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The New Party (UK)
Encyclopedia
The New Party is a neoliberal
political party
in the United Kingdom
. The party describes itself as "a party of economic liberalism
, political reform
and internationalism
". It supports a smaller role for the state, a significant reduction in bureaucracy
, renegotiation with the European Union
and a strengthening of the special relationship with the United States
.
The party was founded as the Scottish Peoples Alliance, standing at the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary Elections and receiving 7,718 votes (0.4%).
The New Party did not stand in the 2005 general election
.
was rife, during the leadership of Iain Duncan-Smith. Before the launch, the party announced in January 2003 that it planned to scrap the Scottish Parliament
, and it was decried by David McLetchie
, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, as "fascist and undemocratic." The party was officially launched on 14 March 2003, when the party was founded under the name , with funerals businessman Howard Hodgson as its spokesman. The launch was timed to coincide with the Conservative Party Spring Conference the next day in Harrogate. Senior figures included Jenny Ungless, Iain Duncan-Smith's former chief of staff, Charlotte Kenyon, a former Conservative Party press officer, and Mark Adams, a former Conservative Party official. The head of policy in Scotland was Bruce Skivington.
, with all legislation subject to popular referendum; and Universal Benefit, a direct payment from the state to every citizen as of right, as a replacement for the current benefits system. A reduction of the voting age to 16 was also proposed. Taxes would be cut by 3p. The pledge to scrap the Scottish parliament was dropped, but the party pledged to sell the Holyrood Scottish Parliament Building
, and to reduce the number of parliamentarians, in Holyrood, Westminster and an all-elected Lords. Alan Cochrane
in the Daily Telegraph commented that "the Scottish People's Alliance appears to offer a mish-mash of policies, which are for the most part half-baked - but not all that more so than many of the offerings from parties of much longer standing. And if they get their act together in time they might well appeal. Their most immediate problem appears to be that they have not got their act together in anything like enough time."
The party decided to contest the Scottish Parliamentary Election in May 2003
, fielding 16 candidates. However, the party received a small proportion of the vote and won no seats. The was despite the fact that two of the Peoples Alliance candidates, Lyndsay McIntosh
and Keith Harding
, were outgoing Conservative Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). They had defected after being ranked further down the Conservative list for the election.
The party took no part in the 2004 European Parliament Elections
. At the end of 2004, United Kingdom Independence Party
MEP
Robert Kilroy-Silk
approached the New Party with a view to becoming leader. The executive declined 5 to 4, and several senior members of the New Party subsequently departed to join Kilroy-Silk's Veritas
party at its launch in February 2005, including policy director Jonathan Lockhart, Richard Vass, the first party chairman of Veritas, and Patrick Eston
, Kilroy-Silk's successor as leader.
The New Party did not contest the 2005 General Election
.
In 2007 a member and two times local election candidate for the New Party, Stewart Dimmock, with backing from Viscount Monckton
, the author of the party's first manifesto, launched an unsuccessful court case
to seek to prevent the showing of the film An Inconvenient Truth
in UK schools claiming that the film is political rather than scientific in nature.
In July 2008 David Pinder, the national spokesman, became the party's first UK parliamentary candidate at the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, polling 135 votes.
In August 2009 Richard Vass was named leader, declaring the party's intention to contest the 2010 UK general election.
The New Party favours small government with a flat-tax regime and measures to increase individual freedom and self-reliance, as well as deregulation
of business and industry. The party recommends wholesale reform of the welfare state
with measures to reduce welfare dependency, and reduction of state control of public services, including reform of the National Health Service
.
The New Party proposes various reforms of parliament, including adopting the Alternative Vote system for electing the House of Commons
, an appointed and non-political House of Lords
, and measures to strengthen the independence of the Civil Service
.
The party regards itself as internationalist in outlook, which it interprets as support for democratic governments and human rights worldwide. The party is rather more cautious with regard to international organisations such as the European Union
and the United Nations
. After espousing a robust eurosceptic
position, the party has latterly reverted to a more equivocal stance towards the European Union
. It has also been critical of the United Nations as an undemocratic body without moral authority.
In foreign policy the party has adopted a liberal interventionist or neo-conservative approach and has been strongly supportive of the War on Terror
, and British and American military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The most recent published policy statement of the New Party is the Manifesto for a World Class Nation, published in 2005.
At the local government elections in England on 4 May 2006
, five New Party candidates stood in five separate local government areas in Hertfordshire
, Lancashire
and Yorkshire
, averaging 204 votes (8.7%).
In a by-election for Dover
Town Council in October 2006 Stewart Dimmock, the New Party candidate, polled 139 votes (27.0%).
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The party describes itself as "a party of economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
, political reform
Reform movement
A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes...
and internationalism
Internationalism (politics)
Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all...
". It supports a smaller role for the state, a significant reduction in bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
, renegotiation with the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and a strengthening of the special relationship with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The party was founded as the Scottish Peoples Alliance, standing at the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary Elections and receiving 7,718 votes (0.4%).
The New Party did not stand in the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
Founding
The New Party has its origins in the initiative A New Party for Britain launched in late 2002, at a time when speculation about the possibility of a split in the UK Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
was rife, during the leadership of Iain Duncan-Smith. Before the launch, the party announced in January 2003 that it planned to scrap the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, and it was decried by David McLetchie
David McLetchie
David McLetchie is a Scottish politician, currently a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Lothian electoral region...
, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, as "fascist and undemocratic." The party was officially launched on 14 March 2003, when the party was founded under the name , with funerals businessman Howard Hodgson as its spokesman. The launch was timed to coincide with the Conservative Party Spring Conference the next day in Harrogate. Senior figures included Jenny Ungless, Iain Duncan-Smith's former chief of staff, Charlotte Kenyon, a former Conservative Party press officer, and Mark Adams, a former Conservative Party official. The head of policy in Scotland was Bruce Skivington.
Scottish Parliament elections
The initial policy programme of the party had two main planks: direct democracyDirect democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
, with all legislation subject to popular referendum; and Universal Benefit, a direct payment from the state to every citizen as of right, as a replacement for the current benefits system. A reduction of the voting age to 16 was also proposed. Taxes would be cut by 3p. The pledge to scrap the Scottish parliament was dropped, but the party pledged to sell the Holyrood Scottish Parliament Building
Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
, and to reduce the number of parliamentarians, in Holyrood, Westminster and an all-elected Lords. Alan Cochrane
Alan Cochrane
Alan Cochrane is a Scottish journalist, political activist and commentator. He is Scottish Editor for the right-of-centre British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, and is known for his anti-SNP opinion pieces.-References:...
in the Daily Telegraph commented that "the Scottish People's Alliance appears to offer a mish-mash of policies, which are for the most part half-baked - but not all that more so than many of the offerings from parties of much longer standing. And if they get their act together in time they might well appeal. Their most immediate problem appears to be that they have not got their act together in anything like enough time."
The party decided to contest the Scottish Parliamentary Election in May 2003
Scottish Parliament election, 2003
The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive...
, fielding 16 candidates. However, the party received a small proportion of the vote and won no seats. The was despite the fact that two of the Peoples Alliance candidates, Lyndsay McIntosh
Lyndsay McIntosh
Lyndsay McIntosh is a Scottish politician. She was a Conservative and Unionist Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland from 1999 to 2003....
and Keith Harding
Keith Harding
Keith Harding is a Scottish politician. He was a Conservative and Unionist Member of the Scottish Parliament for Mid Scotland and Fife from 1999 to 2003.He was leader of Stirling Council from 1991 to 1995...
, were outgoing Conservative Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). They had defected after being ranked further down the Conservative list for the election.
The New Party
Disappointed with its performance after spending £188,889 on the election, the party relaunched in October 2003 with a revamped manifesto (direct democracy and Universal Benefit were dropped) and a revised statement of philosophy and principles, under the name The New Party.The party took no part in the 2004 European Parliament Elections
European Parliament election, 2004
Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
. At the end of 2004, United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Robert Kilroy-Silk
Robert Kilroy-Silk
Robert Michael Kilroy-Silk is an English former politician, former independent Member of the European Parliament, and former television presenter, best known for his daytime talk show Kilroy. He has been a university lecturer and Labour Party Member of Parliament...
approached the New Party with a view to becoming leader. The executive declined 5 to 4, and several senior members of the New Party subsequently departed to join Kilroy-Silk's Veritas
Veritas (political party)
Veritas is a political party in the United Kingdom, formed in February 2005 at Hinckley golf club by politician-celebrity Robert Kilroy-Silk following a split from the United Kingdom Independence Party . Kilroy-Silk served as party leader from formation, through the 2005 General Election, until...
party at its launch in February 2005, including policy director Jonathan Lockhart, Richard Vass, the first party chairman of Veritas, and Patrick Eston
Patrick Eston
Patrick Eston is a British politician and former leader of the Veritas party.Patrick Eston is a conservatory manufacturer from Atherstone in Warwickshire with two sons, Steven and Damian, and a dog, as featured on Patrick's Christmas card to members of Veritas.Before joining Veritas, he was a...
, Kilroy-Silk's successor as leader.
The New Party did not contest the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
In 2007 a member and two times local election candidate for the New Party, Stewart Dimmock, with backing from Viscount Monckton
Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Christopher Walter Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley is a British politician, public speaker, former newspaper editor and hereditary peer. Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, Monckton has been the Head of the Policy Unit for the UK Independence Party since November 2010. He was...
, the author of the party's first manifesto, launched an unsuccessful court case
Dimmock v Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Dimmock v Secretary of State for Education and Skills was a case heard in September–October 2007 in the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, concerning the permissibility of the government providing Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth to English state schools as a teaching aid...
to seek to prevent the showing of the film An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
in UK schools claiming that the film is political rather than scientific in nature.
In July 2008 David Pinder, the national spokesman, became the party's first UK parliamentary candidate at the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, polling 135 votes.
In August 2009 Richard Vass was named leader, declaring the party's intention to contest the 2010 UK general election.
Policy
The New Party describes its philosophy as follows:The New Party is a party of economic liberalism, political reform and internationalism. We stand for individual freedom and personal responsibility in preference to state control. We believe that only by empowering individuals and their families to take more control of their lives can we promote a spirit of mutual responsibility and respect in society as a whole.
The New Party favours small government with a flat-tax regime and measures to increase individual freedom and self-reliance, as well as deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
of business and industry. The party recommends wholesale reform of the welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
with measures to reduce welfare dependency, and reduction of state control of public services, including reform of the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
.
The New Party proposes various reforms of parliament, including adopting the Alternative Vote system for electing the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, an appointed and non-political House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, and measures to strengthen the independence of the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
.
The party regards itself as internationalist in outlook, which it interprets as support for democratic governments and human rights worldwide. The party is rather more cautious with regard to international organisations such as the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. After espousing a robust eurosceptic
EuroSceptic
EuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
position, the party has latterly reverted to a more equivocal stance towards the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. It has also been critical of the United Nations as an undemocratic body without moral authority.
In foreign policy the party has adopted a liberal interventionist or neo-conservative approach and has been strongly supportive of the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, and British and American military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The most recent published policy statement of the New Party is the Manifesto for a World Class Nation, published in 2005.
Local elections
On 30 March 2006 Donald McDiarmid contested a local council by-election in the Borestone ward in Stirling, polling just 18 votes (1.9%).At the local government elections in England on 4 May 2006
United Kingdom local elections, 2006
Local government elections took place in England on Thursday 4 May 2006. Polling stations were open between 7:00 and 22:00.All London borough council seats were up for election, as well as a third of the seats on each of the metropolitan borough councils, and a third of some unitary authorities...
, five New Party candidates stood in five separate local government areas in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, averaging 204 votes (8.7%).
In a by-election for Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
Town Council in October 2006 Stewart Dimmock, the New Party candidate, polled 139 votes (27.0%).
External links
- Manifesto
- Peoples Alliance website on the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...