See also: Ploughing (homonymy)

The Workers party (or Ploughing Party in English, sometimes shortened in Lab ) is a Political party center-left in Great Britain. Under the direction of Tony Blair, it gained three elections of continuation in 1997, 2001 and 2005.

The election of 1997 was the first victory of the Workers party since its defeat of 1979. Founded in 1900 by the trade unions as a Socialist party , the party leans rather towards the center-left liberal since the arrival of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Whereas the Workers party had launched the wave of nationalizations of post-war period (1945-1951), it promotes a resolutely liberal economic policy today, while remaining member of the European Socialist party and the Internationale Socialist. Its currents of left and the parties being located on its left qualify the orientation of the Social-liberal direction of .

History

In 1900, the British trade unions found a Committee representative of the workers, to have a reliable interlocutor in the political system. It is transformed into Workers party at the end of the general elections of 1906, during which it gains 29 seats with the House of Commons. James Keir Hardie is elected with the direction of the party. Ramsay MacDonald succeeds five years later to him.

The Workers party is being the ally of the Liberal party and supports the governments of National union during the First World War. From 1922, it precedes the Liberal party and becomes the principal opposition to the Conservateurs. Between January and September 1924, it forms a minority government directed by Ramsay MacDonald. It is again the case after the elections of 1929. This second worker government is confronted with the economic crisis and convinces Ramsay macDonald of the need for forming a government of National union to face there. In 1931, it is repudiated by the majority of the party, which it leaves to found the Parti national member of the Labor Party. Clement Attlee emerges like new chief of the party. In May 1940, vis-a-vis the threat Nazi, it joined the national coalition at the sides of Winston Churchill.

In July 1945, proposing a vast program of reforms, the Workers party gains a victory crushing with the elections. the Attlee government begins a plan of nationalizations (for the complete listing of the nationalizations of 1945 to 1979, to see below) and sets up the system of Social state inspired by the report/ratio Beveridge. In the opposition of 1951 to 1964, its work is not basically called into question by the Conservatives.

Under the direction of Harold Wilson, the party returns to the capacity of 1964 to 1970. It follows a policy which stresses the sociétaux problems by legalizing the abortion and homosexuality and by abolishing the capital punishment. If it loses the election of 1970, it benefits from the strike of the minors in whom embourbe the conservative government to gain the elections of 1974. The governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan are in their turn confronted with frequent strikes.

In 1979, the members of the Labor Party are demolished by the Conservative party of Margaret Thatcher. The trade unions criticize the leaders of the party for their last governmental practice. They wish to take again the hand on the party at the time of the congress of Wembley (1981). This form of toughening on the left causes the scission of the moderate wing of the party which founds the social democrat Parti. It essuie an electoral disaster in 1983. Gradually a centring takes place, while the influence of the trade unions in the British company is decreased under the blows carried by the Thatcher government. In 1992, the Workers party loses accuracy the election, before Tony Blair is not carried to the head of the party in 1994. The clause IV, which engaged the party with the complete property of the economy, disappears from the statutes of the party.

In 1997, the Workers party returns to the capacity after one 18 years long period passed in the opposition. Tony Blair, become Prime Minister, preaches a " third voie" and gains the elections of 2001 and 2005. It nevertheless is weakened by the unpopularity of its foreign politics (and in particular its alignment on the United States during the war in Iraq) and its competition with its Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown.

The Third Way is a political and economic philosophy which is between democratic socialism and liberalism. It was installation by leaders of left or center-left during the years 1990 and 2000 in Europe and in the United States (by Bill Clinton). Primarily, it consists in for the personalities from the left drawing a final feature on the communist past, as well as possible to adapt the socialist speech to the market economy, impossible to circumvent.

One also speaks about real-politik , even of economic pragmatism.

The practical application of this policy results in supporting technological development, the human capital and the economic growth and to install the mechanisms of redistribution which disturb the least possible economic operation.

From this point of view, Tony Blair transformed the Ploughing into New-Ploughing.

Leaders

Governments

Many members

The Workers party asserts 450.000 members (2006). It counted 250.000 in 1995 of them. This spectacular progression is due essentially to an adhesion campaign by telephone at reduced price (10 £) launched by Tony Blair in 1997.

See too

  • Site of the Ploughing

Simple: Ploughing Party (the U.K.)

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