in the 18th - early 19th centuries. and which led to the emergence of new classes and the entry into the political arena of new political forces. However, the main opposing parties in elections to Parliament since 1924 have been the Conservative and Labor, which suggests that at present there is a two-party system in the UK.
The Conservative Party, often referred to as the Tory Party, still has 3 million members. The very word "Tory" means "Irish robber", "thief" - this is how the British colonialists called the Irish partisans who fought against English oppression. Later, the Conservatives themselves began to call themselves Tories. This is the main party of the big bourgeoisie and the landed aristocracy, it does not have a permanent official program. On the eve of the general election, the party issues an election manifesto that outlines the main aspects of the internal and foreign policy, which the conservatives intend to adhere to if they come to power. Well-known leaders of the party were J. Chamberlain, W. Churchill, G. Macmillan, M. Thatcher.
The Conservative Party initially advocated the preservation of a strong royal power: it represents those who are supporters of private capital. The Tories opposed the ideas of the French Revolution, the Parliamentary Reform and the development of the trade union movement: they were supporters of colonial policy and opponents of the Laborites on the issue of the nationalization of gas, electricity, coal industry and railways.
The Labor Party, founded in 1900, is predominantly labor in composition, but its leaders were usually right-wing reformists or centrists. It has more than 7 million members, incl. 600 thousand individual, and the rest of the collective members, mainly trade unions, which provide it with significant financial support. Like the Conservatives, the Labor Party does not have a long-term political program that would determine its ultimate goals and the means to achieve them. Instead, the party from time to time outlines the most important current political issues that Labor intends to resolve if they win the next general election to Parliament. However, it should be noted that there is always a huge gap between the election promises of political parties and their actual implementation. Famous leaders of the Labor Party C. Attlee, G. Wilson, J. Callaghan, N. Klinnock.
Before the First World War, the Liberal Party (or the Whig Party) was second only to the Conservatives in terms of political and social influence on the British. The Liberal Party is over 300 years old. Whigs were called liberals by conservatives (whig is a Scottish preacher who could read moralized sermons for 4-5 hours). In the middle of the 19th century The Liberal Party represented the interests of merchants and industrialists. The slogan of that time was "For civil and religious freedom". The first administration in 1868-1874 led by William Gladstone, and for a long time the Liberals had a majority in Parliament. In the second half of the 19th century many workers saw the Liberal Party as an alternative to the Conservative Party and its policies. But, having endured a number of difficult situations in the parliamentary elections in the 20s of our century, the Liberal Party was no longer able to restore its former influence on the masses. The party currently holds, as a rule, few seats in the Parliament.
V last years several seats in the House of Commons of the British Parliament were also held by the Scottish National Party, the Welsh Nationalist Party, the Communist Party of Great Britain, the Social Democratic Party (founded in 1981. Most of it merged with the Liberal Party, forming a party called the Social Liberal Democrats: its other some only existed for a few years.
It is believed that the first political parties (proto-parties) emerged in this country in the second half of the 18th century. Great Britain is a state with developed manifestations of political and ideological pluralism, although there is no extensive codified legislation on parties.
A two-party political system has been established in the country, based on competition and interaction between the bourgeois conservative and the centre-left Labor parties. At the national level, there are about 10 parties, but the “tone” is set Conservatives and Labor. After 1945, the government was formed exclusively by representatives of these parties. The main institutional factor supporting the two-party system is the majority electoral system of a simple majority, which allows creating a situation in which the winner takes all the advantages, which puts other parties at a disadvantage.
important place in the public political life takes Labor Party(from English. labor- workers) is a centre-left, social democratic organization with a rich history.
This party was founded in 1900 by the British trade unions and in 1906 adopted its modern name. One of the tasks set at its creation is the representation and protection of employees in parliament and other bodies state power- was implemented in the 1920s. 20th century Since that time, Labor has repeatedly won elections and formed a government. In the 90s. 20th century the party, seeking to expand its social base, abandoned a number of unpopular and odious slogans - the nationalization of key sectors of the economy, opposition to the military-political alliance with America, etc. are gradually turning into a people's political organization, pushing apart social barriers and stereotypes. The ideological and theoretical basis of the party is the ideology of democratic socialism.
In the party leadership, strong positions still belong to the largest trade union center - the British Congress of Trade Unions.
Organizationally, the Labor Party is a kind of federation consisting of both collective members (members of trade unions and various societies) and individuals who are members of this organization on the basis of individual membership. The latter represent a minority in the general party composition.
The decisive role in the formation and implementation of party policy belongs to the Labor faction in the House of Commons of the British Parliament. The working body of the party is the national executive committee, elected at the annual autumn party conference. However, the real power is concentrated in the hands of the party leader, who, if he wins the election, becomes the head of government, as happened, for example, in 1997, 2001 and 2005. After 18 years of Conservative rule in 1997, the Labor Party came to power, having won a majority in parliament. In the May elections to the House of Commons in 2005, the Labor Party, having won a landslide victory, made it possible for Prime Minister T. Blair to become the head of the British government for the third time (since 2007, G. Brown has been Prime Minister). However, in recent years, due to the difficult socio-economic situation and corruption scandals, the authority of the Laborites has declined significantly.
Labor's main rival conservatives(unofficial name - tory). They took organizational shape in 1867, although some elements of the party structure and ideology had existed since the end of the 18th century. This respectable and influential party in the past century was in power more often and for a longer period than any other: it is enough to name the popular Tory politicians B. Disraeli, W. Churchill and M. Thatcher. Initially, the Conservative Party expressed the interests of large landowners and the clergy, and later - of wide circles of the colonial banking and big industrial bourgeoisie. She preaches traditional right-wing conservative ideals and values, but at the same time taking into account the “British specificity”. Conservatives have strong positions in parliament, regional authorities and municipalities. The leader of the party has enormous power, who, if the party wins the parliamentary elections, becomes the prime minister. He is not obliged to obey the decisions of the annual conferences of the party. The faction of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons has a great influence on the policy of the party.
The third largest political party in the UK is Party of Social Liberal Democrats, originating from the Whigs (end of the 18th century). According to the results of the 2005 parliamentary elections, she had 62 seats in the 625-seat parliament.
In addition, there are the Social Democratic Party, which broke away from the Labor Party, and the small and insignificant Communist and Socialist Workers' Parties. Since the 80s 20th century there is an activation of regional political (as well as cultural and educational) organizations - Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, widely using popular slogans of national revival. As a rule, their influence is limited to the territory of a particular region.
13.4. UK Parliament: internal organization, powers
The oldest parliament in the world is the English Parliament, whose creation dates back to the 13th century, when, at the request of the rebellious feudal lords, King John the Landless in 1215 signed the Magna Carta. She entrusted the monarch with the duty to create for the establishment of taxes General advice kingdoms. Therefore, the British Parliament is called the father of all parliaments. In the UK, the concept of "parliament" as a proper name began to be used to refer to a nationwide representative institution.
The importance of the state forum was already won by the English parliament in the 13th century, becoming a classic example of a representative body. Later, in the XVI-XVII centuries. it acts as a class-representative body under the monarch. However, only after the bourgeois revolution of the XVII century. Parliament acquires real and multifaceted significance. It should be borne in mind that the system of parliamentarism in the West arose as a denial of the absolutism of state power in the person of the monarch, the all-powerful first person in the state.
The originality of the British Parliament lies in the preservation of various archaic features, which are reflected in many aspects of its organization and activities. When people talk about Parliament as the country's supreme legislative body, they mean not only both houses of Parliament, but also the Queen, who is an integral institution (part) of Parliament.
When analyzing the place of parliament in the UK system of government, it should be taken into account that it was based on two fundamental principles - parliamentary supremacy and parliamentary (responsible) government.
The British Parliament is an example of a bicameral representative body, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. At the same time, the British monarch is considered an integral part of Parliament.
The most important feature of Parliament is also that one of its chambers - House of Lords- is formed by inheritance, in other words, on a non-electoral basis. Membership in it is conditioned by obtaining a title of nobility, which gives the right to be a member. For a long time it was the largest upper house among European countries. Members of the House of Lords were in the late 90s. 20th century more than 1200 peers of parliament, titled nobility, whose names are inscribed in the "golden book" of the English nobility.
constitutional reform, which began in 1999 at the initiative of the Labor government, defines the most important direction reforming the English Parliament and above all the procedure for the formation and legal status of the upper house. Back in 1997, the Laborites promised to remove hereditary peers from the Chamber, and after coming to power, they began to implement pre-election initiatives aimed generally at democratizing the status of the Chamber.
At the first stage of the constitutional reform, which should be carried out within 10 years, on the basis of Art. 1 of the House of Lords Act 1999, the status of hereditary peers was eliminated and the number of broadswords was halved (to 665 members): only 92 hereditary peers (10% of their total number) and about 573 life peers, including bishops, retained their seats. Moreover, 92 hereditary peers received the hereditary right to sit and vote during the transition period of the reform by secret ballot of their colleagues in the chamber, and 10 hereditary peers agreed to the government's ultimatum: to change the title of hereditary peer to the title of life. The right *ia to participate in the activities of the House was retained by the Lords, whose title was conferred by the monarch in recognition of their personal merit and at the suggestion of the government. The rest of the Lords have the right to stand for election, including in the lower house - the House of Commons.
In the second phase of the reform by 2011, the Laborites plan to abolish the House of Lords. It is assumed that it will be replaced by a new upper chamber (its name has not yet been decided), consisting of 600 deputies. 120 of them will be elected in general elections on party lists, another 120 will be appointed by a special independent commission. The rest (360 deputies) will be appointed by the leaders of the political parties in proportion to the results of the elections to the House of Commons. According to the reform, the upper house must be at least 30% men and 30% women. The House will continue to have veto power over decisions of the Commons.
controversy about possible models The upper chamber in the expert community does not subside even after the 2005 elections. Most British experts and many politicians are inclined to believe that in the near future it is better to confine ourselves to introducing a moderate element of electivity in the upper chamber.
There are currently four types of membership in the House of Lords:
Lords Spiritual (Archbishops of York and Canterbury and Bishops of the Church of England);
Judicial lords (former and current senior judicial officials appointed to the chamber to provide qualified assistance in resolving court cases);
hereditary peers;
Life peers (received a title and a seat in the House for meritorious service to the Crown), they do not have the right to inherit their title. The first two categories of members of the chamber are not considered peers.
It is noteworthy that despite such an expanded composition of the chamber, the quorum is only three people, and basically about 100 people take part in its work (judicial lords and lords for life). For a long time, the work of the House of Lords was headed by the Lord Chancellor, who was appointed to the position by the Prime Minister. The Lord Chancellor was at the same time a member of the cabinet (minister), speaker of the upper house of parliament and the chief judge, who single-handedly appoints judges. Such a combination in the hands of one person of key functions government controlled and the exercise of the judiciary was a clear anachronism and could not contribute to strengthening the status of the independence of the judiciary. Continuing the process of reforming the upper house of parliament, in 2003 British Prime Minister Tony Blair came up with new initiatives to abolish the post of Lord Chancellor, establish Supreme Court, designed to take over the functions of the Lord Justices, and the creation of an independent commission for the appointment of judges.
As a result of the reform, since 2004, the head of the House of Lords has held this position on an intra-house elective basis and is not part of the government. By tradition, the head of the House of Lords takes part in debates and voting, but does not decide on procedural issues, as does speaker the House of Commons. These powers are exercised by the chamber independently with the coordination of the leader of the chamber, which is the head of its largest party faction. There are only non-specialized committees in the chamber. Also in the course of the reform, a Ministry for Constitutional Affairs was created, which was supposed to take over most of the powers of the Lord Chancellor, including in the judiciary.
In outline jurisdiction of the House of Lords includes the following powers: a) legislative, b) control, c) judicial. The first group of powers ensures the participation of the chamber in the legislative process (consideration in accordance with the procedure of introduced bills - bills, the exception here is a special requirement for the adoption of financial bills, which are submitted only to the House of Commons; amending bills adopted by the lower house, etc. ). The second group of powers mainly lies in the soft control over the work of the government. The judicial powers of the chamber are significant and are already determined by the fact that it is the highest court of appeal.
In general, the powers and general status of the House of Lords, despite the constitutional reforms, do not change. It must retain its "subordinate" position, but become more legitimate. At the same time, the effectiveness of its work, especially in the field of examination of bills adopted by the House of Commons, should increase significantly.
lower house - the House of Commons - the only elected central body of state power. Only members of this House may be called Members of Parliament.
By the 2005 parliamentary elections, the number of members of the chamber was reduced from 659 to 646 members, elected by universal equal secret and direct voting for a period of five years. This reduction in the size of the House of Commons is associated with the consolidation of constituencies in Scotland. The Special Constituency Boundaries Commission reduced the number of constituencies from 72 to 59 in connection with the Scotland Act, which provides for the creation of its own Scottish Parliament and the elimination of the abnormal disproportion of Scottish representatives in the British Parliament. As a result of the new division of districts, the number of voters living in the territory of one constituency was brought closer to the British average of 68,000 voters per district.
The House of Commons is headed speaker. This responsible position has existed since 1377. The House of Commons can be dissolved by the monarch. Traditionally, the formal consent of the queen to the dissolution of parliament marks the beginning of the election campaign. Under British law, parliamentary elections must take place 17 working days after the dissolution of the former parliament. During the period when parliament is dissolved, politicians can campaign, but they are not allowed to enter the Palace of Westminster building, where parliament is located.
Any British subject (as well as citizens of Ireland and the Commonwealth 1 living in the country) who has reached the age of 21 and satisfies the qualifications established in the legislation, among which the qualification of incompatibility should be mentioned: a ban on being members of parliament for persons holding certain public offices (professional paid judges, civil servants, military personnel, etc.). The electoral deposit is £500. Art., it is not returned if the candidate received less than 5% of the votes.
Elections to the House of Commons are held under a majority system. At the same time, there is no requirement for a candidate to receive a minimum percentage of votes.
In the last parliamentary elections to the lower house (May 5, 2005), Labor again won, having received an overwhelming majority of deputy mandates - 356, the Conservatives won 197 seats, increasing the size of their parliamentary faction by 33 deputies compared to the previous elections in 2001, and the Liberals Democrats have increased their representation in the House of Commons from 52 to 62 deputies compared to 2001. The remaining parties in the British Parliament are currently represented by 31 MPs. It should be noted that according to the British tradition, the status of the ruling party is recognized for the party, provided that it stays in power for two full parliamentary terms - at least eight years. And in the XX century. Labor has never been able to maintain the status of the ruling party.
To the most important powers of the chamber include: adoption of laws, budget, consideration of financial bills, parliamentary control over the activities of the government. Only this chamber can express no confidence in the latter.
In the UK, as in other Western European countries Ah, the independence of deputies proclaimed by the constitution is substantially limited by rigid factional discipline aimed at maintaining unity and solidarity. In the House of Commons, debates take place mainly between those in leadership positions in the Conservative and Labor parties, the role of ordinary parliamentarians in this process, as political scientists have aptly noted, is reduced to “support groups cheering on leaders.”
In general, the UK can be safely described as a country with a stable and significant role for Parliament, largely due to the continuity of parliamentary development, comparable only to the United States.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on April 6 that the next general parliamentary elections in the country will be held on May 6 this year.
Traditionally, representatives of several dozen parties are allowed to participate in elections (there were about 60 in the last elections in 2005), but only ten parties are currently represented in the House of Commons, which now consists of 646 deputies.
This is due to the single-member election system, when the candidate who receives a simple majority of votes is recognized as the winner in a particular constituency. It is more difficult for small parties to claim victory in individual constituencies, despite the fact that they sometimes gain a significant share of the popular vote.
Three main forces
The Labor Party is the ruling party of the United Kingdom and has been in power since 1997. The leader (since 2007) is British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (Gordon Brown, 59).
The Labor Party was formed at the beginning of the 20th century with the active participation of representatives of the labor movement of the left-wing orientation ("labour" in English means "work", " work force"). For many years, Labor has occupied the left side of the UK political spectrum. Trade unions still continue to play a prominent role in the party.
Against the background of a sharp decline in popularity among voters, the younger generation of Labor, led by Tony Blair, Peter Mandelson and Gordon Brown, developed the ideology of "new labor" in the mid-1990s. The party abandoned socialist ideas and became center-left, starting the struggle for the voters of the English middle class. This was not long in affecting the growth of the party's ratings, and in 1997 the Labor Party received a record number of mandates (418) and an absolute majority (179 seats) in the House of Commons.
Labor advocates maintaining the necessary role of the state in the economy, eliminating social inequality and supporting social programs in the field of education, health care and combating unemployment, immigration limited by economic needs, protecting the rights of minorities and active European integration.
In the 2005 general parliamentary elections, Labor won a 35.3% share of the vote and 356 seats (an absolute majority) in Parliament. Tony Blair became the first Labor leader to lead the party to victory in elections three times in a row. However, in 2005 Labor won by a markedly smaller margin than in 1997 or 2001. The reason for this was electoral fatigue from being in power of one party, the negative attitude of society towards the British participation in the war in Iraq, the disappointment of voters in the politics of the Labor Party and problems within the party itself.
Laborites are traditionally popular with voters in the industrial regions of northern and northwestern England, in London, as well as in Scotland and Wales.
Currently, in public opinion polls, Labor is gaining 27-33% of the vote.
The main slogan of the party in the upcoming elections is the phrase "Future fair for all" ("Future fair for all").
The Conservative Party, also known politically and colloquially as the "Tory" (named after the old party from which modern conservatives have grown). Since 1997 - the largest opposition party in the United Kingdom. The leader (since 2005) is the head of the "shadow" cabinet of ministers, David Cameron (David Cameron, 43 years old).
After the most charismatic Conservative leader of the 20th century, the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher, left big politics, the Conservatives experienced a difficult period in their history: low ratings, frequent leadership changes in search of a bright personality and attempts to reform the party program.
In the 2005 elections, the Conservatives won 32.3% of the popular vote and won 192 seats in the House of Commons, once again becoming Her Majesty's official opposition. Under the leadership of David Cameron, the party rebranded itself with a green tree as its symbol, as a symbol of the party's commitment to environmental issues, previously the prerogative of left-wing parties. Cameron rejuvenated the Conservatives' "shadow cabinet" by moving the party to the center of the political spectrum and starting to fight for new constituencies.
Conservatives in the formation of the lists of candidates for the 2010 elections, following other parties, relied on equality and diversity, primarily on increasing the proportion of women, representatives of ethnic and other minorities.
The main points of the Conservatives' program are the reduction of excessive funding for social programs and the role of the state in the economy, more responsible spending of public funds, encouragement of private entrepreneurial initiative, protection of traditional family values, adoption of a law on mandatory referendum of any decision on the transfer of power from the UK to the European Union.
The Conservatives are traditionally popular with voters in wealthy rural areas in central, southern and south-eastern England, as well as in affluent areas of London.
Currently, in opinion polls, conservatives are gaining 35-41% of the vote.
The main slogan of the party in the upcoming elections is the phrase "Time for change" ("Time For Change").
The Liberal Democrats is the third largest and most influential political party in the UK. The name is often shortened to Lib Dems. Leader (since 2007) - Nick Clegg (Nick Clegg, 43 years old).
The Liberal Democratic Party was formed in 1988 as a result of the merger of the Liberal and Social Democratic parties. On the British political spectrum, "libdems" occupy the most centrist position with a slight bias to the left. Party leader Nick Clegg is more center-right than most of his associates in the party leadership.
The Liberal Democrats suffer the most from the absence of a proportional electoral system in the UK. Thus, in the 2005 parliamentary elections, they received 22.1% of the vote, but only 62 seats in the House of Commons (less than 10% of the total number of mandates). That is why the "libdems" are actively promoting the idea of a transition to a proportional electoral system instead of the current majoritarian one.
In addition, the program of the party has a strong environmental and pro-European component, they are in favor of the election of the House of Lords; in the economy - for less government intervention. The Libdems won respect for the fact that, unlike the Laborites and the Conservatives, they did not support Britain's participation in the Iraq campaign at the time.
Currently, the Liberal Democrats are gaining 18-21% of the vote in opinion polls. They are most actively supported by residents of southwestern England, Cornwall, rural areas of Scotland and Wales, as well as the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge.
The Liberal Democrats have consistently improved their electoral results since 1997, and many commentators see them as key if neither of the two leading parties wins an absolute majority and a "hung parliament" situation emerges.
In their election slogan, the Liberal Democrats combined the main messages of the Labor and Conservative parties - "Change that works for you: building a fairer Britain" ("Change that works for you: building a fairer Britain").
National parties
In Scotland and Wales, the positions of local national parties are traditionally strong - the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Welsh Plaid Cymru.
The SNP is the first largest faction in the Scottish Parliament and forms a minority government. Plaid Cymry is the second largest faction in the Welsh Assembly and forms a coalition government with Labor.
The main points of the programs of both parties is the achievement of the independence of Scotland and Wales, and as we move towards this goal, the achievement of maximum autonomy within the United Kingdom and the European Union.
In the national parliament, the positions of the SNP and Plaid Camry are much weaker. Scottish nationalists in the elections in 2005 received 1.5% of the vote and 6 seats in the House of Commons, the Welsh gained 0.6%, winning in 3 deputy districts.
A separate party system exists in Northern Ireland, where four main parties are currently active. Two of them - the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) - advocate the preservation of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom and protect the interests of the Protestant majority of Ulster. The other two - the Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP) and Sinn Fein - protect the interests of the Republicans and advocate for the unification of Ireland.
The two extremes of the Northern Irish political spectrum, the DUP and Sinn Féin, are currently forming a coalition administration for Ulster.
According to the results of the elections in 2005, DUP received 0.9% of the total vote in the United Kingdom and 9 seats, UUP - 0.5% and 1 seat (currently UUP has a cooperation pact with the British Conservative Party), SDLP - 0.5% and 3 seats, Sinn Fein - 0.6% and 5 mandates.
Sinn Fein MPs have been boycotting their parliamentary duties in London for years, as their work in Parliament requires an oath of allegiance to the British monarch, which is contrary to their political beliefs.
The votes of small parliamentary factions become important in free voting, when the ruling party cannot force its members to vote with a united front and there may not be enough votes to pass a government bill.
Political outcasts
The Respect and Health Concern micro-parties each have one seat in parliament. The Respect Party was formed in 2004, and its only representative in Parliament is George Galloway, an ultra-left MP expelled from the Labor Party. He became famous for his indefatigable criticism of the British campaign in Iraq, participation in the reality show "Big Brother", litigation with the British media, defense of socialist ideals and support for extremist movements. The Health Concern, based in Kidderminster, originally campaigned for the rebuilding of a defunct ER at the local hospital, but has since expanded its agenda.
Three influential political forces of Great Britain, which already have mandates in local authorities and in the European Parliament (elections to it are held according to the proportional system), are still not represented in Parliament.
This is the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), which sets the country's exit from the European Union as its main task. In 2005, the party won 2.2% of the national vote, but did not win in any constituency.
This is the Green Party, which promotes defense issues environment, stands for the localization of the economy and the legalization of soft drugs, while taking a moderately Eurosceptic position. In the 2005 elections, the party won 1.0% of the British vote, but did not receive seats in Parliament.
This is the far-right British National Party (BNP), which advocates the prohibition of immigration to the UK, the restoration of corporal punishment and the partial restoration of the death penalty for especially serious crimes - pedophilia, terrorism and murder. Only in 2010, the party allowed to accept into its ranks representatives of other races and ethnic groups, in addition to white British. The BNP currently has one member in the London Assembly and two in the European Parliament, but it does not yet have members in the British Parliament. In the last parliamentary elections, she won 0.7% of the vote.
In 2005, a total of about 60 parties participated in the elections, the deputies from which gained more than 500 votes. Among them there were very exotic ones, for example, the Alliance for the Legalization of Cannabis, Let's Make Politicians History, and the Scottish Pensioners' Party. In addition, well-known political and social movements were represented in various districts, which are not very popular in Britain - socialists, communists, Christian democrats and others.
According to public opinion polls, small parties in the upcoming elections can count on a total of 9-17% of the vote.
Three main forces
The Labor Party is the ruling party of the United Kingdom and has been in power since 1997. The leader (since 2007) is British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (Gordon Brown, 59).
The Labor Party was formed at the beginning of the 20th century with the active participation of representatives of the left-wing labor movement ("labour" in English means "labor", "labour force"). For years, Labor has occupied the left side of the UK political spectrum. Trade unions continue to play a prominent role in the party.
Against the background of a sharp decline in popularity among voters, the younger generation of Labor, led by Tony Blair, Peter Mandelson and Gordon Brown, developed the ideology of "new labor" in the mid-1990s. The party abandoned socialist ideas and became center-left, starting the struggle for the voters of the English middle class. This was not long in affecting the growth of the party's ratings, and in 1997 the Labor Party received a record number of mandates (418) and an absolute majority (179 seats) in the House of Commons.
Labor advocates maintaining the necessary role of the state in the economy, eliminating social inequality and supporting social programs in the field of education, health care and combating unemployment, immigration limited by economic needs, protecting the rights of minorities and active European integration.
Laborites are traditionally popular with voters in the industrial regions of northern and northwestern England, in London, as well as in Scotland and Wales.
The main slogan of the party in the upcoming elections is the phrase "Future fair for all" ("Future fair for all").
Currently, in public opinion polls, Labor is gaining 27-33% of the vote.
The Conservative Party, also known politically and colloquially as the "Tory" (named after the old party from which modern conservatives have grown). Since 1997 - the largest opposition party in the United Kingdom. The leader (since 2005) is the head of the "shadow" cabinet of ministers, David Cameron (David Cameron, 43 years old).
After the most charismatic Conservative leader of the 20th century, the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher, left big politics, the Conservatives experienced a difficult period in their history: low ratings, frequent leadership changes in search of a bright personality and attempts to reform the party program.
The main points of the Conservatives' program are the reduction of excessive funding for social programs and the role of the state in the economy, more responsible spending of public funds, encouragement of private entrepreneurial initiative, protection of traditional family values, adoption of a law on mandatory referendum of any decision on the transfer of power from the UK to the European Union.
The Conservatives are traditionally popular with voters in wealthy rural areas in central, southern and south-eastern England, as well as in affluent areas of London.
The main slogan of the party in the upcoming elections is the phrase "Time for change" ("Time For Change").
Currently, in opinion polls, conservatives are gaining 35-41% of the vote.
The Liberal Democrats is the third largest and most influential political party in the UK. The name is often shortened to Lib Dems. Leader (since 2007) - Nick Clegg (Nick Clegg, 43 years old).
The Liberal Democratic Party was formed in 1988 as a result of the merger of the Liberal and Social Democratic parties. On the British political spectrum, "libdems" occupy the most centrist position with a slight bias to the left. Party leader Nick Clegg is more center-right than most of his associates in the party leadership.
In addition, the program of the party has a strong environmental and pro-European component, they are in favor of the election of the House of Lords; in the economy - for less government intervention. The Libdems won respect for the fact that, unlike the Laborites and the Conservatives, they did not support Britain's participation in the Iraq campaign at the time.
Currently, the Liberal Democrats are gaining 18-21% of the vote in opinion polls. They are most actively supported by residents of southwestern England, Cornwall, rural areas of Scotland and Wales, as well as the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge.
The Liberal Democrats have consistently improved their electoral results since 1997, and many commentators see them as key if neither of the two leading parties wins an absolute majority and a "hung parliament" situation emerges.
In their election slogan, the Liberal Democrats combined the main messages of the Labor and Conservative parties - "Change that works for you: building a fairer Britain" ("Change that works for you: building a fairer Britain").
National parties
In Scotland and Wales, the positions of local national parties are traditionally strong - the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Welsh Plaid Cymru.
The SNP is the first largest faction in the Scottish Parliament and forms a minority government. Plaid Cymry is the second largest faction in the Welsh Assembly and forms a coalition government with Labor.
The main points of the programs of both parties is the achievement of the independence of Scotland and Wales, and as we move towards this goal, the achievement of maximum autonomy within the United Kingdom and the European Union.
In the national parliament, the positions of the SNP and Plaid Camry are much weaker. Scottish nationalists in the elections in 2005 received 1.5% of the vote and 6 seats in the House of Commons, the Welsh gained 0.6%, winning in 3 deputy districts.
A separate party system exists in Northern Ireland, where there are currently four main parties. Two of them - the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) - advocate the preservation of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom and protect the interests of the Protestant majority of Ulster. The other two - the Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP) and Sinn Fein - protect the interests of the Republicans and advocate for the unification of Ireland.
The two extremes of the Northern Irish political spectrum, the DUP and Sinn Féin, are currently forming a coalition administration for Ulster.
According to the results of the elections in 2005, DUP received 0.9% of the total vote in the United Kingdom and 9 seats, UUP - 0.5% and 1 seat (currently UUP has a cooperation pact with the British Conservative Party), SDLP - 0.5% and 3 seats, Sinn Fein - 0.6% and 5 mandates.
Sinn Fein MPs have been boycotting their parliamentary duties in London for years, as their work in Parliament requires an oath of allegiance to the British monarch, which is contrary to their political beliefs.
The votes of small parliamentary factions become important in free voting, when the ruling party cannot force its members to vote with a united front and there may not be enough votes to pass a government bill.
Political outcasts
The Respect and Health Concern micro-parties each have one seat in parliament. The Respect Party was formed in 2004, and its only representative in Parliament is George Galloway, an ultra-left MP expelled from the Labor Party. He became famous for his indefatigable criticism of the British campaign in Iraq, participation in the reality show "Big Brother", litigation with the British media, defense of socialist ideals and support for extremist movements. The Health Concern, based in Kidderminster, originally campaigned for the rebuilding of a defunct ER at the local hospital, but has since expanded its agenda.
Three influential political forces of Great Britain, which already have mandates in local authorities and in the European Parliament (elections to it are held according to the proportional system), are still not represented in Parliament.
This is the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), which sets the country's exit from the European Union as its main task. In 2005, the party won 2.2% of the national vote, but did not win in any constituency.
This is the Green Party, which promotes environmental issues, advocates for the localization of the economy and the legalization of soft drugs, while taking a moderately Eurosceptic position. In the 2005 elections, the party won 1.0% of the British vote, but did not receive seats in Parliament.
This is the far-right British National Party (BNP), which advocates the prohibition of immigration to the UK, the restoration of corporal punishment and the partial restoration of the death penalty for especially serious crimes - pedophilia, terrorism and murder. Only in 2010, the party allowed to accept into its ranks representatives of other races and ethnic groups, in addition to white British. The BNP currently has one member in the London Assembly and two in the European Parliament, but it does not yet have members in the British Parliament. In the last parliamentary elections, she won 0.7% of the vote.
In 2005, a total of about 60 parties participated in the elections, the deputies from which gained more than 500 votes. Among them there were very exotic ones, for example, the Alliance for the Legalization of Cannabis, Let's Make Politicians History, and the Scottish Pensioners' Party. In addition, well-known political and social movements were represented in various districts, which are not very popular in Britain - socialists, communists, Christian democrats and others.
According to public opinion polls, small parties in the upcoming elections can count on a total of 9-17% of the vote.
Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Legislative power is vested in the monarch (queen) and parliament, which consists of the elected House of Commons and the House of Lords. The official head of state is the Queen. In fact, power is concentrated in the hands of the cabinet of ministers, formed by the ruling party.
Great Britain is the center of the Commonwealth of Nations, a political and economic association that, along with Great Britain, includes sovereign states that were part of the British Empire before independence, as well as dependent territories of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
Despite the weakening of economic positions and political influence in the post-war years, Great Britain remains one of the leading imperialist powers of the world, maintains strong economic and military-political positions in the system of world capitalism. Participating in the main aggressive military-political blocs (NATO, SEATO, CENTO), having a large industrial and military potential, as well as developed international relations, Great Britain directly or indirectly participates in solving most major foreign policy problems. 1.1 1973 Great Britain became a member of the EEC. The British ruling circles are counting on the fact that membership in the EEC will not only enhance the role of Great Britain in Europe, but will also make it possible to solve the serious social and economic problems of the country.
COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREAT BRITAIN (CPW)- based on the founding congress on 31.VII-I.VIII 1920, in London, as a result of the unification of the left groups of the British Socialist Party, the Socialist Labor Party, the Socialist Federation of Workers, the Socialist Association of South Wales, the Irish Socialists and other, smaller left- socialist groups. In 1920 she joined the Comintern.
From the very beginning of its founding, the party waged a struggle to strengthen its ranks, against the right and left revisionists, for the creation of a united workers' front, and against the anti-labor policy of the Labor elite.
During the Second World War, the British Communists sought to intensify the country's participation in the war against fascism and open a second front in Europe.
The CPV has some influence in the trade unions, has influence in the cooperative and women's movements, in the organization of war veterans, and manages the activities of the British Peace Committee.
XXX Congress of the CPV (November 1967) adopted new program party "Britain's Path to Socialism" (a revised version of the program adopted at the XXII Congress in 1952 and subjected to significant changes at the 25th Extraordinary Party Congress on 11 1957).
The CPV is focusing its attention on achieving unity in the actions of the left, progressive forces of the country, strengthening its influence in the trade unions, organizing the strike movement, mass demonstrations of workers against anti-union legislation and the policy of freezing wages, against the england's equality in the Common Market, for a democratic solution to the Ulster crisis .
The focus of the XXXIII Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (November 1973) was questions of further rallying the left forces of the country in the struggle against the anti-people policy of the conservative government of Heath, for the consolidation of peace and European security, and the expansion of the party's ties with the masses.
Delegations of the CPV took part in the work of the International Meetings of Communist and Workers' Parties in 1957, 1960 and 1969. 
Since 1950, the CPV has not had its representatives in the House of Commons. English Parliament. In the early parliamentary elections (1974), communist candidates ran in 44 constituencies and received about 35,000 votes.
The CPV is built on the principle of democratic centralism, organizationally on the basis of the territorial-production principle. Factory, university and territorial primary organizations are united by city and district committees. The highest body of the party is the congress (convened once every 2 years), in the intervals between congresses - the Executive Committee, which elects the Political Committee. Party membership - 30 thousand people.
General Secretary CPV - D. Gollan, Chairman of the Executive Committee - A. Swan.
The central printed organ of the CPV is the weekly magazine Komment (Comment). The party also publishes the daily Morning Star (Morning Star), the monthly theoretical journal Marxism Today (Marxism Today), and the monthly socio-political journal Labor Monthly (Workers Monthly).
UK CONSERVATIVE PARTY(official name "National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations") - organizationally took shape in 1867 on the basis of political groups of the English landed aristocracy (Tory). It unites in its ranks representatives of the ruling classes, higher officers, officials, part of the bourgeois intelligentsia and expresses the interests of the monopoly bourgeoisie and big landowners.
Domestic politics conservatives is aimed at hard capitalist rationalization by further attacking the vital interests of the working people.
In their foreign policy activities, the conservatives constantly emphasize their adherence to the course of maintaining and strengthening the military power of NATO, a close military-political alliance with the United States. However, Britain's membership in the EEC is beginning to affect Anglo-American relations, primarily in trade, economic and financial areas.
In the 1970 parliamentary elections, the Conservative Party won 330 seats (an absolute majority) and formed the government. In February 1974, as the crisis of British capitalism continued to deepen, economic difficulties increased, inflation increased, prices continued to rise and the situation of workers worsened, the Conservatives, using the miners' general strike as a pretext, held snap elections to Parliament. Having received 296 seats, they lost their absolute majority and were forced to cede power to the Labor Party, going into opposition.
The Conservative Party does not have a clearly formulated program and charter. It is made up of 630 local associations, each covering an electoral area. Party membership is not formalized. The party includes about 3 million people. The party's financial resources are formed by donations from representatives of large industrial and financial capital.
The highest organs of the party are formally the annual conference, the Central Council and the Executive Committee. However, they have no real power and serve only link between the leader of the party and the mass of the party.
The leader of the party is E. Heath, the chairman of the Central Council is Lord Carrington.
The Conservatives publish a weekly newspaper, The News Letter. They are supported by a large number of major English newspapers and magazines.
UK LABOR PARTY- founded in 1900 under the name of the Workers' Representation Committee, which brought together individual trade union organizations and social democratic groups. The main task of the committee was to achieve the election of deputies to the parliament from its member organizations. In 1906, the committee was officially renamed the Labor (Workers) Party.
From the moment the party was born, it was led by social reformist figures who sought to ensure "class peace" in the country through compromises between workers and capitalists. Lenin's characterization of the class essence of the Labor Party as a bourgeois party through and through retains its force today.
Over the years the Labor Party has become the largest political party in England and one of the leading parties of the Socialist International.
The Labor Party was in power 4 times (from January to November 1924, from May 1929 to August 1931, from June 1945 to October 1951 and from October 1964 to June 1970). In the parliamentary elections of 1974, the party won 301 seats and formed.
government, although it does not have a majority in parliament.
One of the main directions of the internal political strategy of the Labor leadership after the elections of 1970 is the course taken by them to strengthen the alliance with the trade unions, the desire to attract the sympathy of numerous categories of the working class to the side of the party. The Labor leadership, forced to reckon with a certain shift to the left in the labor movement of the country and in the party, with the increased role of trade unions, is trying to develop a more realistic and effective socio-economic strategy.
The party leaders, having come to power, confirmed their election promises to seek a "fundamental revision" of the terms of England's accession to the EEC, some increase in Old Age pensions, state subsidies to curb food prices, but also at the same time increase direct and indirect taxation.
The pre-election promise of the Laborites to carry out a radical redistribution of wealth in favor of the working people was not seriously reflected in the budget of the new government.
As a result of a certain shift to the left within the Labor Party, the position of its leadership on a number of foreign policy issues is more moderate and outrageous than the position of the Conservatives.
In the election manifesto of the Labor Party (1974), the policy of the Conservatives was criticized as negative, ignoring changes on the European continent and throughout the world. The party leadership remains firmly committed to NATO. The Laborites have judged the terms of the deal between the Conservatives and the racist regime in Southern Rhodesia and are in favor of ending cooperation with the Portuguese colonizers.
The leadership of the Labor Party advocates the development of all-round relations with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. In June 1973 an official delegation of the Executive Committee of the Labor Party headed by its chairman W. Simpson came to the Soviet Union.
There are 6310 thousand people in the ranks of the Labor Party. Party membership is both collective and individual. On the rights of collective membership, it includes 67 trade unions (5559 thousand people) and 6 socialist and cooperative organizations (the cooperative society, the Fabian society, the Jewish socialist workers' party, the socialist association of educators, the socialist association of physicians and the society of labor lawyers - in total 25.5 thousand people). The number of individual members, who are the most active part of the party, is about 700 thousand people. The party is built on the administrative-territorial principle.
The highest body of the party is formally the annual conference. However, its decisions are only advisory in nature for management. The specific policy of the party is determined by its Executive Committee and the Parliamentary Committee (the so-called "shadow cabinet" formed by the parliamentary faction). The central figure in the party is its leader, who automatically takes the post of prime minister if the party wins the parliamentary elections.
Party leadership: leader - G. Wilson; Chairman - J. Callaghan; Secretary General - R. Hayward.
The party has its own weekly newspaper, the Labor Weekly (Workers' Weekly). The Labor position is supported by mass-circulation newspapers such as the Daily Mirror, the Sun and the Sunday Mirror, as well as the New Statesman and the Tribune.
UK Liberal Party, which was the successor of the Whig party, was formed in 1832 as a spokesman for the interests of the English commercial and industrial bourgeoisie. It received its final organizational design in 1877, when the National Liberal Association was created.
The social basis of the party is made up of the bourgeois intelligentsia, bureaucracy, and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.
Before the First World War, the Liberal Party was, along with the Conservatives, the second largest party in the two-party system of the English bourgeoisie and repeatedly formed the government. The beginning of the era of imperialism and the loss of the industrial monopoly by Great Britain were marked by the transition of most of the British bourgeoisie to the camp of the conservatives and the beginning of the decline of the liberal party.
The last major election victory was won by the liberals in 1906. During this period, one of the most skillful liberal leaders in social demagogy, D. Lloyd George, came to the fore. The aggravation of the class struggle in England at the beginning of the 20th century, followed by a split among the liberals, gradually led to the fact that the party almost completely lost its influence and currently does not play any significant role in the political life of the country.
In the parliamentary elections (1970), the party won 6 seats (against 12 in 1966). Recently, the popularity of liberals in the country has increased somewhat. In the early parliamentary elections (1974), the party won 14 seats (against 6 seats in 1970). More than 6 million voters (19.3%) voted for the liberals. However, the increased role of liberals in the country is not in the "revival" of the liberal party, but in the dissatisfaction of voters with the policies of the two main parties.
V political agenda the liberal party most clearly manifest "Eurocentric" tendencies. She resolutely advocated the speedy entry of England into the Common Market, the establishment of closer ties with Europe in the economic, political and military fields.
Recently, liberal leaders have been actively criticizing the government's domestic and foreign policy, without putting forward their own proposals and, as a rule, remaining on the traditional positions of right-wing liberalism.
The party is built on the administrative-territorial principle. The supreme body of the liberal party is the annual party conference, the party council, the Executive Committee, the so-called Party Committee, which deals with the activities of the parliamentary faction. There are about 200 thousand people in the ranks of the liberal party. Party leader - J. Thorp chairman - E. Wheeler.
J. Thorpe visited the Soviet Union in 1972 at the invitation of the Soviet-English Section of the Parliamentary Group of the USSR.
The official organ of the party is the weekly Liberal News. There are also a number of parties in the UK that do not play a significant role in the political life of the country:
Cooperative Party - has about 15 thousand individual members, 370 cooperative societies, with a membership of 11.5 million people. Chairman - L. Parkinson.
Welsh Nationalist Party - unites 40 thousand members. President - G. Evank.
