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" (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 because 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 a free vote, 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 a ban on immigration to the UK, the restoration corporal punishment and the partial restoration of the death penalty for particularly 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.

Until the memorable June referendum, I had little interest in British politics: as an immigrant on a visa, I did not have the right to vote, and, besides, the conviction in the press was invariably that the status quo would continue. And so, there was nothing to worry about.

The result of the referendum sounded like thunder among clear sky. From that moment on, I began to slowly delve into the political upheavals taking place in the country. As they say, if you are not involved in politics, then politics will be engaged in you.

In the light of the upcoming parliamentary elections, I finally wanted to figure out what political parties exist in Britain and what they stand for. This is what I'm going to do now.

In the photo: session of the British Parliament. Photo parliament.uk.

To start, a short tour of state structure Great Britain. As you, I am sure, know from the school curriculum, the legislature of Britain is represented by Parliament, which consists of two chambers: the upper - the House of Lords - and the lower - the House of Commons. We will not touch the House of Lords - this is a special “caste of the elite”, it is impossible to get into it democratically, for this you need to be born in the right family.

But the members of the lower house are elected by voting in single-mandate constituencies, of which there are 650 pieces. In Britain, the majority system "first past the post This means that a candidate needs a simple majority of votes to win the election. Deputies elected by the people are called Members of Parliament, and more often abbreviated as MPs. All adult citizens of Britain and Ireland, as well as citizens of 52 countries, can vote in general elections British Commonwealth residing in the UK.

Political parties in the UK

On the picture: the number of MPs of the main British parties.

I will not go into much history, but I will only note that since 1929 the main opposing parties in Britain have been Conservatives(the Conservatives) and Labor(the Labor Party).

The third significant political force in the country is Liberal Democratic Party(the Liberal Democrats, or Lib Dems for short).

The histories of these parties are over 100 years old - it is difficult for young parties to break into the political arena of Great Britain, but recently the situation is slowly changing. So, in Scotland and Wales, nationalist parties enlisted popular support - Scottish National Party(SNC) and Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru). The SNC, which advocates the independence of Scotland and the preservation of EU membership, won the majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament, becoming the third largest party in the UK (see table).

I also note that another nationalist party played an important role in the outcome of the referendum - United Kingdom Independence Party(UKIP), which, while not winning a single seat in Parliament, rose to prominence with its controversial ex-leader, Nigel Farage, and strong anti-immigration rhetoric.

But let's forget about the small players for now and look at the main political forces in Britain in more detail. What do they offer in light of the upcoming elections? Although not all election programs have been published, some things can be understood already now.

Conservatives and their campaign promises

In the photo: the leader of the Conservative Party, Prime Minister of Britain, Theresa May.

The current ruling party, the Conservatives, or Tories as they are affectionately known, is led by Prime Minister Theresa May, is considered a center-right wing party. These are traditionalists and supporters of the monarchy.

Theresa May said that Britain might leave the single market after Brexit, as otherwise it would mean canceling the exit from the EU. In addition, the existing customs legislation, according to the prime minister, does not allow Britain to conclude profitable deals around the world, so that Britain's membership in the customs union will also be in question. By her own admission, May needs to secure strong voter support in order to strengthen her position in negotiations with the EU. This is what is supposed to be the reason for the upcoming early elections.

Regarding the economy, the conservatives promise not to raise VAT or other taxes. There are plans to ease some of the inheritance tax for married couples and, in contrast, reduce the pension contribution tax relief for people earning over £150,000 a year.

As for questions national security, the Conservatives are not about to abandon plans to build four new Trident ballistic missile submarines.

With regard to immigration, conservatives have been promising for years to cut it down to the coveted "several tens of thousands a year." This goal, voiced by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010, remains elusive.

In the field of healthcare, conservatives will pay great attention to issues mental health, for which by 2020 it is planned to hire 10 thousand new health workers.

Restrictions will be imposed on the annual growth of tariffs of electric and gas companies.

And, finally, the most important moment, the conservatives will put to a vote the question of lifting the ban on hunting foxes.

Laborites and their electoral plans

In the photo: the leader of the British Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn.

As you might guess, this party supports the interests of the "working people" ("labour" in English means labor). It is a social democratic party whose activity is closely connected with the British trade unions. Since 2015, the party has been headed by an odious Jeremy Corbin- the most extreme "left" head of the Labor Party to this moment. His party colleagues have repeatedly tried to remove him from this post, but Corbyn remains unsinkable.

Labor's "shadow" Brexit Minister Sir Keir Starmer rejected the idea of ​​a second Brexit referendum, but expressed his conviction that intermediate agreements should be reached at the end of the 2-year EU exit process. Labor will prioritize trade with the EU, he said, and Britain should remain a member of the customs union. EU citizens should be guaranteed that they can stay in the UK after Brexit. Labor also intends to replace the government's proposed Great Repeal Bill, which repeals many European laws, with a European Bill of Rights.

Labor plans to increase income tax for those who earn over 80 thousand pounds a year - this is 5% of the UK population. The proceeds are expected to be used to finance the public services sector. The recent capital gains tax cut will also be reversed. True, the Laborites promised not to touch the VAT.

The party plans to create a million new jobs by pumping £250bn into the country's economy. Another 100 billion is planned to be directed to the creation of a national investment bank, which is expected to attract another 150 billion. Companies that work under contracts with the public sector will be required to pay suppliers within 30 days, and fines will be introduced for firms that consistently delay payment.

In the photo: a candidate for deputy from the Labor Party conducts an election campaign in our district.

Labor Party vows to increase corporate income tax large enterprises from the current 19% to 26%. For smaller firms with profits below £300,000 a year, the increase will be less significant, up to 21% by 2020-21.

On foreign policy, Corbyn said that if Labor wins the election, all aspects of national defense will be re-examined. Military action will only be used as a last resort. The UK will pursue an independent foreign policy, without regard to US President Donald Trump. He also promised to introduce the post of peace minister.

On the immigration front, Labor agrees that leaving the EU means an end to the free movement of people, while noting that new immigration controls should not be a post-Brexit priority.

On health issues, Labor wants to tackle the problem of obesity among children and therefore plans to limit the advertising of junk food and sweets. The planned closure of some public hospitals will be canceled, and the restriction on the growth of medical workers' salaries will be lifted.

In education, Labor plans to send an additional £4.8bn a year to schools. This will be covered from funds raised by the increase in corporate income tax. Free school meals are proposed to be extended to all students in primary public schools - these costs will be covered by the introduction of VAT on fees in private schools. Education subsidies for teenagers aged 16 to 18 are proposed to be returned, which should encourage young people to continue their education in colleges and universities. Some courses at universities are planned to be made free of charge - in general, as expected, the main emphasis in the Labor Party's election program will be on the abolition of fees for higher education.

To protect law and order, the Laborites are going to hire 10,000 new police officers.

In the photo: the construction of housing for the homeless is included in the election programs of the British Labor Party and the Liberal Democrats. Photo unilad.co.uk.

Over the course of 5 years, the party plans to build a million new houses. Most of these will be affordable social housing. 4,000 new apartments and houses will be built for the homeless who sleep on the streets.

Labor's defense plan labor rights includes 20 items, including: providing all employees equal rights from day one, a ban on “zero contracts”, a guaranteed right for trade unions to access jobs, lifting caps on public sector wages, raising the minimum wages to £10 an hour, a ban on unpaid internships, an increase in maternity leave for fathers, and the introduction of four new bank holidays.

For pensioners, Labor plans to return the right to free pass on buses and discounts on fuel in winter.

Liberal Democrats and their campaign promises

In the photo: the leader of the British Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron.

It is a centre-left party of supporters of social liberalism. The most pro-European of the major British parties, led by Tim Farron. It is noteworthy that in 2010 the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Conservatives, thereby incurring the wrath of their supporters by losing votes in the last parliamentary elections. However, recent squabbles within the Labor Party played in favor of the lib-dems, thanks to which the former began to restore their faded popularity. At the moment it is the most centrist party of all, as the Conservatives are becoming more "right" and Labor, on the contrary, "left".

The Lib-dems promise to hold a second referendum on Brexit, and the party itself will actively campaign for the retention of EU membership. Farron is unambiguously opposed to a "hard Brexit", hoping to maintain access to the single European market.

As far as the economy is concerned, the lib-dems are going to tax every taxpayer with an extra penny with income tax to sponsor increased spending on health care and social assistance. The move is expected to raise an additional £6bn a year. The spouse tax credit will be eliminated and corporate income tax will be increased from 19% to 20%.

In the field of national security, lib-dems will continue the policy of nuclear deterrence, but Tim Farron advocated a replacement existing system permanent maritime control to an irregular patrol system.

On immigration policy, Tim Farron said the immigration restrictions are hurting UK companies, hospitals and universities.

Much to the joy of the Rastas, the lib-dems are in favor of legalizing the sale of marijuana, insisting that doing so will benefit public health and offload law enforcement. They also plan to distribute HIV prevention drugs to high-risk groups.

For the needs of education, the Liberal Democrats are going to send an additional 7 billion pounds in order to maintain funding for students at the same level.

As far as law enforcement is concerned, the lib-dems plan to replace short prison sentences deemed ineffective with non-custodial sentences.

For new fathers, the Liberal Democrats plan to introduce a paid maternity leave lasting one month.

Like Labor, the lib-dems will build new houses, for which the Housing Investment Bank will be created. They also intend to fight the problem of homeless people sleeping on the street, who are planned to be placed directly in separate housing, and not in shelters.

Lib-dems plan to introduce the concept of "civil partnership" for heterosexual couples.

In addition, the Liberal Democrats are going to transform the electoral system, making it proportional, give suffrage to 16- and 17-year-olds and introduce a democratic system of elections to the upper house of parliament.

SNP and their campaign plans

In the photo: SNP leader, First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon.

Leader of the SNP Party, aka Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, favors giving Scotland a special status after Brexit, meaning that it will remain part of single market. Sturgeon is also campaigning for a second referendum on Scottish independence even before the Brexit agreement is signed.

The First Minister rejected the idea of ​​raising the top income tax rate for those earning over £150,000 from 45% to 50%, as proposed by Scottish Labor.

But no matter how the British politicians crucify, in my opinion, it is obvious that the Conservatives will win the upcoming elections (otherwise, Theresa May would not have announced them with such ease). And this means that it is the Tory program that will be the basis of the future of Great Britain.

Be that as it may, I look at what is happening philosophically. As Mark Twain remarked, “If elections mattered, we would not be allowed to participate in them.” So, it is probably useful to read the election programs of politicians, but it is a bit naive to expect them to fully implement their promises. After all, life makes its own adjustments to the plans. And British politicians in this sense are completely chameleons.

The Conservatives became a mass party in the 1970s. Comes from appeared in the XVII century. Tory party. The party's traditional platform is "a constant interest in public order and social harmony."

As a party of the City of London (the financial center of Britain) and big business, conservatives vigorously support the development of private enterprise.

However, during the beginning of the election campaign, the Conservative Party asked journalists not to call it "Tory" anymore - at least at the first mention of the party in the text. Observers state that in conditions when Tony Blair has successfully "appropriated" practically all the former ideas and slogans of the conservatives, the opponents on the right simply have nothing to oppose to their competitors.

A shift even further to the right, so that differences from Labor would be visible to the naked eye, in today's UK would entail the inevitable accusations of fascism. It remains to repair the image.

The Labor Party, by its origin, is a child of the trade union movement and socialist circles and societies of the intelligentsia. She first won a parliamentary majority in 1945. The Labor government of 1945 - 1951 proposed a welfare state program, public ownership of major industrial enterprises and full employment policies.

Labor called itself the party of the organized working class until the 1990s. Most of the major trade unions are affiliated with the party and their contributions provide its main income. While in government, Labor has always taken a constructive reformist stance; being in opposition, it was torn apart by contradictions between the social democratic right and the socialist left factions.

In 1981, a significant group of prominent parliamentarians and party members left the ranks of the party and formed the short-lived Social Democratic Party, which had negative consequences for Labor in the elections. After that, the leaders of the party suppressed the left faction.

The Liberal Party was one of the two main parties during the reigns of Queen Victoria and King Edward (second half of the 19th - early 20th), but it split during the First World War.

Labor gradually replaced the Liberals as a second party in the 1920s and 1930s, but the Liberals began to return to the political scene in the 1960s. In alliance with the Social Democrats in the 1980s, they twice received about a quarter of the popular vote, but failed to win any significant number of seats in the House of Commons (23 in 1983, and 22 in 1987).

The two parties merged in 1988 to form the Liberal Democratic Party.

There are other parties.

Scottish National Party and Welsh National Party have played since 1970 leading role in political life Scotland and Wales.

The political life of Northern Ireland is dominated by two main Protestant parties - the Ulster Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party. The Northern Irish Catholic vote is divided between the Liberal Democrats, Labor and the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein.

The course of the political process in modern UK is an interesting subject for study.

In the last third of the 20th century, the attitude of the leading political forces of the country to the search for ways out of the economic and socio-cultural crisis in the context of globalization and world integration processes turned out to be at the center of the political struggle in Great Britain. Keynesianism discovered its weaknesses, the process of interaction between the state and civil society. Against this background, within the framework of the neoliberal wave, there are various interpretations methods of developing a free market and revising the functions of the state. The New Right and New Labor movements have been influenced by liberal thought and are interesting subjects for study.

Right-wing forces began to vigorously propagate the revival of "liberal England", calling for the creation of conditions for the "spontaneous development" of society. Representatives of the right wing of the Conservative Party return to many classical liberal postulates. It is important to analyze the factors explaining why this party began to actively preach the ideas of the free market and retained this role for a relatively long time.

The growing influence of the concepts of neoliberalism in its own way affected the positions of the Labor Party of Great Britain (LPV). Its program, over time, became more and more saturated with modern liberal ideas, compatible with social democratic views. There are ideas about "market", "liberal" socialism. As the party abandoned a number of obsolete elements of its ideology, it adopted progressive elements from the baggage of liberal thought. The LPV was getting rid of the reputation of being a party of corporate interests and super-high taxes. At the same time, new trends in its policy were strongly influenced by the concepts social justice, equality of opportunity, mutual responsibility. By 1997, in the conditions of heated political confrontation with the conservatives, the myths about “free-market capitalism” were debunked.

In this regard, questions arise in a new way about the relationship between modern conservative, liberal and social democratic thought. It is also important to consider the processes that made it possible for Labor to come to power as a result of the general elections in 1997, and to determine what lessons the centre-left parties of different countries can draw from this.

Significant attention has been paid to the phenomenon of the rise of the neoliberal wave in Western and partly Russian political science literature. However, questions of how and why in the 1970s and 80s require further study. the neoconservative movement in the UK was widely developed, what were its forms and ideological base. In this context, it is important to analyze the trends that have emerged in British society as a whole. “Thatcherism” as neo-conservatism in power, having opened since the late 1970s. new stage in the socio-political life of the country, has been developing for almost two decades; The defeat of the Conservatives in the general elections in 1997 makes it possible to consider the Thatcher-Major period in its entirety, highlighting the main content features, moments of continuity and differences in their policies.

Influenced by events both national and global, profound changes are taking place in the Labor Party. Having experienced the influence of “Thatcherism” that had become stronger in power, having modernized its political program, it became an important source for the development of new social reformist ideas. There is a movement of "new laborism", whose leaders criticize the variant of the market model imposed on the country by the "Thatcherists", and claim to perceive the best of the ideological baggage of social democratic and liberal thought. It is important to explore the stages of formation and priority problems of "new laborism", to study the path of its ideological searches, the relationship with other socio-political currents. It is necessary to conduct a comparative analysis of the content and nature of contemporary political processes in Great Britain, which were centered on the political struggle between the Conservative and Labor parties.

The contradictions in the policy of modern Great Britain, the change in its world positions are developing under the decisive influence of global changes. These changes are common to developed capitalist countries. At the same time, they are of a specific nature, due to the entire modern and recent history of Great Britain.

In short, speaking of the United Kingdom, we reveal a vast topic for study, which requires a comprehensive, thorough approach, as if it had not yet been studied.

The Conservative Party of Great Britain (full. Conservative and Unionist Party) is a British political party, one of the two leading parties in Great Britain; formed in 1867 on the basis of the Tory party. The name "Conservatives" for Tories came into use from the 1830s, but the name Tory was actively used throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The impetus for the transformation of the Tory party was the parliamentary reform of 1832, after which local organizations of conservatives began to emerge, which united in 1867 in the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. An important role in the formation of the Conservative Party was played by B. Disraeli, the leader of the Tories in 1846-1881, the prime minister in 1868 and in 1874-1880.

Initially, the Conservative Party traditionally expressed the interests of aristocratic landlords, however, from the 1870s and 1880s, circles of the big financial and industrial bourgeoisie, moving away from the Liberal Party, began to focus on it. A significant role in the development of the doctrine of the conservatives was played by J. Chamberlain, who put forward the idea of ​​​​creating an imperial customs union and the introduction of protectionism, which was associated with the loss of the UK's role as the world industrial leader of the industrial monopoly and increased competition with other states, primarily Germany.

The Conservatives independently formed the British government in 1885-1886, 1886-1892, 1895-1902, 1902-1905. The leaders of the party during this period were R. Salisbury (1881-1902) and A. Balfour (1902-1911). The Conservatives were then led by Bonar Law (1911-1923). During the First World War and immediately after it, the Conservatives with the Liberals and Labor were part of the coalition governments. In the interwar period, the Conservative Party was in power almost all the time, the composition of the government was formed by its leaders S. Baldwin (1923-1937) and N. Chamberlain (1937-1940). It was the policy of appeasement of Nazi aggression, pursued by N. Chamberlain, that became one of the reasons for the outbreak of World War II. W. Churchill (1940-1955) became the new leader of the Conservatives. He headed the coalition government after the resignation of N. Chamberlain and led Britain to victory in World War II.

After the defeat in the parliamentary elections of 1945, the Conservative Party reorganized its party apparatus and structure in order to expand the mass base of the party, and a more flexible program in the field of social policy was also developed. Churchill retained the role of one of the world leaders, in his speech in Fulton (USA) in March 1946, he put forward a program to unite the forces of the capitalist world to fight the USSR and called for the creation of anti-Soviet military-political blocs. In 1951, the Conservatives returned to power and held it until 1964. Churchill's longtime political ally Anthony Eden replaced his patron as prime minister and party leader in 1955, but in January 1957 he himself was forced to resign due to Britain's failure in the Suez crisis. Later, the Conservatives were led by G. Macmillan (1957-1963) and A. Douglas-Home (1963-1965).

In 1970, the conservatives returned to power, the government was formed by their leader E. Heath, who had led the party since 1965. He succeeded in securing Great Britain's accession to the Common Market (1972). Heath's pro-European stance has created divisions within the party, whose members are traditionally skeptical of any change. The 1974 election was lost by the Conservatives, Heath resigned and Margaret Thatcher took over as party leader. She led the Conservatives to victory in the 1979 parliamentary elections and led the cabinet. Thatcher became the most authoritative leader of the party and the country after Winston Churchill, managed to revive party work, and to a large extent stimulated the development of the British economy. Having come to power, Lady Thatcher led the fight against the influence of trade unions and began the privatization of many nationalized industries. Under Thatcher's leadership, the Conservatives confidently won the 1983 and 1987 elections. However, in 1990, due to internal party intrigues, she had to give way to the position of Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives, John Major.

He did not manage to act as successfully as his predecessor. In the next elections in 1992, the conservatives still held on to power, but their popularity was rapidly declining. In the 1997 elections, the Conservatives suffered a crushing defeat, receiving only 165 seats against 418 from Labor, who for a long time seized a leading position in British politics. During this period, the program of the conservative party underwent significant changes and shifted to moderate liberalism, the leadership of the party was significantly rejuvenated. In 2005, David Cameron became party leader. In the 2010 parliamentary elections, 10.7 million voters voted for the Conservatives, which brought 306 mandates in the House of Commons. In May 2010, David Cameron formed a government in coalition with a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Traditionally, the Conservative Party is considered the stronghold of the British aristocracy, from its ranks the cadres of senior officers, senior clergy, bureaucracy, and diplomats are formed. Membership in the Conservative Party is not associated with the mandatory payment of membership dues. The leader of the party has significant powers, in the event of a victory of the party in the parliamentary elections, he becomes the prime minister. The leader is not obliged to obey the decisions of the annual party conferences, but is forced to reckon with the opinion of a narrow leading group. Big influence the party's policy is influenced by the Conservative caucus in the House of Commons. The main element of party organization in the localities are the Constituency Associations. The official colors of the party are blue and green.

Party system and major political parties in the UK

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 center-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.

occupies an important place in social and political life 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 last years due to the difficult socio-economic situation and corruption scandals, the authority of the Laborites has significantly decreased.

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 has been in power more often and for a longer period than any other: suffice it to mention the names of 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 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 a General Council of the Kingdom to establish taxes. Therefore, the British Parliament is called the father of all parliaments. In the UK, the concept of "Parliament" as own name began to be used to designate 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 British 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 parliament lies also in the fact 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 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.

Disputes about possible models of the upper chamber in the expert community have not subsided 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 electiveness of 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 (judicial lords and life lords) take part in its work. 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 the key functions of state administration and the exercise of the judiciary was an obvious 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 - sole elected central authority 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 Great Britain, as in other Western European countries, the independence of deputies proclaimed by the constitution is significantly 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.