New British Glory
28-04-2005, 19:57
With only a week to go, here is another look at the Idiots Guide to the British General Election
The Conservative Party Essentially the right wing party although they tend to be far more moderate than the American definition of Conservatism. They are the second biggest party in the UK at this moment and are recognised as Her Majesties Official Opposition. The Conservative Party (sometimes known as the Tory Party after a centuries old nick name) is the most sucessful British political party, having dominated the last two centuries in terms of government. Notable leaders include Sir Robert Peel (creator of the police force), Benjamin Disraeli, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. They were defeated in the 1997 election in a land side from which they have not yet recovered.
They are currently lead by Michael Howard, formerly Home Secretary under John Major's administration. Their current policies are:
Reduce public spending for tax cuts - The Tories claim that the government is wasting too much public money on layers of burecracy and so plan to cut a large sum from public spending. They claim that this cut will simply reduce the burecracy rather than effect the actual numbers of ground staff.
Introduce immigration quotes and border police - The Tories say that immigration is out of control to the extent it is now a security risk. They wish to propose a quota on all immigrants except UN approved refugees. They also want a border police to ensure order and prevent illegal aslyum.
They wish to offer people the choice of whether to go private or public with their health care - If people wish to go private with their health care, the Tories have promised to pay 50% of the overall cost
Matrons to combat MRSA - The Tories wish to appoint matrons to control hospital wards rather than leaving them in the hands of privatised cleaners and nurses.
Europe - The Tories keep their distance from Europe. The majority of the party is anti EU but there is a significant proportion that are pro EU. If the Tories denounce the EU they could face a severe rebellion.
Prevention of gypsies Apparently they cause crime and distress while not fearing the law because the Human Rights Act makes it illegal for them to be removed. The Tories are promising to make the Human Rights Act apply to these people so they can be moved and brought to justice. The Tories are also reviewing the Human Rights Act
Thats them in a nut shell.
The Labour Party - The Labour Party was established at the beginning of the 20th Century as the first socialist party in the UK. It attracted large amounts of the working classes and it was in 1930s they took over the Liberal Party and became the second largest British party. Although they have always been socialist, when Tony Blair was made leader he took the party much closer to the centre in order to appeal to more middle class voters. The plan worked, leading to massive victory in 1997, giving Labour a 3 figure majority in the House of Commons. They are currently the government. Notable leaders include Clement Attlee and....Tony Blair. They are led by Tony Blair but there is considerable disunity between himself and his Chancellor, Gordon Brown, a powerful Old Labourite of the socialist variety.
Maintain taxes Labour is extremely proud of the economy - under its rule, Britain has become the second most prosperous country in the EU. In order to do that they wish to maintain public spending rates and that means taxes may remain the same although many believe that Labour plan to push taxes up next election.
Reform of the House of Lords and the judiciary Labour have been attempting this for the last 8 years and are still promising it. They wish to remove all hereditary peers from the House of Lords (the second legislative chamber) and they also wish to abolish the post of Lord Chancellor (head of the judiciary) in order to reduce conflict with the theory of the Seperation of Powers.
Europe Most of the Labour Party are considerably pro EU but there are powerful minorities would dislike it and could rebel over it.
Decentralisation The Labour Party have been attempting to push for decentralisation for many years of their term. They have built Regional Assemblies in the south and in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Tutition Fees These add an extra £1000 on to student fees per year
And thats them in a nutshell
The Liberal Democrats The effective third party. This party has its orgins in the age old Liberal Party which was made from moderate liberals to left wing radicals. However in the early 1920s they were voted out for the last time and have never been voted back in. In the 1980s, they formed a union with the more recent Socialist Democrats and became what they are today, the Liberal Democrats. This is a fusion of socialist and liberal policies. Notable leaders include William Gladstone, Herbert Asquith and David Llyod George. They are currently led by Charles Kennedy but there is often behind the scenes disunity between the Liberal and the Socialist sections of the party.
Abolish Council Tax This tax, they say, hits the eldery too hard and should be replaced with a more fair, means based tax.
Carry on the legalisation process The Lib Dems wish to proceed with legalising certain Class C drugs (Cannabis for example)
Anti ID card They are against the ID cards unlike Labour or the Tories as they say they are ineffective and limit personal liberties.
University for Free They propose that the cost of university should lie 100% on the tax payer rather than the student
Tax increases on the rich The Lib Dems propose to increase taxation on all of those who earn over a certain amount of money
And thats them in a nutshell.
The main poll (YouGov) has been showing fairly consitent results. Of a 61% electorate:
36/7% are estimated to vote Labour
33/4% are estimated to vote Conservative
22/3% are estimated to vote Lib Dem
Other polls have shown similar results so far. It could be a close one, with the Tories picking up points with hot topics like immigration while Labour are having problems with their advertising and also having problems portraying the Prime Minister and the Chancellor as united. The Lib Dems have been quiet over the last few weeks but are promising a positive campaign, which can only add to their general image of intergrity. The Labour Party are still suffering the lashback from the Iraq war which has reached prolific levels over the last 2 days. The main problem for Blair is his own image: many see him as untrustworthy and dislike his war policy in Iraq. That is driving hardcore Labourites into the hands of the Lib Dem who have made the biggest advances this election but are still well short of the other two parties. The Conservatives are having problems with image as well: Michael Howard is still suffering from that old Anne Widecombe comment "There's something of the night about him". Many are also voicing concerns that they are focusing too heavily on immigration.
As my own prediction, I am going to go with the polls and give Labour a majority of 80 to 100 seats.
Minor Parties
The Green Party - Environmentally friendly politics
UK Independence Party - No involvement with the EU
Plaid Cymuru - Welsh national party who want independence for Wales
Scottish Nationalist Party - Scotland is for the Scots say they
The British Nationalist Party - Far right wing party with severely racist tendancies
The National Front - Like the BNP only with a big stick to hit people with
The British Communist Party - Need I say more?
The Natural Law Party - I am not sure....
Veritas - The Party of popular TV personality, Robert Kilroy Silk, fired from the BBC last year for making xenophobic comments to a newspaper.
Respect! - The Party of George Galloway, former Labour MP who was accused by the Daily Telegraph of betraying British secrets to Saddam Hussein. Was later cleared but Labour had thrown him out by then.
The Purple Party - The Party of the TV home decorator, Lawrence Llyweyn Bowen
Sinn Fein - Northern Irish republican movement who dont count because they refuse to swear the oath of loyalty to the Queen and so cannot take up their seats
Democratic Unionist Party - Hardline Unionists in Northern Ireland
The Ulster Unionists Party - Less hard line unionists in Northern Ireland
There are many others, most of them in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The main ones are the BNP, The Green Party, the SNP, Plaid Cymuru and UKIP
The Conservative Party Essentially the right wing party although they tend to be far more moderate than the American definition of Conservatism. They are the second biggest party in the UK at this moment and are recognised as Her Majesties Official Opposition. The Conservative Party (sometimes known as the Tory Party after a centuries old nick name) is the most sucessful British political party, having dominated the last two centuries in terms of government. Notable leaders include Sir Robert Peel (creator of the police force), Benjamin Disraeli, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. They were defeated in the 1997 election in a land side from which they have not yet recovered.
They are currently lead by Michael Howard, formerly Home Secretary under John Major's administration. Their current policies are:
Reduce public spending for tax cuts - The Tories claim that the government is wasting too much public money on layers of burecracy and so plan to cut a large sum from public spending. They claim that this cut will simply reduce the burecracy rather than effect the actual numbers of ground staff.
Introduce immigration quotes and border police - The Tories say that immigration is out of control to the extent it is now a security risk. They wish to propose a quota on all immigrants except UN approved refugees. They also want a border police to ensure order and prevent illegal aslyum.
They wish to offer people the choice of whether to go private or public with their health care - If people wish to go private with their health care, the Tories have promised to pay 50% of the overall cost
Matrons to combat MRSA - The Tories wish to appoint matrons to control hospital wards rather than leaving them in the hands of privatised cleaners and nurses.
Europe - The Tories keep their distance from Europe. The majority of the party is anti EU but there is a significant proportion that are pro EU. If the Tories denounce the EU they could face a severe rebellion.
Prevention of gypsies Apparently they cause crime and distress while not fearing the law because the Human Rights Act makes it illegal for them to be removed. The Tories are promising to make the Human Rights Act apply to these people so they can be moved and brought to justice. The Tories are also reviewing the Human Rights Act
Thats them in a nut shell.
The Labour Party - The Labour Party was established at the beginning of the 20th Century as the first socialist party in the UK. It attracted large amounts of the working classes and it was in 1930s they took over the Liberal Party and became the second largest British party. Although they have always been socialist, when Tony Blair was made leader he took the party much closer to the centre in order to appeal to more middle class voters. The plan worked, leading to massive victory in 1997, giving Labour a 3 figure majority in the House of Commons. They are currently the government. Notable leaders include Clement Attlee and....Tony Blair. They are led by Tony Blair but there is considerable disunity between himself and his Chancellor, Gordon Brown, a powerful Old Labourite of the socialist variety.
Maintain taxes Labour is extremely proud of the economy - under its rule, Britain has become the second most prosperous country in the EU. In order to do that they wish to maintain public spending rates and that means taxes may remain the same although many believe that Labour plan to push taxes up next election.
Reform of the House of Lords and the judiciary Labour have been attempting this for the last 8 years and are still promising it. They wish to remove all hereditary peers from the House of Lords (the second legislative chamber) and they also wish to abolish the post of Lord Chancellor (head of the judiciary) in order to reduce conflict with the theory of the Seperation of Powers.
Europe Most of the Labour Party are considerably pro EU but there are powerful minorities would dislike it and could rebel over it.
Decentralisation The Labour Party have been attempting to push for decentralisation for many years of their term. They have built Regional Assemblies in the south and in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Tutition Fees These add an extra £1000 on to student fees per year
And thats them in a nutshell
The Liberal Democrats The effective third party. This party has its orgins in the age old Liberal Party which was made from moderate liberals to left wing radicals. However in the early 1920s they were voted out for the last time and have never been voted back in. In the 1980s, they formed a union with the more recent Socialist Democrats and became what they are today, the Liberal Democrats. This is a fusion of socialist and liberal policies. Notable leaders include William Gladstone, Herbert Asquith and David Llyod George. They are currently led by Charles Kennedy but there is often behind the scenes disunity between the Liberal and the Socialist sections of the party.
Abolish Council Tax This tax, they say, hits the eldery too hard and should be replaced with a more fair, means based tax.
Carry on the legalisation process The Lib Dems wish to proceed with legalising certain Class C drugs (Cannabis for example)
Anti ID card They are against the ID cards unlike Labour or the Tories as they say they are ineffective and limit personal liberties.
University for Free They propose that the cost of university should lie 100% on the tax payer rather than the student
Tax increases on the rich The Lib Dems propose to increase taxation on all of those who earn over a certain amount of money
And thats them in a nutshell.
The main poll (YouGov) has been showing fairly consitent results. Of a 61% electorate:
36/7% are estimated to vote Labour
33/4% are estimated to vote Conservative
22/3% are estimated to vote Lib Dem
Other polls have shown similar results so far. It could be a close one, with the Tories picking up points with hot topics like immigration while Labour are having problems with their advertising and also having problems portraying the Prime Minister and the Chancellor as united. The Lib Dems have been quiet over the last few weeks but are promising a positive campaign, which can only add to their general image of intergrity. The Labour Party are still suffering the lashback from the Iraq war which has reached prolific levels over the last 2 days. The main problem for Blair is his own image: many see him as untrustworthy and dislike his war policy in Iraq. That is driving hardcore Labourites into the hands of the Lib Dem who have made the biggest advances this election but are still well short of the other two parties. The Conservatives are having problems with image as well: Michael Howard is still suffering from that old Anne Widecombe comment "There's something of the night about him". Many are also voicing concerns that they are focusing too heavily on immigration.
As my own prediction, I am going to go with the polls and give Labour a majority of 80 to 100 seats.
Minor Parties
The Green Party - Environmentally friendly politics
UK Independence Party - No involvement with the EU
Plaid Cymuru - Welsh national party who want independence for Wales
Scottish Nationalist Party - Scotland is for the Scots say they
The British Nationalist Party - Far right wing party with severely racist tendancies
The National Front - Like the BNP only with a big stick to hit people with
The British Communist Party - Need I say more?
The Natural Law Party - I am not sure....
Veritas - The Party of popular TV personality, Robert Kilroy Silk, fired from the BBC last year for making xenophobic comments to a newspaper.
Respect! - The Party of George Galloway, former Labour MP who was accused by the Daily Telegraph of betraying British secrets to Saddam Hussein. Was later cleared but Labour had thrown him out by then.
The Purple Party - The Party of the TV home decorator, Lawrence Llyweyn Bowen
Sinn Fein - Northern Irish republican movement who dont count because they refuse to swear the oath of loyalty to the Queen and so cannot take up their seats
Democratic Unionist Party - Hardline Unionists in Northern Ireland
The Ulster Unionists Party - Less hard line unionists in Northern Ireland
There are many others, most of them in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The main ones are the BNP, The Green Party, the SNP, Plaid Cymuru and UKIP