British left
Encyclopedia
The biggest organisation on the British left is the Labour Party
with over 100,000 members.
The Communist Party of Great Britain
had a peak membership of 56,000 in 1945. Other groups include the Socialist Workers Party
, Workers' Revolutionary Party
, the Alliance for Workers' Liberty
, Socialist Party and Socialist Appeal
.
is a left-wing grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1981 by Tony Benn's supporters as a split from the Tribune Group. The Compass
organisation has also attracted a number of members disillusioned with the New Labour project. In the 2005 General Election Labour won 9,556,183 votes.
and Chartist
.
, the Socialist Unity Network, Socialist Resistance and the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
. Before its dissolution the coalition had the support of the national council of the Socialist Alliance. Respect allows its members to hold membership of other political organisations. It includes George Galloway, who was Respect's sole Member of Parliament between 2005 and 2010, Salma Yaqoob
a prominent member of Birmingham City Council
and people of no other political organisation. Although the leader of Respect is listed in the register of political parties as Linda Smith (until November 22, 2004 Nick Wrack), George Galloway is often assumed to be its leader by the mainstream media. In fact, Respect does not have a leader as such and is run by an elected 'national council', a full list of whom can be found on their website.
Respect's first electoral test was the 2004 Greater London Authority elections, in which Lindsey German
came fifth. In the 2005 general election, the Respect Coalition won 68,065 votes. By the time of the 2008 Greater London Authority elections, the Socialist Workers Party
had left the coalition amid an acrimonious dispute with George Galloway and instead contested the elections as the Left List
with Lindsey German as candidate (coming eighth). Since the split the two factions have become Respect Renewal
(now simply Respect) and the Left Alternative.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
with over 100,000 members.
The Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
had a peak membership of 56,000 in 1945. Other groups include the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
, Workers' Revolutionary Party
Workers' Revolutionary Party
There are several groups named the Workers' Revolutionary Party:*Workers' Revolutionary Party *Workers Revolutionary Party *Workers Revolutionary Party *Workers' Revolutionary Party *Workers Revolutionary Party...
, the Alliance for Workers' Liberty
Alliance for Workers' Liberty
The Alliance for Workers' Liberty , also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group has a complex history but has always been identified with the theorist Sean Matgamna...
, Socialist Party and Socialist Appeal
Socialist Appeal
Socialist Appeal is the publication of a British Trotskyist organisation operating within the Labour Party which was founded by Ted Grant and Alan Woods after they were expelled from the Militant tendency. The organisation is popularly known as the Socialist Appeal group, and publishes a monthly...
.
Labour Party
The biggest left-wing party in the UK in terms of members and representation is the Labour Party. The party had 201,374 members on 31 December 2004 according to accounts filed with the Electoral Commission. The Labour Party grew out of the trade union movement and socialist political parties of the 19th century, and continues to describe itself as a party of democratic socialism. Under Tony Blair's leadership, however, the party has adopted a number of Thatcherite policies; this has led many observers to describe the Labour Party as social democratic or neo-liberal rather than democratic socialist. Blair himself has described New Labour's political position as a "Third Way". The Socialist Campaign GroupSocialist Campaign Group
The Socialist Campaign Group is a left-wing democratic socialist grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was formed in December 1982 as an alternative Parliamentary left-wing group to the Tribune Group...
is a left-wing grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1981 by Tony Benn's supporters as a split from the Tribune Group. The Compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
organisation has also attracted a number of members disillusioned with the New Labour project. In the 2005 General Election Labour won 9,556,183 votes.
Internal groups
In contrast to TribuneTribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
and Chartist
Chartist
Chartist may refer to:*Chartist , a person who uses charts for technical analysis*Chartist , a British social democratic periodical*An adherent of Chartism, a 19th-century political and social reform movement in the UK...
.
- CompassCompass (think tank)Compass is a left wing pressure group, aligned with the UK Labour Party describing itself as 'An umbrella grouping of the progressive left whose sum is greater than its parts'...
- Fabian SocietyFabian SocietyThe Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
- Labour Representation CommitteeLabour Representation Committee (2004)The Labour Representation Committee is a British socialist pressure group within the Labour Party and wider labour movement. It is often seen as representing the most left wing members of the Labour Party.-Overview:...
/Socialist Campaign GroupSocialist Campaign GroupThe Socialist Campaign Group is a left-wing democratic socialist grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was formed in December 1982 as an alternative Parliamentary left-wing group to the Tribune Group...
/Labour Left Briefing
Respect - The Unity Coalition
The next largest group is the Respect coalition which has the support of: Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)
The Communist Party of Great Britain is a political group which publishes the Weekly Worker newspaper. The party favours the creation of a unified "Communist Party of the European Union"...
, the Socialist Unity Network, Socialist Resistance and the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
The Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain is a British communist political party. It was originally named the Communist Party of England , until it was reorganised after rejecting Maoism. The party's thinking is based on the politics of Hardial Bains, who died in 1997...
. Before its dissolution the coalition had the support of the national council of the Socialist Alliance. Respect allows its members to hold membership of other political organisations. It includes George Galloway, who was Respect's sole Member of Parliament between 2005 and 2010, Salma Yaqoob
Salma Yaqoob
Salma Yaqoob is the leader, and former vice-chair, of the Respect Party and a former Birmingham City Councillor. She is also the head of the Birmingham Stop the War Coalition and a spokesperson for Birmingham Central Mosque....
a prominent member of Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
and people of no other political organisation. Although the leader of Respect is listed in the register of political parties as Linda Smith (until November 22, 2004 Nick Wrack), George Galloway is often assumed to be its leader by the mainstream media. In fact, Respect does not have a leader as such and is run by an elected 'national council', a full list of whom can be found on their website.
Respect's first electoral test was the 2004 Greater London Authority elections, in which Lindsey German
Lindsey German
Lindsey German is the convenor of the British anti-war organisation Stop the War Coalition and a former member of the central committee of the Socialist Workers Party. She was editor of Socialist Review for twenty years until 2004...
came fifth. In the 2005 general election, the Respect Coalition won 68,065 votes. By the time of the 2008 Greater London Authority elections, the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
had left the coalition amid an acrimonious dispute with George Galloway and instead contested the elections as the Left List
Left List
Left Alternative was a UK political party resulting from the split within Respect – The Unity Coalition in late 2007. It operated in England and Wales. It was backed by the Socialist Workers Party...
with Lindsey German as candidate (coming eighth). Since the split the two factions have become Respect Renewal
Respect Renewal
Respect Renewal was a faction that existed during the 2007-8 split within Respect – The Unity Coalition a UK political party.Respect Renewal was led by Linda Smith, the National Chair, Leader and Nominating Officer of Respect, and was formed in November 2007...
(now simply Respect) and the Left Alternative.
Other groups
- Trade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionTrade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is a socialist electoral alliance launched in Britain for the 2010 General Election.The coalition was negotiated between groups which had taken part in the No2EU coalition that fought the June 2009 European elections...
(won 26,765 votes in the English local elections 2011) - Socialist Labour PartySocialist Labour Party (UK)The Socialist Labour Party is a far left socialist political party in the United Kingdom. The party is led by former trade union leader Arthur Scargill, who established it in 1996 as a breakaway from the Labour Party...
(won 19,529 votes in the 2005 general election) - Socialist Party (England and Wales)Socialist Party (England and Wales)The Socialist Party is a Trotskyist party active in England and Wales.It publishes the weekly newspaper The Socialist and the monthly magazine Socialism Today...
stands as Socialist Alternative in elections (won 9,398 votes in the 2005 general election) - Alliance for Green SocialismAlliance for Green SocialismThe Alliance for Green Socialism is a socialist and environmentalist political grouping operating across Britain...
(won 1,978 votes in the 2005 general election) - Workers' Revolutionary PartyWorkers' Revolutionary Party (UK)The Workers Revolutionary Party is a minute Trotskyist group in Britain. In the mid-1980s, it split several ways.-The Club:The WRP grew out of the faction Gerry Healy and John Lawrence led in the Revolutionary Communist Party which urged that the RCP enter the Labour Party. This policy was also...
(won 1,143 votes in the 2005 general election) - Communist Party of BritainCommunist Party of BritainThe Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Great Britain. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its...
(won 1,124 votes in the 2005 general election) - Independent Working Class AssociationIndependent Working Class AssociationThe Independent Working Class Association is a minor working-class political party in the United Kingdom that aims to promote the political and economic interests of the working class, regardless of the consequences to existing political and economic structures...
(won 892 votes in the UK general election) - Democratic Labour PartyDemocratic Labour Party (UK)The Democratic Labour Party is a small British left-wing political party in Walsall, sometimes known as the Walsall Democratic Labour Party...
(won 770 votes in the 2005 general election) - Alliance for Workers Liberty stand as Socialist Unity in elections (won 581 votes in the 2005 general election)
Fewer than 500 votes
Including those who did not stand on principle or for practical reasons- Communist League of Great BritainCommunist League of Great BritainThe Communist League of Great Britain is an anti-revisionist group in the United Kingdom.It origins lie in the Communist Party of Great Britain, where a faction formed around Bill Bland. Initially Maoist, it joined the majority of the Committee to Defeat Revisionism, for Communist Unity in 1965 to...
- Communist League (UK, 1990)Communist League (UK, 1990)The Communist League was a small Trotskyist organisation in Britain. Better known as Movement for a Socialist Future, it split from the Marxist Party in 1990, claiming to hold more closely to the ideas of Gerry Healy. In 1994, it published a strongly positive biography of Healy, with a foreword...
- Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)The Communist Party of Britain is a British communist political party. The small party was formed in 1968 by Reg Birch as a split from the Communist Party of Great Britain, siding with the Communist Party of China...
(backed Labour under Thatcher to vote-out the Conservatives) - Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)The Communist Party of Great Britain is a British communist party which has a close relationship with the Workers' Party of Korea.-History:The party was founded on July 3, 2004 in London...
(formed from former members of the SLP) - Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)The Communist Party of Great Britain is a political group which publishes the Weekly Worker newspaper. The party favours the creation of a unified "Communist Party of the European Union"...
- Communist Workers OrganisationCommunist Workers Organisation (UK)The Communist Workers Organisation is a British left communist group and an affiliate of the Internationalist Communist Tendency, formerly the International Bureau for the Revolutionary Party...
- Democratic Socialist AllianceDemocratic Socialist AllianceThe Democratic Socialist Alliance is a left-wing political organisation in the UK.The DSA name was adopted for public political work, in June 2005, by a group of members of the Socialist Alliance Democracy Platform who declared an intention to continue the SADP against what the DSA claims was a...
- Economic and Philosophic Science ReviewEconomic and Philosophic Science ReviewThe Economic and Philosophic Science Review is a British socialist newspaper founded by Royston Bull, formerly a leading member of the Workers Revolutionary Party and industrial correspondent for The Scotsman newspaper....
- International Communist CurrentInternational Communist CurrentThe International Communist Current is an international centralised left communist organisation which was formed in 1975 and which has sections in France, Great Britain, Mexico, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Venezuela, Brazil, Sweden, India, Italy, USA, Switzerland, Philippines and...
- New Communist Party of BritainNew Communist Party of BritainThe New Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Britain. The origins of the NCP lie in the Communist Party of Great Britain from which it split in 1977.-Formation:...
(backs Labour) - Peace and Progress PartyPeace and Progress PartyThe Peace and Progress Party is a British political party founded by Vanessa and Corin Redgrave to campaign for human rights. Combining the Redgraves, formerly leading figures in the Workers' Revolutionary Party and the Marxist Party, with others from the media and legal fields, the party campaigns...
- People's Party (formed from former members of Labour)
- Permanent Revolution (group)
- Red PartyRed Party (UK)Red Star is a revolutionary socialist organisation in Britain formed by former members of the Communist Party of Great Britain , the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, and the Peace Party...
(formed by former members of the CPGB PCC) - Revolutionary Communist Group
- Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)The Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain is a British communist political party. It was originally named the Communist Party of England , until it was reorganised after rejecting Maoism. The party's thinking is based on the politics of Hardial Bains, who died in 1997...
- Revolutionary Democratic GroupRevolutionary Democratic GroupThe Revolutionary Democratic Group is a socialist organisation in the United Kingdom. They were founded in the early 1980s as a split from London and Scottish branches of the Socialist Workers Party, of which, for many years, they considered themselves an "external faction".The ideological centre...
- Socialist ActionSocialist ActionSocialist Action may refer to:*Socialist Action , a Trotskyist political party in the United States*Socialist Action , a Trotskyist group in the United Kingdom that published a magazine of the same name until 2001...
- Socialist AppealSocialist AppealSocialist Appeal is the publication of a British Trotskyist organisation operating within the Labour Party which was founded by Ted Grant and Alan Woods after they were expelled from the Militant tendency. The organisation is popularly known as the Socialist Appeal group, and publishes a monthly...
(supports the Labour Party candidates) - Socialist Equality PartySocialist Equality Party (UK)The Socialist Equality Party is a Trotskyist group in Britain. It is part of the International Committee of the Fourth International, which publishes the World Socialist Web Site. The party's origins lie in the Workers Revolutionary Party until the majority of that party split from the ICFI in...
(formed from former members of the WRP) - Socialist Party of Great BritainSocialist Party of Great BritainThe Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...
- Spartacist League
- Socialist Workers Party
- Workers Power
Active only in Scotland
- Scottish Socialist PartyScottish Socialist PartyThe Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
- Solidarity (Scotland)Solidarity (Scotland)Solidarity is a political party in Scotland, launched on September 3, 2006 as a breakaway from the Scottish Socialist Party in the aftermath of Tommy Sheridan's libel action...
- Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
- Scottish Labour PartyScottish Labour PartyThe Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
- Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)The Communist Party of Great Britain is a British communist party which has a close relationship with the Workers' Party of Korea.-History:The party was founded on July 3, 2004 in London...
Unaffiliated
- What Next Journal
- The Morning StarThe Morning StarThe Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
(independent since 1945) - Red Pepper (magazine)Red Pepper (magazine)Red Pepper is an independent ‘red, green and radical’ magazine based in the UK. For most of its history it appeared monthly, but relaunched as a bi-monthly during 2007.- Origins :...
Publications affiliated to parties
- Socialist Worker (Socialist Workers Party)
- Weekly WorkerWeekly WorkerThe Weekly Worker is a newspaper published by the Communist Party of Great Britain . The paper is well known on the left for its polemical articles, close attention to Marxist theory and the politics of other Marxist groups...
(CPGB (PCC)) - News Line (WRP)
- The Socialist (UK)The Socialist (UK)The Socialist is the weekly paper of the Socialist Party of England and Wales. It is edited and written by the members and supporters of the political party publishing it....
(The Socialist Party of England and Wales) - Economic and Philosophic Science ReviewEconomic and Philosophic Science ReviewThe Economic and Philosophic Science Review is a British socialist newspaper founded by Royston Bull, formerly a leading member of the Workers Revolutionary Party and industrial correspondent for The Scotsman newspaper....
(EPSR Supporters)
Further reading
- Morgan, Kenneth O. Ages of Reform: Dawns and Downfalls of the British Left (I.B. Tauris, distributed by Palgrave Macmillan; 2011) 314 pages; the history of the British left since the Great Reform Act of 1832.
- John Callaghan. Socialism in Britain
- A Socialist World is Possible by Peter Taffe
- Britain's Road to SocialismBritain's Road to SocialismBritain's Road to Socialism is the programme of the Communist Party of Britain and is adhered to by the Young Communist League and the editors of the The Morning Star...
by the CPB - The Dictionary of Alternatives by Martin Parker, Valerie Fournier and Patrick Reedy. Zed Books, 2007.http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/book.asp?bookdetail=4171
- A History of Communism in Britain by Brian Pearce and Michael Woodhouse
See also
- History of socialism in the United Kingdom
- Convention of the LeftConvention of the LeftThe Convention of the Left is an annual conference of British left, socialist, progressive and green parties and organisations, first held in Manchester in September 2008. The format of the conference was that it 'shadowed' the Labour Party's 2008 Annual Conference, also being held in the city...
- Campaign for a Marxist PartyCampaign for a Marxist PartyThe Campaign for a Marxist Party was a campaign of several organisations on the British left for a political party with explicitly Marxist goals as part of a rebuilt workers' international .-Principles:...
- Campaign for a New Workers' PartyCampaign for a New Workers' PartyThe Campaign For A New Workers' Party is an initiative of the Socialist Party of England and Wales that argues for the establishment of a new mass workers' party, involving trade union activists, socialists, anti-capitalists, and community, anti-war and environmental activists. It was launched at...
- Socialist Unity NetworkSocialist Unity NetworkThe Socialist Unity Network is a small network of the British left which is not affiliated with any single political party. It grew out of the Socialist Alliance in England, and was originally initiated by several non-aligned members of the SA executive in March 2004.Members of the Network are ...
- List of political parties in the United Kingdom
- History of the Socialist Workers Party (Britain)History of the Socialist Workers Party (Britain)The History of the Socialist Workers Party begins with the formation of the Socialist Review Group in 1950, followed by the creation of the International Socialists in 1962 and continues through to the present day with the formation of the Socialist Workers Party in 1977.-Origins:The SWP's origins...
People
- George GallowayGeorge GallowayGeorge Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
- Lindsey GermanLindsey GermanLindsey German is the convenor of the British anti-war organisation Stop the War Coalition and a former member of the central committee of the Socialist Workers Party. She was editor of Socialist Review for twenty years until 2004...
- Chris HarmanChris HarmanChris Harman was a British journalist and political activist, and a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party...
- Peter TaaffePeter TaaffePeter Taaffe is the general secretary of the Socialist Party of England and Wales SPEW and member of the International Executive Committee of the Committee for a Workers International , which claims sections in over 35 countries around the world.Taaffe was founding editor of the Marxist Militant...
- Tony CliffTony CliffTony Cliff , was a Trotskyist who was a founding member of the Socialist Review Group which went on to become the Socialist Workers Party...
- Gerry HealyGerry HealyThomas Gerard Healy, known as Gerry Healy , was a political activist, a co-founder of the International Committee of the Fourth International, and, according to former prominent U.S. supporter David North, the leader of the Trotskyist movement in Great Britain between 1950 – 1985...
- Harry PollittHarry PollittHarry Pollitt was the head of the trade union department of the Communist Party of Great Britain and the General Secretary of the party for more than 20 years.- Early life :...
- Tony BennTony BennAnthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...