From the History of British Political Parties

For a long time, the two main parties were the Tories (now the Conservative Party) and the Whigs (now the Liberal Democrats). The terms Tory and Whig were originally insults: a “whiggamor” was a cattle driver, and a “tory” was an Irish term for an outlaw.

Traditionally the Tories were associated with the gentry, favouring agricultural interests and the Church of England, while the Whigs were more linked with trade, money, larger land holders (or “land magnates”). Both were committed to the political system in place, but neither group could be considered a true political party in the modern sense.

In the 18^th century the Tory Party experienced its ups and downs. In the 19^th century it picked up and became known as the Conservative Party (the word “conservative” first came into use in 1830s). After becoming associated with repression of popular discontent in the early 19^th century, the Tories underwent a fundamental transformation under the influence of Sir Robert Peel, himself an industrialist rather than a landowner, who outlined a new “Conservative” philosophy of reforming ills while conserving the good.

Whigs were traditionally in opposition to the Tory Party. Initially they controlled the government, but later developed into the minority party until 1830. During the next few years, the Whigs became known as the Liberal Party. The term “Liberal Party” was first used officially in the late 19^th century, though it was used colloquially for decades beforehand.

In the 20^th century the Labour Party was established (1906), leading to the demise of the Whigs as the liberal force in British politics. The existence of the Labour Party on the left of British politics caused a slow waning of energy from the Liberal movement.

Throughout the second half of the 20^th century Labour governments alternated with Conservative governments. The Conservatives were in power for most of the time, with the Labour Party suffering the “wilderness years” of 1950s and the late 20^th century (several General Election defeats). In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative party and made a fundamental change to Conservative policies, turning the Conservative Party into a right-wing radical body. Her successor John Major pursued radical policies of privatization, anti-trade-union legislation and monetarism, otherwise known as Thatcherism.

The Labour Party responded to Margaret Thatcher’s government by moving the party further to the left, which split it and made it unelectable for a decade.

In response to the leftward shift of the Labour party some moderate party members formed a breakaway group, called the Social Democratic Party, as a centrist alternative to the Labour and the Conservatives. It eventually merged with the Liberal Party to form the Liberal Democrats (1988). Support for the new party has increased ever since, and the Liberal Democrats (often referred to as LibDems) in 2001 won a record number of seats in the House of Commons.

Tony Blair became leader of the Labour party in 1994. in 1997 Labour won the General Election with a historic landslide result. The Labour Party consolidated its position in 2001, winning a second consecutive general Election – the first time ever achievement for the Labour Party.

This led to a crisis of confidence in the Conservative Party, which had become complacent with its position as the ‘natural party of government’ after its 18 years of power. The recent Conservative Party’s drift to the right as well as leadership problems lost it a large number of voters, which means that its present leader has taken on a challenging role of improving the party’s image.

TASK 5. Find in the text above the English equivalents for the following words and expressions:

1. поражение на выборах
2. всеобщие выборы
3. недовольство народа
4. укрепить положение
5. внести существенные изменения в политику (партии)
6. проводить радикальную политику
7. победить на выборах

TASK 6. Explain the meaning of the following phrases from the text:

1. reforming ills while conserving the good
2. demise of the Whigs as the liberal force in British politics
3. a slow waning of energy from the Liberal movement
4. to suffer the “wilderness years”
5. to make a party unelectable
6. to win an election with a landslide result
7. to become complacent with one’s position
8. ‘natural party of government’

ANALYTICAL DEVELOPMENT   Using additional sources, prepare a presentation about one of the major political parties in your country

UNIT 6. GENERAL ELECTION – THE ART OF ‘PUBLIC RELATIONS’