DOCSLIB.ORG

Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) Friday Volume 565 5 July 2013 No. 30 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Friday 5 July 2013 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2013 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1169 5 JULY 2013 European Union (Referendum) Bill 1170 that we set a time frame within which that must be done. House of Commons That is what the Bill does, and that is why I have introduced it. Friday 5 July 2013 Heather Wheeler (South Derbyshire) (Con): First, I The House met at half-past Nine o’clock congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. Secondly, I totally agree that—and I think he will probably explore this—it is important that this will PRAYERS reinforce the hand of our marvellous Prime Minister in negotiations with Europe, and then give the public a [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] say. The public deserve a say. 9.30 am James Wharton: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): I beg to This is about giving the public a real say—a real choice move, That the House sit in private. between the best possible deal that we can get from the Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 163), and European Union and, if the public so choose, leaving it, negatived. if that is what they want to do. That is what we on this side are offering the British public: I think that Members European Union (Referendum) Bill on the other side should consider their position very Second Reading carefully indeed, because at the next election the public will not forgive Members who do not trust them. 9.35 am James Wharton (Stockton South) (Con): I beg to Several hon. Members rose— move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. It is an honour to introduce a Bill that has at its heart James Wharton: I want to make a little progress, then the heart of our democracy. Power should reside with I will give way. the people. In introducing the Bill, I speak for many in There is—and we can see it already—a debate to be the House, but I speak for millions more outside the had about whether our national interest is best served House. by being inside the European Union or by coming out. That debate, however, is not for today. Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon) (Con): It is regrettable that the right hon. Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband) is not in the Chamber. Has Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South) (Lab): Will my hon. Friend received representations from the leader the hon. Gentleman give way? of the Labour party, Len McCluskey, on what he thinks the position of the Labour party should be on this James Wharton: This is a debate about the Bill that is important issue? before—[Interruption.] James Wharton: I thank my hon. Friend for that Mr Speaker: Order. The hon. Gentleman is not giving ingenious intervention. I have not yet heard from way at the moment. I think that that is clear. Mr McCluskey, but I am sure that when the Labour party has decided what its position is on giving the British people a say on our relationship with the European James Wharton: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Union it will let us know. In introducing the Bill, as I This is a debate about the Bill that I am bringing said, I speak for many in the Chamber and for many forward and which I am proud to bring forward. The millions outside. It was in 1975 that a Labour Government Community that we joined all those years ago was gave the British people a say on our membership of the primarily one of free trade, though aspects of it even then European Community. How things have changed: then— politics has moved on, and the European Union has moved on. Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) (Con): The first time I voted was in 1974. My son and daughter Mr Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab): In 1971, I voted have never had the opportunity to make that democratic against the then Common Market, and I voted for a decision. Does my hon. Friend agree that that is what referendum in 1975. Sadly, the country did not follow we should be doing today? That is why I sponsored my my advice, or we would not be doing what we are doing hon. Friend’s Bill. today. However, the Bill is deficient in one respect: it does not ask for a referendum until 2017. What we need is a referendum before the next election. Will the hon. James Wharton: Of course I agree with my hon. Gentleman give that guarantee? Friend. She was lucky if she had the opportunity to vote. I was, as one hon. Member whispered in my ear as James Wharton: For the first time, I find myself agreeing she made her contribution, but a twinkle in an eye at with at least part of the hon. Gentleman’s comments. I that time. I did not have the opportunity to vote. wish more people had listened to him in 1975, and I am sorry that they are not going to do so now. Mr Lee Scott (Ilford North) (Con): Does my hon. As I shall come on to explore, it is important that we Friend agree that any party that does not trust the secure the best possible deal from the European Union British people does not deserve the trust of the British and put a real choice to the British people. It is sensible people? 1171 European Union (Referendum) Bill5 JULY 2013 European Union (Referendum) Bill 1172 James Wharton: My hon. Friend will be staggered, I large and complex Bill, it would be easier for him and am sure, to find that of course I agree with him. But his colleagues to slow its progress and wreck the chances what matters is not that I agree with him; it is that the of it getting through and delivering what the British people who are watching this debate, who care about people want. So although I hear what he says and I the issue, who want to have their say—the great British know he is deeply concerned about anything that will people—agree with him. They will make their views allow him at a later stage, should the Bill go forward very clear, come the next election. today, to slow it down and bog it down in parliamentary procedure, I hope he will resist the temptation and Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester) (Con): Does my hon. allow us to get it through so that his constituents and Friend agree that one of the most important reasons for mine can vote whichever way they want and have their the Bill has already been mentioned—that a whole choice and their say on such a fundamental issue. generation has not had a chance to have a say? But there We have already discussed the fact that the European is a second reason, which is that the EU is a fundamentally Community is not the same as the European Union. different creature from the one on which we voted in What we joined has changed. Those who voted yes in 1975, and it is on that issue that the country must have a 1975 believed that they had bought a ticket to a clear say. and certain destination—to a free trade area that would benefit Britain’s economy without undermining our James Wharton: My hon. Friend is right. That is a sovereignty. They did not buy a ticket for a never-ending fundamental point. The European Community that the journey to ever-closer union, destination unknown. British people voted to be a part of in 1975 is not the same as the European Union of today. Angie Bray (Ealing Central and Acton) (Con): I congratulate my hon. Friend on this excellent Bill. Does Mr Marsden: Will the hon. Gentleman give way? he agree that we have heard from many businesses in the form of Business for Britain, who have said that businesses James Wharton: I will give way, then I want to make in this country also want to see the terms of our some progress. membership of the EU renegotiated? They also believe that finally giving the public a vote on this massive issue Mr Marsden: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. will create more stability than there is at present. He is making his points more usefully than some of his Whips have done so far—[Interruption] butisheaware James Wharton: My hon. Friend is right. There are of the fact—[Interruption.] Tory Members should calm hundreds of businesses that support the campaign for a down. Is the hon. Gentleman aware that 40% of UK say on our membership of the European Union. An exports go to the EU tariff-free, and that business important point about the Bill, which I should make leaders in this country have said that it would be dangerously clear to Members on all sides, is that I am not arguing destabilising if a referendum were to go ahead. Does he today that we should be in or that we should be out. I think—[Interruption.] am putting forward an argument that we should trust the British people to make that decision and have a say. Mr Speaker: Order. There needs to be rather more calm in the Chamber.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Father of the House Sarah Priddy
    BRIEFING PAPER Number 06399, 17 December 2019 By Richard Kelly Father of the House Sarah Priddy Inside: 1. Seniority of Members 2. History www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | [email protected] | @commonslibrary Number 06399, 17 December 2019 2 Contents Summary 3 1. Seniority of Members 4 1.1 Determining seniority 4 Examples 4 1.2 Duties of the Father of the House 5 1.3 Baby of the House 5 2. History 6 2.1 Origin of the term 6 2.2 Early usage 6 2.3 Fathers of the House 7 2.4 Previous qualifications 7 2.5 Possible elections for Father of the House 8 Appendix: Fathers of the House, since 1901 9 3 Father of the House Summary The Father of the House is a title that is by tradition bestowed on the senior Member of the House, which is nowadays held to be the Member who has the longest unbroken service in the Commons. The Father of the House in the current (2019) Parliament is Sir Peter Bottomley, who was first elected to the House in a by-election in 1975. Under Standing Order No 1, as long as the Father of the House is not a Minister, he takes the Chair when the House elects a Speaker. He has no other formal duties. There is evidence of the title having been used in the 18th century. However, the origin of the term is not clear and it is likely that different qualifications were used in the past. The Father of the House is not necessarily the oldest Member.
    [Show full text]
  • Generational Divide Will Split Cult of Corbyn the Internal Contradictions Between the Youthful Idealists and Cynical Old Trots Are Becoming Increasingly Exposed
    The Times, 26th September 2017: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/generational-divide- will-split-cult-of-corbyn-c0sbn70mv Generational divide will split cult of Corbyn The internal contradictions between the youthful idealists and cynical old Trots are becoming increasingly exposed Rachael Sylvester A graffiti artist is spray-painting a wall when I arrive at The World Transformed festival, organised by Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters in Momentum. Inside, clay-modelling is under way in a creative workshop that is exploring “the symbiotic relationship between making and thinking”. A “collaborative quilt” hangs in the “creative chaos corner” next to a specially commissioned artwork celebrating the NHS. The young, mainly female volunteers who are staffing the event talk enthusiastically about doing politics in a different way and creating spaces where people can come together to discuss new ideas. It is impossible to ignore the slightly cult-like atmosphere: one member of the audience is wearing a T-shirt printed with the slogan “Corbyn til I die”. But this four-day festival running alongside the official Labour Party conference in Brighton has far more energy and optimism than most political events. There have been two late-night raves, sessions on “acid Corbynism”, and a hackathon, seeking to harness the power of the geeks to solve technological problems. With its own app, pinging real-time updates to followers throughout the day, and a glossy pastel-coloured brochure, the Momentum festival has an upbeat, modern feel. As well as sunny optimism there is a darker, bullying side Then I go to a packed session on “Radical Democracy and Twenty- First Century Socialism”.
    [Show full text]
  • Jun—Jul 2017
    B Our Magazine is published every Jun—Jul other month and is freely available to 2017 our members www.cenca.co.uk Stay ‘In Touch’ with the ISSUE 41 Corby & E Northants Conservative Association Published by RM Boyd on behalf of Corby & E Northants Conservative Association and Tom Pursglove, all at CENCA, Cottingham Road, Corby, NN17 1SZ Printed by Contract Printing Services Ltd., Unit J, Cavendish Courtyard, Sallow Road, Weldon North Industrial Estate, Corby, NN17 5DZ WE NEED TO WIN THIS ELECTION BOTH LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY TO SECURE THE BEST POSSIBLE DEAL FROM BREXIT Our future prosperity, our place in the world, Getting Brexit right matters because it will and our standard of living all depend on decide whether or not our children have a getting the Brexit deal right. safe, secure and prosperous future. The only way you can ensure we have the And with your help, together we can make it strong and stable leadership to get this work right is by backing me, and voting for the We will: local Conservative candidate, Tom • Take back control of our borders, our laws Pursglove, in the Corby & East Northants and our money constituency. • Sign new trade deals around the world with new friends and old partners • Ensure we leave in a smooth and orderly way, and that Brexit works for the whole of the United Kingdom • Provide as much clarity as possible at every Theresa May stage of the process, while maintaining a Prime Minister strong negotiating hand Conservative Association Chairman’s Report to Members Ray Boyd (Agent and Deputy Chairman—Membership) May 2017 elected and he has been true to this.
    [Show full text]
  • Dennis Skinner
    DENNIS SKINNER UK HOUSE OF COMMONS THE BEAST OF BOLSOVER He’s a conviction politician, he’s an unrepentant, old school socialist, he represents the place where he grew up in Derbyshire and he once did a real job for a living (he was a coalminer) – any one of those qualifications makes Dennis Skinner a rare specimen in British politics these days. He once said that he would retire at the age of 65, that to do otherwise would be to ‘take another man’s job’, So far, he’s gone 18 years beyond that, but nobody could ever accuse him of riding the gravy train: Skinner has arguably had the best attendance record in the House and yet frequently listed as claiming the least in expenses. He’s always spurned paid trips abroad, anything smacking of patronage and even the House of Commons bars – he prefers to meet visitors in the canteen. He’s also democracy’s most prolific and vituperative heckler and his sneering harangues have become legendary. Sometimes they’re funny; often they’re just bile and battery acid. He called one former cabinet minister ‘slimy’ and ‘a wart’ and another a ‘pompous sod’. He accused Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of being the sort who would bribe judges ‘to save her own neck’. Skinner’s staunchly against the monarchy, and the annual opening of Parliament has always triggered a response – usually directed at ‘Black Rod’ the liveried official sent to summon MPs to the House of Lords for the Queen’s speech. When a new Black Rod, the diminutive retired general, Michael Willcocks, made his first appearance, Skinner cried: ‘They’ve short-changed us! He’s nowt but a midget!’ For decades he was something of a hate figure for everyone who didn’t share his politics.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Labour Party Conference 2017 Aylesbury Constituency Delegate Report
    Emily Smith ANNUAL LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE 2017 AYLESBURY CONSTITUENCY DELEGATE REPORT Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….1 Women’s Conference…………………………………………………………….……..2 Sunday 24th……………………………………………………………………………………9 Monday 25th………………………………………………………………….………..……13 Tuesday 26th…………………………………………………………………………………16 Wednesday 27th……………………………………………………………………….…..26 Introduction The Annual Labour Party Conference of 2017 is sure to be one that goes down in history. In terms of attendees, this years’ conference was the largest yet with a record breaking 12,000+ supporters making their way down to Brighton to witness the excitement and democratic change happening in the party over a snapshot of a few days. The sheer size of the event along with the atmosphere and engagement of all visitors is a further assertion of the inspiring movement that is happening within our Party and a great reflection of our mounting membership which now stands at close to 600,000 – making our party the largest political party in Europe. Our booming membership and colossal conference stand as an unmissable reminder of the undying importance of the parties’ core – the grassroots from which we are built upon. This years’ conference also boasts an incredible engagement of delegates in our Policy Forum, Party Rules and Conference Arrangements that transcends those that preceded. 185 Contemporary Motions were submitted, 13 Constitutional Amendments proposed, 9 Composite Motions suggested, 24 Emergency Motions applied for, over 10 points of order raised, more than 20 calls for Reference Back and Tuesdays’ CAC report was almost declined. There was a visible and remarkable notion of delegates holding the NPF, CAC and NEC to account and a remarkable level of scrutiny, still accompanied by comradery and respect.
    [Show full text]
  • Survey Report
    YouGov Survey Results Sample Size: 1096 Labour Party Members Fieldwork: 27th February - 3rd March 2017 EU Ref Vote 2015 Vote Age Gender Social Grade Region Membership Length 2016 Leadership Vote Not Rest of Midlands / Pre Corbyn After Corbyn Jeremy Owen Don't Know / Total Remain Leave Lab 18-39 40-59 60+ Male Female ABC1 C2DE London North Scotland Lab South Wales leader leader Corbyn Smith Did Not Vote Weighted Sample 1096 961 101 859 237 414 393 288 626 470 743 353 238 322 184 294 55 429 667 610 377 110 Unweighted Sample 1096 976 96 896 200 351 434 311 524 572 826 270 157 330 217 326 63 621 475 652 329 115 % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Which of the following issues, if any, do you think Labour should prioritise in the future? Please tick up to three. Health 66 67 59 67 60 63 65 71 61 71 68 60 58 67 74 66 66 64 67 70 57 68 Housing 43 42 48 43 43 41 41 49 43 43 41 49 56 45 40 35 22 46 41 46 40 37 Britain leaving the EU 43 44 37 45 39 45 44 41 44 43 47 36 48 39 43 47 37 46 42 35 55 50 The economy 37 37 29 38 31 36 36 37 44 27 39 32 35 40 35 34 40 46 30 29 48 40 Education 25 26 15 26 23 28 26 22 25 26 26 24 22 25 29 23 35 26 25 26 23 28 Welfare benefits 20 19 28 19 25 15 23 23 14 28 16 28 16 21 17 21 31 16 23 23 14 20 The environment 16 17 4 15 21 20 14 13 14 19 15 18 16 21 14 13 18 8 21 20 10 19 Immigration & Asylum 10 8 32 11 10 12 10 9 12 8 10 11 12 6 9 15 6 10 10 8 12 16 Tax 10 10 11 10 8 8 12 8 11 8 8 13 9 11 10 9 8 8 11 13 6 2 Pensions 4 3 7 4 4 3 5 3 4 4 3 6 5 2 6 3 6 2 5 5 3 1 Family life & childcare 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 4 2 5 3 4 1 4 3 5 2 4 3 4 4 3 Transport 3 3 3 3 4 5 2 2 4 1 3 2 3 5 2 2 1 4 3 4 3 0 Crime 2 2 6 2 2 4 2 1 3 2 2 2 1 3 1 3 4 2 2 2 3 1 None of these 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Don’t know 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 Now thinking about what Labour promise about Brexit going into the next general election, do you think Labour should..
    [Show full text]
  • General Election 2019 13 December 2019
    General Election 2019 13 December 2019 The results Boris Johnson’s gamble has paid off. He will return to Parliament with a majority of roughly eighty MPs having taken swathes of seats from the Labour Party. The UK will formally leave the European Union within the next two months and a further general election looks highly unlikely before 2024. Projected final result: Conservatives Labour Liberal SNP Others Democrats 365 203 11 48 23 The electoral map has been redrawn. Traditional Labour seats like Workington, Darlington, Blythe and Leigh have turned blue. Even places like Redcar (which recently saw its steel works shut down) and Sedgefield (once held by Tony Blair) were taken by the Conservatives. The Midlands followed the same trend with long-standing Labour MPs such as Dennis Skinner losing Bolsover after forty-four years. London remains an outlier, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats making some gains. However, there were seats where a split in the remain vote allowed the Conservatives to win, such as the marginal constituencies of Kensington and the City of London and Westminster. Jeremy Corbyn’s overnight statement was short on remorse. He blamed the media and Brexit for his party’s result whilst arguing that his policies remain popular. Corbyn also announced that he will not stand in a further election but pledged to stay on whilst the party reflected on the reasons for their losses. The general expectation is that his MPs will move to remove him from power sooner rather than later, but despite suffering what could yet be the worst Labour result since 1935, the left of the party retain control of the party’s structures.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 MARR SHOW, LEN Mccluskey
    1 MARR SHOW, LEN McCLUSKEY ANDREW MARR SHOW, LEN McCLUSKEY, Unite AM: Now you are still in the position where, despite everything, you think Jeremy Corbyn should stay until the next election and fight as Labour leader? LM: Yes, I do, and to be honest Andrew, it’s unhelpful for ex leaders to be wheeled out. Neil is you know a nice man but the reality is he was leader of the Labour Party for 8 years and lost two elections. Ed Miliband, leader of the Labour Party for five years and lost an election. Gordon Brown, 13 years at the top of our party, including Prime Minister lost an election. It’s not right that they are part – AM: On that basis you’d be wheeling out Tony Blair. LM: It’s not – no I won’t wheel Tony Blair out but the reality is that grandees being dragged out to be part of this unedifying queue is quite outrageous. I mean the reality is that this has been a political lynching of a decent man. Undermined, humiliated, attacked in order to push him out. And here’s the truth. It’s failed, the coup has failed. Jeremy Corbyn is made of stronger stuff. He’s a man of steel and he’s made it clear that he will not step down. AM: The people doing this are not, as it were the usual suspects. The Blairite MPs, they’re people like Lisa Nandy and Angela Eagle who are MPs on the left of the party. He has lost the left of the party as well.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise of Populism and Its Implications for Development Ngos
    OXFAM RESEARCH BACKGROUNDER THE RISE OF POPULISM AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT NGOS NICK GALASSO GIANANDREA NELLI FEROCI KIMBERLY PFEIFER MARTIN WALSH CONTENTS Oxfam’s Research Backgrounders ............................................................ 3 Author Information and Acknowledgments ................................................ 3 Citations of this paper ................................................................................ 4 Executive summary ................................................................................... 5 Introduction .............................................................................................. 11 Data on political trends ............................................................................ 12 Explanations for what is driving these trends .......................................... 37 The discourses of right-wing populism .................................................... 46 Implications for development NGOs ........................................................ 50 Research Backgrounders Series Listing .................................................. 56 2 Footer (odd pages) OXFAM’S RESEARCH BACKGROUNDERS Series editor: Kimberly Pfeifer Oxfam’s Research Backgrounders are designed to inform and foster discussion about topics critical to poverty reduction. The series explores a range of issues on which Oxfam works—all within the broader context of international development and humanitarian relief. The series was designed to share Oxfam’s rich research with a wide
    [Show full text]
  • “The Blue Labourism” and “The Good Society” Concept
    ISSN 2336 R5439 EUROPEAN POLITICAL AND LAW DISCOURSE • Volume 2 Issue 1 2015 Mykola Kulachynskyi, PhD in Political Science Odessa State Agrarian University “THE BLUE LABOURISM” AND “THE GOOD SOCIETY” CONCEPT OF THE MODERN LABOURITES OR THE ATTEMPT OF THE RELOADING “THE THIRD WAY” CONCEPT The new theoretical changes of the ideological laborite’s field were discovered in this article. The modern social democracy in Europe with its approaches to the society classes, direct state involvement into the economy, the social distribution of resources, and common labor market, essentially, exhausted themselves and try to build the new pri nciples of the social welfare considering significant changes in the capitalist relations those supply the new quality of life. There is an uneasy task before the modern laborites, and especially before their new leader Ed Miliband: to preserve the old electorate of the Labor Party and to enlarge the new one, while distanci ng from traditional trade unions and maintaining the neutrality with the supporters of T. Blair “The Blairists”, giving the own alternative of the development of the social democracy in the country. Key words: the electorate, the blairism, the third way, the blue laborism, labor market, social democracy, ethical individualism, trade unions. Toda y the dominance of the Labour Party in the trust degree from the side of the British electorate is apparent. According to rough estimates for the 2014, there are 45% of electorates, who are ready to vote for this party. This is 15% more than the Conservatives. In its campaign the Labor Party should focus on the critics of the ruling coalition economic policy.
    [Show full text]
  • Identifying Intra-Party Voting Blocs in UK House of Commons
    Identifying Intra-Party Voting Blocs in UK House of Commons The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Spirling, Arthur and Kevin Quinn. Forthcoming. Identifying Intra- Party Voting Blocs in UK House of Commons. Journal of the American Statistical Association. Published Version http://www.amstat.org/publications/jasa.cfm Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3356139 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#OAP Identifying Intra-Party Voting Blocs in the UK House of Commons∗ Arthur Spirling† Kevin Quinn‡ June 29, 2009 Abstract Legislative voting records are an important source of information about legisla- tor preferences, intra-party cohesiveness, and the divisiveness of various policy issues. Standard methods of analyzing a legislative voting record tend to have serious draw- backs when applied to legislatures, such as the UK House of Commons, that feature highly disciplined parties, strategic voting, and large amounts of missing data. We present a method (based on a Dirichlet process mixture model) for analyzing such voting records that does not suffer from these same problems. Our method is model- based and thus allows one to make probability statements about quantities of interest. It allows one to estimate the number of voting blocs within a party or any other group of MPs. Finally, it can be used as both a predictive model and an exploratory model.
    [Show full text]
  • The Inner Workings of British Political Parties the Interaction of Organisational Structures and Their Impact on Political Behaviours
    REPORT The Inner Workings of British Political Parties The Interaction of Organisational Structures and their Impact on Political Behaviours Ben Westerman About the Author Ben Westerman is a Research Fellow at the Constitution Society specialising in the internal anthropology of political parties. He also works as an adviser on the implications of Brexit for a number of large organisations and policy makers across sectors. He has previously worked for the Labour Party, on the Remain campaign and in Parliament. He holds degrees from Bristol University and King’s College, London. The Inner Workings of British Political Parties: The Interaction of Organisational Structures and their Impact on Political Behaviours Introduction Since June 2016, British politics has entered isn’t working’,3 ‘Bollocks to Brexit’,4 or ‘New Labour into an unprecedented period of volatility and New Danger’5 to get a sense of the tribalism this fragmentation as the decision to leave the European system has engendered. Moreover, for almost Union has ushered in a fundamental realignment a century, this antiquated system has enforced of the UK’s major political groupings. With the the domination of the Conservative and Labour nation bracing itself for its fourth major electoral Parties. Ninety-five years since Ramsay MacDonald event in five years, it remains to be seen how and to became the first Labour Prime Minister, no other what degree this realignment will take place under party has successfully formed a government the highly specific conditions of a majoritarian (national governments notwithstanding), and every electoral system. The general election of winter government since Attlee’s 1945 administration has 2019 may well come to be seen as a definitive point been formed by either the Conservative or Labour in British political history.
    [Show full text]