Third Way (UK)
Encyclopedia
The National Liberal Party – The Third Way is a 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...

 political party that was formed on 17 March 1990 as The Third Way. In 2006, the Third Way registered the name National Liberal Party – The Third Way with the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...

.

Ideology and policies

The National Liberal Party describes itself as a Patriotic Centre
Third Position
Third Position is a revolutionary nationalist political ideology that emphasizes its opposition to both communism and capitalism. Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right", instead claiming to syncretize radical ideas from both ends of the...

 and National liberal
National liberalism
National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining nationalism with some liberal policies, especially regarding economic liberalism. The roots of it are to be found in the 19th century, when conservative liberalism was the ideology of the political classes in most European countries, then...

 party rooted in the culture and traditions of the British islands. It advocates direct democracy
Direct 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"...

 along Swiss lines using referenda and citizens' initiatives. It supports small business and co-operative ownership. The National Liberal Party opposes over-centralised government and promotes decision making at the lowest practical level. The party argues that its policies would benefit and empower all citizens and asks for support on that basis from all sections of the national community. The organisation's website claims that "Third Way is for everyone." The group has condemned neo-Nazi ideology and its supporters claim it actively recruits from all ethnic and religious communities. It stood its first Asian candidate in local elections in 2006.

Policies include de-criminalisation of prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...

 and cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...

, and reform of Britain's role in 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...

 (the party began life by calling for complete withdrawal and supported Sir James Goldsmith
James Goldsmith
Sir James Michael "Jimmy" Goldsmith was an Anglo-French billionaire financier and tycoon. Towards the end of his life, he became a magazine publisher and a politician. In 1994, he was elected to represent France as a Member of the European Parliament and he subsequently founded the short-lived...

's Referendum Party
Referendum Party
The Referendum Party was a Euro-sceptic, single issue party in the United Kingdom formed by Sir James Goldsmith to fight the 1997 General Election. The party called for a referendum on aspects of the UK's relationship with the European Union.-Policy:...

 in the 1997 General Election). They have also run "support small trader" campaigns and claim to be the heirs to the Poujadist tradition. The group also advocates a form of social credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...

 based on a universal citizens' income
Guaranteed minimum income
Guaranteed minimum income is a system of social welfare provision that guarantees that all citizens or families have an income sufficient to live on, provided they meet certain conditions. Eligibility is typically determined by citizenship, a means test and either availability for the labour...

 and advocates co-operative ownership and renationalisation of the railways. It often describes its political views as distributist. The party is opposed to UK military involvement in Iraq.

Some critics (including George Monbiot
George Monbiot
George Joshua Richard Monbiot is an English writer, known for his environmental and political activism. He lives in Machynlleth, Wales, writes a weekly column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books, including Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain and Bring on the...

 in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

of 30 April 2002 and Andrew Gilligan
Andrew Gilligan
Andrew Paul Gilligan is a British journalist best known for a 2003 report on BBC Radio 4's The Today Programme in which he said a British government briefing paper on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction had been 'sexed up', a claim that ultimately led to a public inquiry that criticised Gilligan...

 in the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...

of 18 April 2006), however, claim Third Way (UK) is a Far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...

 political movement, and continue to regard the group with suspicion due to the past ties of some of its leadership with the National Front and its alleged populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...

 cultural ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with...

. Third Way posted a detailed response to the Standard article.

In the early 1990s Third Way still described itself as "a nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...

 and separatist
Racial separatism
Racial separatism refers to a belief that people of different races should live apart. It can be used in either the sense of:* Racial segregation* White separatism or Black separatism...

 movement ... committed to the preservation of our national and ethnic character" and at least as late as 1997 it was advocating voluntary repatriation of "non-Europeans" (although the Party has argued as to what the term 'European' meant in this context) to be encouraged by "generous financial incentives", which could be interpreted as similar to the current policy of the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...

. It now advocates a "selective and non-racist" immigration policy and a system of guest workers for the UK with the opportunity for such to become citizens. It has supported those seeking political asylum.

Third Way (UK) should not be confused with the Third Way
Third way (centrism)
The Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. Third Way approaches are commonly viewed from within the first- and second-way perspectives as...

 ideology promoted by Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...

, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

 and Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...

, which it condemns as merely a revised form of social democracy.

Finances

According to accounts filed with the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...

, in 2006 Third Way had 20 members and cashflow of approximately £1,400. (The party's constitution distinguishes between 'Members', 'Registered Supporters' and 'Supporting Subscribers' (Third Way Constitution 2000). Third Way only gives figures for 'Members'. In December 2007 the Third Way had 25 members. By December 2010, the membership was just 21.

Third Way also operates through a number of associated limited companies and associations, most obviously Third Way Publications Ltd, whose turnover in their most recently filed company accounts (for year ending March 2004) was £687, and the dormant Third Way Movement Ltd.

Local elections

In the May 2000 local council elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2000
Local elections took place in some parts of England on 4 May 2000. A third of the seats on each of the Metropolitan Boroughs were elected along with elections in many of the unitary authorities and district councils...

, a Third Way candidate polled 298 votes (21.9%) in the Northaw ward of Welwyn Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield
The Borough of Welwyn Hatfield is a local government district in southern Hertfordshire, England.Its covers the two towns of Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, along with numerous smaller settlements from Woolmer Green in the north to Little Heath in the south. Each of the towns has a railway station...

 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...

.

In the 2002 local elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2002
Local elections took place in many parts of England on 2 May 2002. All London borough council seats were elected as well a third of the seats on each of the Metropolitan Boroughs. Many unitary Authorities and District councils also had elections...

 in the London Borough of Havering
London Borough of Havering
The London Borough of Havering is a London borough in North East London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in Havering is Romford and the other main communities are Hornchurch, Upminster and Rainham. The borough is mainly characterised by suburban development with large...

, Third Way stood single candidates in three-member wards. They won 1309 votes in Elm Park ward (32% of voters gave Third Way one of their three votes, including 500 who only voted for Third Way), 289 (6.5%) votes were won in Hacton ward and 205 (4.2%) in the St Andrews ward. Third Way's activity in Havering is claimed to have resulted in a relatively small BNP
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...

 presence in the borough when compared to neighbouring areas such as the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by...

, Epping Forest
Epping Forest (district)
Epping Forest is a local government district of the county of Essex, England. It is named after Epping Forest, of which the district contains a large part...

 and Thurrock
Thurrock
Thurrock is a unitary authority with borough status in the English ceremonial county of Essex. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The local authority is Thurrock Council....

.

In local elections held in 2004
United Kingdom local elections, 2004
The United Kingdom local elections of 2004 were held on 10 June, as part of the 2004 set of elections along with the European elections and the London mayoral and Assembly elections.-About the elections:...

, a Third Way candidate for Canvey Island East ward of Castle Point
Castle Point
Castle Point is a local government district and borough in south Essex. The borough comprises the towns of Canvey Island, Hadleigh, South Benfleet, and Thundersley which also provides the site of the council headquarters.-History:...

 Borough Council in Essex polled 47 votes (2.5%). In July 2004 they received 93 votes (3.6%) in a Havering London Borough Council by-election for a vacancy in Rainham
Rainham, London
Rainham is a suburban town in northeast London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. Located east of Charing Cross, it is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan and is surrounded by a residential area, which has grown from the historic village,...

.

Fourteen Third Way candidates contested six wards in Havering in the 2006 local elections. They polled an average of 9.1% of the vote with the best result obtained in Elm Park where they polled 27%. This election also saw the first Asian Third Way candidate, Nakkeeran Arasaratnam in Hacton Ward.

In a by-election held on 14 June 2007 in the St Andrew's ward of Havering, the party's candidate David Durant polled 184 votes, 396 votes behind the BNP.

In another by-election in the same ward on 5 June 2009, Durant polled 291 votes, 480 votes behind the BNP, gaining 6.6% of the vote.

London Assembly

In 2004 in the single vote London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...

 elections Third Way received 2,031 votes (1.49%) in Havering and Redbridge
Havering and Redbridge (London Assembly constituency)
-Boundaries:It consists of the combined area of the London Borough of Havering and London Borough of Redbridge, both in East London.-Election results:...

. The Third Way candidate was Dave Stephens, a local butcher and metric martyr.

UK Parliament

In the 2001 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...

, Third Way fielded two candidates: David Durant in Hornchurch
Hornchurch (UK Parliament constituency)
Hornchurch was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

 who received 190 votes (0.5%) and David Kerr in West Belfast
Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast West is a parliamentary constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was restored in 1922 when as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...

, 113 votes (0.3%)

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....

, Third Way fielded two candidates, Graham Williamson in Hornchurch and David Durant in Upminster
Upminster (UK Parliament constituency)
Upminster was a constituency of the House of Commons in east London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system...

, who received 304 votes (0.8%) and 74 votes (0.2%) respectively. David Kerr contested East Antrim
East Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
East Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. It has voted for Unionist candidates since its re-creation in 1983.-Boundaries:...

 as a candidate for the Vote For Yourself Party
Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket
Make Politicians History was a minor United Kingdom political party that advocated the abolition of Parliament in favour of devolution to city-states and decision-making by referendum. Its leader was Ronnie Carroll...

, gaining 147 votes (0.5%) on a platform of direct democracy.

In the 2010 General Election, Third Way fielded one candidate, Keith Low in Eastleigh who received 93 votes (0.2%).

Leading members

All four leading members of the Third Way were previously in the National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....

 and voted to disband it in 1989:
  • David Kerr, Leader of the party and editor of its Ulster Nation magazine. Kerr has stood for election as an Ulster Third Way
    Ulster Third Way
    The Ulster Third Way is the Northern Ireland branch of the Third Way and is organised by David Kerr, who had previously campaigned as an 'independent Unionist' as well as for the British National Front.As well as sharing the Third Way's aims U3W is committed to securing independence...

     candidate in Belfast
    Belfast
    Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

    , Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

    , where the group advocates the independence of Ulster
    Ulster
    Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

     from both Britain and the Republic of Ireland
    Republic of Ireland
    Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

     and the creation of a non-sectarian
    Sectarianism
    Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...

     state.
  • Graham Williamson, Treasurer. Stood for Third Way in Hornchurch
    Hornchurch (UK Parliament constituency)
    Hornchurch was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

     in the 2005 General Election, winning 0.8% of the vote.
  • Patrick Harrington
    Patrick Harrington
    Patrick "Pat" Harrington is a British Politician, currently General Secretary of Solidarity – The Union for British Workers an organisation affiliated to the British National Party, and a Director of the Third Way think-tank...

    , Founder, now Nominating Officer, and General Secretary of Solidarity – The Union for British Workers
    Solidarity – The Union for British Workers
    Solidarity – The Union for British Workers is a United Kingdom trade union formed in late 2005 that is closely associated with the British National Party and Third Way think tank. It is named after the Polish trade union Solidarność, and its logo also appears to be derived from that of the Polish...

    , a trade union
    Trade union
    A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

     whose formation was supported by Third Way and the British National Party
    British National Party
    The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...

    .
  • Brent Cheetham. Parish Councillor in Northaw
    Northaw
    Northaw is a village in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Northaw and Cuffley, which was originally known as Northaw....

    , Hertfordshire and editor of the Cuffley Courier newsletter. He was a former NF candidate and stood for Watford
    Watford (UK Parliament constituency)
    Watford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

     in the 1979 General Election
    United Kingdom general election, 1979
    The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...

     and gained 388 votes (0.9%).


Also cited on the biographies section of the Third Way website are Roy Kerridge and US-based racial-separatist
Racial separatism
Racial separatism refers to a belief that people of different races should live apart. It can be used in either the sense of:* Racial segregation* White separatism or Black separatism...

 rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

 Mayer Schiller
Mayer Schiller
Mayer Schiller is an American Hasid based in Monsey, New York, who identifies himself as a member of Skver and Rachmastrivka groups and serves as spokesperson for the Skver community in New Square. Schiller also maintains active ties to the Modern Orthodox community and has advocated for a...

.

Allied groups

Third Way is a part of the English Lobby, a pressure group and electoral coalition founded in 2004 that campaigns for the recognition of St George's Day
St George's Day
St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint. St George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in AD 303...

 and the creation of an English Parliament
Devolved English parliament
A devolved English parliament or assembly, giving separate decision-making powers to representatives for voters in England similar to the representation given by the National Assembly for Wales, Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly, is currently a growing issue in the politics of...

.

Third Way candidates contested the 2006 local council elections in Havering as part of the Peoples Alliance coalition, which also included independents and residents group candidates. The Alliance stood 45 candidates in 17 out of the 18 wards in the Borough, campaigning on a platform of no above inflation Council Tax rises, for the council to promote local community shopping centres and opposition to housing over-development. The Alliance polled an average of 10.6% of the vote in the wards contested.

Third Way members assisted in the foundation of and hold key positions in the Solidarity – The Union for British Workers
Solidarity – The Union for British Workers
Solidarity – The Union for British Workers is a United Kingdom trade union formed in late 2005 that is closely associated with the British National Party and Third Way think tank. It is named after the Polish trade union Solidarność, and its logo also appears to be derived from that of the Polish...

.

It is in no way related to the Christian Third Way Magazine
Third Way Magazine
Third Way Magazine is a UK current-affairs magazine written from a Christian perspective. It is distinctively biblical, fairly highbrow and culturally aware...

, which predates it by several years.

Manifestos

  • Patrick Harrington (editor), Third Way General Election Manifesto [2005] (Third Way, 2005) (ISBN 0-9544788-4-3)
  • Patrick Harrington and Cliff Morrison, Third Way Manifesto 2001 (Third Way, 2001) (ISBN 0-9535077-9-3)
  • Patrick Harrington The Third Way Manifesto 1997
  • Patrick Harrington, The Third Way - An Answer to Blair (Third Way, 1999) (ISBN 0-9535077-0-X)

Associated publications

The Third Way have operated, or are closely associated with, various publications and websites. They include:
  • Ulster Nation magazine and website
  • Counter-Culture magazine and website
  • Mother Earth magazine and website
  • Liverpool Newsletter, a distributist
    Distributism
    Distributism is a third-way economic philosophy formulated by such Catholic thinkers as G. K...

    publication formerly edited by Anthony Cooney and now published by Third Way

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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