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This thread is moving too damn fast. I don't have enough time for rhetoric.

I am not, and never have been, a man of the right. My position was on the left and is now in the...

(A shot rings out.)

99 walks in dragging a corpse.

"Commie Bastard"
 
This thread is moving too damn fast. I don't have enough time for rhetoric.

I am not, and never have been, a man of the right. My position was on the left and is now in the...

(A shot rings out.)

99 walks in dragging a corpse.

"Commie Bastard"

I hope that is an Indonesian commie you killed? :p
 
Dang it, hope the election start before my vacation! And end after I get home.

I hope to get the election up today and will close it around midday-ish on Monday. So hope that fits into your schedule :p.
 
I hope to get the election up today and will close it around midday-ish on Monday. So hope that fits into your schedule :p.

Barely! Seems like I got lucky there :D

And most of you others got unlucky :p
 
There is no need to worry about overly appeasing the Orange faction. For most former Labour voters the fact is that this election is a straight choice between the Liberals and the Conservatives. Give us another term and most of them will become wedded to the Liberal party.
 
There is no need to worry about overly appeasing the Orange faction. For most former Labour voters the fact is that this election is a straight choice between the Liberals and the Conservatives. Give us another term and most of them will become wedded to the Liberal party.

It's almost like you want me to vote Labour. :p
 
There is no need to worry about overly appeasing the Orange faction. For most former Labour voters the fact is that this election is a straight choice between the Liberals and the Conservatives. Give us another term and most of them will become wedded to the Liberal party.
Yes, it seems the Liberals have overtaken the Labour's position as the representatives of the Left.
 
The Election of 1963

After five years of Liberal government Britain was faced with a potentially decisive election. With the Conservative Party facing a wave of radicalisation and the Liberals torn between ‘Orange’ Social Democrats and ‘Yellow’ traditional Liberals a change in political direction was certainly on the cards. With a diplomatic crisis in the Persian Gulf, questions over the direction Britain was developing and a referendum on electoral reform – 1963 promised to be a fiery contest.

Alongside the election of the House of Commons, British citizens were offered the opportunity to have their say on the country’s electoral system:

Should Britain adopt an electoral system based upon Proportional Representation for all future elections and abandon the Westminster System?

All reader may vote either:

YES

Or

NO

Voters do not have to vote in the referendum in order to cast a ballot in the General Election, but are able to do so if they wish.


Liberal Party (Yellow)
- Leadership Faction


Political Position: Centre

Ideology: Liberalism, Social Liberalism

Description:

Despite the immense growth of the Liberal Party from 1950 onwards, the core leadership of the party remained committed to a distinctively Liberal ideology that rejected the calls of the party’s growing left wing for readjustments in light of Liberal support within the labour movement, the working class and the Left within Britain. For the Yellow Liberals, the party had come achieve its powerful position in British politics through its commitment to the Centre and to Social Liberalism – and committed to them it should remain.

Party Leader: Jo Grimond

Faction Leader: Jo Grimond

When Grimond took over from Archibald Sinclair as leader of the Liberal Party in 1955, the party had only recently achieved its great breakthrough in the 1954 election and was still distinctively ‘Liberal’. The surge of Centre-Left support that propelled the party to its impressive performances in 1954 and 1958 would really start to bite after the Liberals rode into government, yet Grimond managed to skilfully keep the Left in check without granting too many concessions. With the Prime Minister riding saddleless on the back of an unstable political movement he had achieved much of his party’s programme during its first term in power and was hopeful of retaining his Prime Ministerial office for another five years.

Foreign Policy:

The crisis in Cuba just months ago has provided a chastening reminder of the terrifying world in which we live. For a few terrible days we stood upon the brink of nuclear oblivion as a failure of powers possessing these terribly destructive weapons to negotiate and compromise threatened us all. Now, more than ever, Britain and the world need the United Nations to stand forward as a bastion of international law, of arbitration, negotiation and compromise. Britain must push tirelessly for this international body to be involved in all future disputes if we are to continue to live in a peaceful world.

The Liberal Party shall, none the less, continue to stand beside our allies in the free world against any Soviet efforts to expand their sphere of influence and spread their totalitarian ideology around the world. But we must seek to do so peacefully and through negotiation rather than using our military might.

The Liberal Party advocates the strengthening of political and economic ties between Britain and the independent nations of the Commonwealth as we seek to bring the peoples who once constituted the British Empire closer together. Likewise we hope to remain closely tied to the United States whilst also strengthening cooperation with the continent. The unfortunate decision of the French President to stand against British membership of the EEC should not dissuade us from persisting in our desire for membership of the Common Market.

Gulf Crisis:

The aggression of Iraq against British interests and our Kuwaiti allies in the Persian Gulf is utterly unacceptable. However, recent history has made clear that violent retribution only begets violence. The invasion of Nasser’s Egypt, and the subversion of Mossadeq’s Iran have only strengthened the hands of violent nationalists in the Middle East as undermining Britain’s moral authority around the world. Let us take this opportunity to turn to the United Nations to condemn the Iraqi invasion and call upon the responsible governments of the region to join with the free world in the condemnation of these actions. Isolated from the rest of the world and hampered by economic sanctions the Iraqis will be forced to come to the negotiating table without the need for British servicemen to become involved in another Middle Eastern War.

Imperial Policy:

The last colonies under direct or indirect colonial rule must be turned over to majority rule under democratic governments by the end of the 1960s. However, let us encourage all newly independent states to remain without the structures of the Commonwealth and encourage the mutually beneficial integration of all constituent members. No longer will Britain hold down a multitude of peoples against their will – yet the projection of British power internationally, and the preservation of our economic interests across the world, shall remain.

Domestic Policy:

The Liberal Party must resist any efforts to alter its integral features. The party must remain continue to be directed by its membership and its membership alone. The party must reject efforts by trade unions and industrialists to bring the Liberal Party under their dominion. Our unique independence from vested interests must remain!

The Liberal Party continues to commit itself to promoting greater autonomy for the localities – calling for regional assemblies across England to complement those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as greater powers for local governments – and sensible economic policy aimed at strong growth and low unemployment. Likewise, the Liberal Party continues to support greater levels of investment in rural communities and encourages people to resettle in the countryside from crowded urban sprawls.

We call for the expansion of liberty through British society through the legalisation of abortion and the abolition of capital punishment.

Liberals support openness, freedom and democracy at all levels of society and shall ensure that Britain continues to evolve its democratic institutions in the most transparent and fair manner possible.

Liberal Party (Orange)
- Opposition Faction


Political Position: Centre-Left

Ideology: Social Democracy

Description:

The ‘Orange’ Liberals consisted of a mixture of a small nucleus of libertarian leaning socialists present within the Liberal Party prior to Bevan’s rise to the Labour leadership in 1950 and a much larger influx of ex-Labour members and supporters and right wing trade unionists thereafter. The Orange Liberals saw the party as the most effective locomotive of Centre-Left politics in the country after Labour’s radicalisation and subsequent decline and wished to shift the Liberal Party further to the Left whilst integrating it more closely with the British labour movement.

Party Leader: Jo Grimond

Faction Leader: James Callaghan

The Chancellor of the Exchequer had been a Labour MP and even a member of Bevan’s shadow cabinet before he left the party for the Liberals in 1954. His rise to the second most important office in government in 1958 marked the impressive growth in the power of Orange Liberals within the party. During his years as Chancellor Callaghan was placed under major restrictions by the ‘Yellows’ causing a noticeable degree of frustration. After five years of a Yellow dominated Liberal government the party’s Social Democrats, led by Callaghan, were desperate for a political shift.

Foreign Policy:

The Orange Liberals supported the views of the party leadership on foreign policy with the important exception of their attitude towards the EEC. Whilst Grimond was desperate to bring Britain into the Common Market, the Orange Liberals were far more tentative and therefore quite happy to respect the French President’s rebuffing of British efforts to join. They only supported membership of the EEC should Britain be assured that her economic links with countries outside the Union would not be affected and her internal freedom to pursue independent economic policies would not be affected.

‘’The crisis in Cuba just months ago has provided a chastening reminder of the terrifying world in which we live. For a few terrible days we stood upon the brink of nuclear oblivion as a failure of powers possessing these terribly destructive weapons to negotiate and compromise threatened us all. Now, more than ever, Britain and the world need the United Nations to stand forward as a bastion of international law, of arbitration, negotiation and compromise. Britain must push tirelessly for this international body to be involved in all future disputes if we are to continue to live in a peaceful world.

The Liberal Party shall, none the less, continue to stand beside our allies in the free world against any Soviet efforts to expand their sphere of influence and spread their totalitarian ideology around the world. But we must seek to do so peacefully and through negotiation rather than using our military might.

The Liberal Party advocates the strengthening of political and economic ties between Britain and the independent nations of the Commonwealth as we seek to bring the peoples who once constituted the British Empire closer together. Likewise we hope to remain closely tied to the United States.’’

Gulf Crisis:

Likewise, the Orange Liberals supported the leadership on its line the Gulf Crisis:

‘’The aggression of Iraq against British interests and our Kuwaiti allies in the Persian Gulf is utterly unacceptable. However, recent history has made clear that violent retribution only begets violence. The invasion of Nasser’s Egypt, and the subversion of Mossadeq’s Iran have only strengthened the hands of violent nationalists in the Middle East as undermining Britain’s moral authority around the world. Let us take this opportunity to turn to the United Nations to condemn the Iraqi invasion and call upon the responsible governments of the region to join with the free world in the condemnation of these actions. Isolated from the rest of the world and hampered by economic sanctions the Iraqis will be forced to come to the negotiating table without the need for British servicemen to become involved in another Middle Eastern War.’’

Imperial Policy:

Orange Liberals support the peaceful dissolution of British Imperial power within the next decade. Britain must aim to shift its priorities from the political and military domination of large parts of the world to mutually beneficial economic cooperation through the Commonwealth.


Domestic Policy:

Orange Liberals demand that the Liberal Party allow for the formal affiliation of sympathetic trade unions. Only through these measures can the future financial health of the party be assured, and can the Liberal Party ensure that it remains inextricably linked to the betterment of the powerless in British society. We also hope to see the Liberal and Labour parties unite so that all democratic and progressive forces in British politics can be unified into a single organisation.

We call for continued, and deeper, cuts to military spending in line with the withdrawal of British forces from the far flung corners of the globe. We call for a 15% reduction in the size of the Royal Navy and reductions in spending in all areas of the military. Orange Liberals also call for the end of conscription and the return to a professional volunteer army. However, Britain must ensure that its armed forces retain the ability their integral role in the joint defence network in Western Europe – we shall not abandon our obligations to our allies to defend them against Soviet tyranny.

We call for the expansion of liberty through British society through the legalisation of abortion and the abolition of capital punishment.

We demand greater investment, particularly in neglected industrial areas, to provide stable and satisfactory employment and vastly improved housing. Millions in this country still live in substandard living conditions and poverty; this must be brought to an end!

Orange Liberals shall pursue the modernisation of the British economy, strong economic growth, low unemployment and improved living conditions!

Justice and Freedom!

Conservative Party (One Nationist)
- Leadership Faction



Political Position: Centre-Right

Ideology: Conservatism, One Nation Conservatism

Description:
The moderate, One Nationist wing of the Conservative Party had been on the rise ever since the catastrophic election of 1945. During the Alliance governments of 1950-1958 they gradually strengthened their control – with their more centrist political vision seen as necessary in order to keep the Conservative Party electorally viable and avoid unnecessary social conflict. Yet after the defeat of the Conservatives in 1958 many within the party started to question the One Nationist direction.

Party Leader: Harold Macmillan

Faction Leader: Harold Macmillan

Macmillan has a long and prestigious history as a statesman leading back to the War. During the 1950s he had in a variety of roles in Alliance cabinets – eventually becoming Chancellor for a brief time from 1957-1958 - before replacing Anthony Eden as the leader of the Conservative Party in 1959. Since then he has been open to cooperation with the government on a number of issues whilst being forced to deal with rebellious voices within his own party. Approaching his 69th birthday, the man the newspapers dubbed ‘Super Mac’ will almost certainly be forced to relinquish the Conservative Party leadership should he fail to lead the party back into government in 1963.

Foreign Policy:

As ever, the Conservative Party maintains no allusions about the clear division of the world into two camps. On one side stand the free peoples of the West, on the other the enslaved masses of the East. As Communism strides ever further forward Britain must continue to reassert itself as the international force the Left no longer believes it can be. Alongside our American allies we shall once again take upon ourselves the role of the arsenal of democracy against tyranny!

The Alliance governments of the 1950s fought valiantly against the advance of Soviet influence in Asia and the Middle East, today Indonesia is the site of battle between the free and enslaved worlds. With Indonesia’s Communist bandits crossing over into Australian and Malaysian administered Commonwealth territory it is Britain’s obligation to involve herself in the conflict by sending support to our Australian, Malaysian and American allies as they fight to make Indonesia safe for its democratic government.

Although rebuffed from entry into the EEC, Britain should pursue a separate arrangement aimed at strong trading relations with the nations of Western Europe.

The Conservative Party calls for close integration with the United States and Commonwealth – hand in hand, side by side, the English peoples of the world shall stand as guardians of democracy and freedom the world over.

Gulf Crisis:

Without the direct intervention of British forces the Sheikdom of Kuwait shall fall and the Soviets’ Iraqi Ba’athists clients shall enjoy insurmountable prestige. The enemy of Socialist Anti-British Arab Nationalism we thought vanquished in Egypt will have been reborn. Britain must deploy troops to Kuwait to protect the Sheikdom from the Iraqi invasion. However, we cannot risk a violent response from Moscow so soon after the terrors of the Cuban Crisis. British forces shall therefore protect Kuwaiti sovereignty, but go no further.

Britain must show herself as willing to protect her own interests and those of her allies without showing ourselves to be an aggressor.

Imperial Policy:

The Conservative Party advocates the close integration of the nations of the Commonwealth. This shall ensure that Britain’s ability to project power globally remains even as our economy and those of our fellow partners in the Commonwealth benefit immensely.

As for the Kenyan and Rhodesian cases, it is the responsibility of the British government to arbitrate between the settler and majority communities to ensure that the future constitutional frameworks of Kenya and South Rhodesia remain acceptable for all parties.

Domestic Policy:

Only the Conservative Party is capable of standing against and defeating the twin evils of Socialism and deprivation. The radical right threatens to destroy the British economy and cause untold misery with its extremist free market dogmatism; the left would strangle our economic freedom and future prosperity with mountains of socialistic legislation. We are One Nation; all elements of that nation must act together for the benefit of all.

The Conservative Party supports an economy in which the private and public sector, workers and employers, government and the people are not in conflict with one another but work for each other’s benefits. Our party supports cooperation between all sectors of the economy in support of strong economic growth, improved living conditions and a fair society built upon hard work and ingenuity.

The Conservative Party supports increased military spending with a focus on the modernisation of our armed forces so that we may continue to field a large and effective fighting force with the ability to project power around the world.

The Conservative Party supports the introduction of legislation that shall stem the flow of immigration from the Commonwealth.

For a stable and prosperous society.

Conservative Party (Rightist)
- Opposition Faction


Political Position: Right

Ideology: Conservatism, Traditionalism, Imperialism, Monetarism

Description:

It would be wrong to describe the right wing opposition in the Conservative Party as an ideologically cohesive block. A mixture of arch-traditionalists, ex-National Liberals, authoritarians, working class party activists concerned by immigration, proponents of the free market, High Tories, sympathisers with the South African, Rhodesian and Kenyan settler communities and many others had all started to come out in opposition to the supposed ‘Whiggery’ of Macmillan and the One Nationists. Had the faction lacked a clear leader without the ability to unite the divergent interests of the oppositionists then they might have struggled to seriously challenge the One Nationists’ grip on the leadership. The Tory Rightists were not so afflicted.

Party Leader: Harold Macmillan

Faction Leader: Enoch Powell

After serving in a variety of posts during the War, fighting passionately in defence of the Empire, Powell was shocked by the emergence of the Popular Front in 1945 and its rapid withdrawal from Asia. Entering politics as a National Liberal was elected as an MP in 1949, served as a minor cabinet minister from 1954 and left the National Liberal Party for the Conservatives following Thorneycroft’s decision to abandon the Alliance in 1958. Equally disgusted by Macmillan’s leadership of the Conservative Party and Grimond’s government, Powell rose to become a nationally known figure in the early 1960s for his critique of the post-war consensus and opposition to established political orthodoxy.

Foreign Policy:

Whilst Britain must remain a part of the NATO alliance and play her crucial role in the joint defence of the free world, we must refuse to ever become a lapdog of American influence. Britain must retain an independent foreign policy with independent aims – separate from those of Washington and indeed of Western Europe.

We must preserve British influence internationally – deploying force where need be to defend our interests and allies. In South-East Asia British forces should be employed in Australia and Malaysia, but we should not become involved in America’s war in Indonesia.

We shall oppose any future efforts to bring the United Kingdom into the EEC. Our economic and political independence cannot be compromised.

Britain shall act swiftly and vigorously to combat the advance of Communism or other Anti-British in her sphere of influence.

Britain should seek closer integration with nations of the Commonwealth.

Gulf Crisis:

Britain must move immediately with overwhelming force to not only crush Iraqi aggression against our Kuwaiti allies but to remove the Communist-Ba’ath Party from power in Baghdad. Six years ago Nasser’s Egyptian regime was brought down by swift and decisive action. Today a friendly government reigns in Cairo and Suez remains under British control. Let us restore the rightful Hashemite monarchy to Iraq and prove ourselves not only capable of protecting our allies but more than willing to punish those who threaten us.

Imperial Policy:

The Commonwealth of Nations must be drastically reorganised. All states that repudiate the British monarchy must be removed from direct affiliation with the organisation and all states that stand against friendship and a unity of interests with the United Kingdom must be removed.

All remaining states should thereafter seek the closest possible economic and political integration as we seek to form a block of nations capable of retaining economic prosperity and political power internationally for all participants.

The settler populations of East and South-Central Africa cannot and will not be abandoned by any righteous British government. Instead we must look to reorganise British rule in these regions to ensure that our influence shall remain in perpetuity and the settler communities are never threatened.

The abandonment of South Africa and the attempts to interfere in the internal politics of another Commonwealth member by the Grimond administration, not to mention the complicity of Macmillan in this calamity, are proof of the inadequacy of the present political elite. Let us welcome South Africa back to the fold and not be so high and mighty as to denounce the internal political practises of our allies.

The dissolution of the British Empire ends now!

Domestic Policy:

Today Britain is declining in relation to the rest of Europe – economically, socially, and politically. A disunited, sluggish and degraded nation cannot flourish. Drastic action is needed!

In our struggle against the degradation of British society, the disunity of the Right – caused by pettiness and short sightedness on either side – must be brought to an end. We shall aim to unify the Conservative and National Liberal Parties as soon as possible.

We must introduce significant controls on immigration into this country. As the cultural makeup our nation changes and wages are supressed ethnic tensions have arisen in parts of the country, particularly in the capital, that threaten the unity of our nation. We must move quickly to ensure that the existing immigrant communities in our country are integrated into the culture of the majority population lest a series of separate communities emerge alien and hostile to one another. Henceforth a much steadier stream of immigrants shall allow our nation to slowly and gradually assimilate new arrivals without undue pressure on wages and social tensions.

The devolution of power to Scotland and Wales is an anti-democratic abomination that threatens the integral unity of the United Kingdom. We must move to dissolve these assemblies.

We must ensure that the military is given ample funds to modernise our military and ensure that the British armed forces remain peerless – acting to make up for half a decade of Liberal neglect.

Today a full 1/5 of the British economy lies under state control. The Conservative Party once stood for freedom of the market but today takes no issue with these present circumstances and presents the same ineffective economic solutions to our present stagnation as the Liberals, Labour and indeed the Communists. We must seek to privatise all those sectors of the economy that would be more efficient out of state hands. At the same time we must move away from the prevailing Keynesian economic dogmas and adopt a more flexible monetarist approach that shall allow for a return to prosperity and the flourishing of the British economy. Our nation was once the economic hub of the entire world left behind after years of mismanagement it is time for us to reclaim our rightful position!

We must restore Britain’s pride!

Communist Party of Great Britain


Political Position: Far Left

Ideology: Official Communism, Marxism-Leninism

Description:

Despite the shocks of 1956 the CPGB was able to recover sufficiently in time for the 1958 election to benefit from the shambolic showing of the Labour Party – securing a not insubstantial swing in its favour to register its second highest ever vote and maintain a substantial level of parliamentary representation. Since 1958 the integrity of international Communism has come under further threat from the growing divide between Chinese hardliner and Soviet moderation. Although the British party remains firmly on the Soviet side, drifting ever further away from its historical revolutionism, many militants are pro-Chinese and desire a new radical course for British Communism.

Party Leader: John Gollan

After the resignation of Harry Pollitt in 1956 in the face of fading health and the shocks of that year the CPGB entered into a period of crisis. A collective leadership of leading figures within the party held the organisation together in the face of harsh criticism and the losses of many members and intellectual sympathisers to record an impressive election result in 1958. In 1959 the former Young Communist League leader and Daily Worker Editor, John Gollan, was appointed General Secretary as the party looked to push on and see Communism become the leading force on non-Liberal wing of the British labour movement.

Foreign Policy:

We live in a dangerous world, a world dominated by the United States of America and its imperialist pretensions to bring every people on earth into its dominions. Only the Soviet Union and the nations of the Socialist Camp have dared to stand against the imperial power of Washington and they have been repaid with the constant threat of war and nuclear annihilation. The Communist Party of Great Britain calls for the peoples of the world to reject imperialism and to stand as partisans of peace against war.

British Communists oppose all foreign imperialist wars, including those waged by our own country, and will work with any and all organisations that share our aims.

We propose that the NATO alliance is abandoned immediately and Britain assume a position of neutrality with strong fraternal links with the Warsaw Pact and the other nations of the Socialist Camp.

In line with our opposition to war, the Communist Party demands the disarmament of Britain’s nuclear arsenal and calls for all other powers possessing nuclear weapons to disarm and prevent their proliferation any further. Humanity must not be placed in a position where it can destroy itself in nuclear fire.

Last year’s Cuban Crisis has provided further evidence, if any more was needed, of the danger American aggression and nuclear weapons present to the world. It is time for Britain to make a stand in the name of human civilisation.

Gulf Crisis:

Britain cannot and must not intervene in the affairs of foreign countries. Our time as an Imperial power is over. We should instead express solidarity with the progressive Iraqi forces as they dismantle the murderous feudal regime in Kuwait and make ourselves open to cooperation with the Baghdad regime.

Imperial Policy:

Britain should immediately withdraw from all remaining colonial possessions and encourage the development of national democratic governments. Any and all efforts to establish white minority rule in former colonies must be resisted without exception.

Domestic Policy:

The Communist Party desire the unification of the working class movement and the advancement of a progressive agenda aimed at promoting social justice.

We aim to resume the programme of nationalising ever larger parts of the economy began under the Popular Front in 1945 as we seek to create a vibrant planned economy – taking inspiration from the awesome achievements being made in the Soviet Union. Under a planned and rationalised economy we will be able to make great forward strides economically – ensuring that Britain takes her rightful place a world economic power.

British Communists are horrified at the level of defence spending promoted by the present government that has remained far too high. These truly obscene figures represent the political elite’s attempts to hold on to Britain’s old position as an Imperial power in an age when the colonial peoples of the world have rejected them. Let us drastically reduce our defence spending to both ease the government’s finances at home and make clear internationally that Britain has no intention of continuing in her current role as an imperialist power

The class struggle continues, the British working class cannot lose!

Labour Party


Political Position: Left

Ideology: Democratic Socialism, Social Democracy

Description:
The 1950s had been the darkest decade in the Labour Party’s history. Tumbling from being Britain’s largest and most popular party in 1949, Labour bled members, votes and trade unionist support at an alarming rate. With both Communists and Liberals make substantial gains in all those fields at Labour’s expense through the 1950s the rot appeared almost impossible to stop. The situation was further confused as Labour began to gradually shift closer to the centre from 1954, and especially after 1958 – with many fearing that it was becoming harder to distinguish Labour from the Liberal Left. None the less, Labour was still able to find appeal to democratic elements of workers’ movement unconvinced by proposals to ‘transform’ the Liberals into a workers’ party and disgusted at the power of the Communists – these groups hoped to instead rebuild the Labour Party and restore lost confidence in her.

Party Leader: Harold Wilson and Hugh Gaitskell

The two ‘co-leaders’ of Labour from 1958-1963 maintained a stormy and uneasy relationship. Having taken over from Nye Bevan in 1954, Harold Wilson attempted to restore Labour’s position as the leading force of the Left – instead seeing the Labour vote fall further in 1958 as the party shed yet more seats and fell behind the Communists for the first time in its history. After that year Wilson was forced to enter into an arrangement with Gaitskell that saw the party drift further towards the Right and embrace the ideas of the Social Democratic moderates yet further.

Having lost out to Wilson in 1954, Gaitskell refused to join the exodus of Labour moderates to the Liberal Party – instead aiming to reclaim Labour. His Lib-Lab cooperation in Leeds in 1958 was an inspiration to many Labourites and gave him the necessary prestige to force Wilson into giving him a share of the leadership. With Labour’s two main factions in an uneasy alliance Gaitskell was able to push a not insignificant part of his agenda into party policy as he also maintained strong links with the Liberal Left. Despite Grimond’s insistence that Liberals not cooperate with Labour, the local Lib-Lab cooperation of Leeds South managed to spread over a significant part of Yorkshire in the years 1958-1963 – acting as window into the future alliance of the Centre-Left envisioned by the Gaitskellites.

Foreign Policy:

Above all else, Britain must be an ally of democracy and freedom around the world. For better or for worse, the only way to achieve that goal, to oppose the spread of Soviet Totalitarianism around the world, is for Britain to accept its role as a member of the NATO alliance. Britain stands united with the free world.

We must refuse to allow British servicemen to become involved in wars on foreign shores that are not our own. However we will move to protect the members of the British Commonwealth from subversion. Should any Commonwealth member request aid we shall deploy military advisors as well as provide arms and aid in combatting anti-democratic subversion. This is especially important for Malaysia and Australia who presently face conflict with Communist guerrilla armies in New Guinea and Borneo.

However, Britain must refuse to involve itself in conflicts that are not her own – we will not send forces to Indonesia but will diplomatically support the country’s legal government.

Labour opposes future attempts to propose British entry into the EEC unless the terms of membership are altered in such a way that British economic independence is not undermined.

The Labour Party supports open and friendly relations with all nations in the free world and will work closely with newly independent democracies, especially those in the Commonwealth, to ensure mutually beneficial development.

Gulf Crisis:

The Labour Party opposes the involvement of British forces in overseas conflicts that do not directly threaten British sovereignty. Iraqi aggression must of course be condemned in the strongest terms. But we must look to the United Nations, a body sadly undermined by British adventurism in the 1950s, and diplomacy to find an amicable solution to this crisis – not military force.

Imperial Policy:

The Labour Party supports the independence of all remaining colonial possessions in which the majority of the population desire it. Britain must act to ensure that majority rule is introduced in all of her former possessions.

We wish to see the Commonwealth become a body of economic and political cooperation between free peoples around the world. It must be used to encourage democracy and support the economic development of all its members.

Domestic Policy:

The Labour Party is open to cooperation with the democratic forces of the Left and would support an electoral alliance between Labour and Liberal candidates in order to further the causes of social justice and democracy in this country.

Although the Labour Party remains committed to the nationalisation of the means of production in the United Kingdom, the party is presently committed to the maintenance and improvement of present nationalised industries. All future nationalisation must be careered out on a case by case basis and only when it is clearly beneficial to the public.

Whilst the Labour Party is by no means opposed to immigration entirely, it is clear that the present lack of legislation on Commonwealth immigration must be addressed. The services presently provided to migrants are subpar and many are presently forced into the least desirable jobs. Labour stands firmly against discrimination based on race or creed and shall pursue legislation to tackle this endemic problem. New arrivals must be accepted in our country, even if the present lack of restrictions of any kind on Commonwealth immigration must come to an end.

Labour supports social justice and aims to provide investments for the expansion of existing industries, investments in infrastructure, drastic investment in the dire quality of housing in this country, an end to the artificial suppression of wage rises – especially in the public sector.

The Labour Party calls for the gradual phasing out of outdated equipment – especially in the navy – and the ending of all programmes of military expansion. We advocate a smaller, less costly, more modern and professional army that will allow Britain to continue to play her necessary role as a part of the NATO alliance but will not see our nation weighed down by the expenditure. The Labour Party would therefore also bring an end to conscription entirely and move towards a professional army.

Labour supports the legalisation of abortion and the abolition of capital punishment.

National Liberal Party


Political Position: Right

Ideology: Conservative Liberalism, Extreme Free Market Liberalism

Description:

The abandonment of the Alliance in 1958 saw the National Liberal Party lose almost half of its vote and an eye popping 121 seats as it was reduced to just 17 in the resulting election. With many turning away from the party Thorneycroft strengthened his grip after 1958, even if there were already rumblings of doubt over maintaining his political isolationism by the start of the 1960s. With a radical agenda aimed at remodelling the British economy, the National Liberals were hopeful of pushing forward and challenging the Conservative for leadership of the Right.

Party Leader: Peter Thorneycroft

The Home Secretary from 1954-58 and Deputy Prime Minister from 1957-58, Thorneycroft possessed an impressive ministerial pedigree even if he had been shunted far away from political power since his decision to dissolve the Alliance and bring down Eden’s government in 1958. However, the emergence of a strong right wing opposition within the Conservatives from the start of the ‘60s has given Thorneycroft hope that he and his party might once more become involved in the upper echelons of government and see their radical programme come into being.

Foreign Policy:

The United Kingdom must stand firmly alongside its greatest ally – the United States of America – against the aggressive advance of Communist totalitarianism. The interests of our own nation, of the free world and of the United States are identical as we all fight together to end the advance of Soviet Communism – and as was accomplished in Korea, push back its frontiers. We therefore advocate a firm and unswerving commitment to the NATO alliance and total support for our allies.

Adventurism cannot and will not be tolerated. Our role is that of a loyal ally – not a swashbuckling pirate-power willing to put the security of the free world at risk.

Britain must seek to encourage free trade around the world – however we must avoid involvement in protectionist blocks like the EEC.

Gulf Crisis:

Britain cannot act unilaterally in the Persian Gulf. We must first seek the support of our allies, in particular the United States, and only with the authority of the entire free world behind us can we involve ourselves militarily. Should our allies be opposed to military intervention, likely in light of the recent Cuban Crisis, we must turn to diplomatic measures and the United Nations to condemn Iraqi aggression.

Imperial Policy:

The National Liberal Party demands that the settler populations of East and South-Central Africa not be undermined nor their security threatened. Any future independent states must guarantee the safety of the settler populations.

We must look to encourage free trade and economic cooperation across the Commonwealth. Such policies would be especially beneficial to the newly emerging independent states as these nations would benefit immensely from economic investment by British industry whilst our own nation would benefit from the profits to be reaped!

Domestic Policy:

The National Liberal Party has made a brave decision. We have forsworn power in the interests of the British people; given up high office in order to fight for what is right. Never again shall a government including the National Liberal Party condone policies that undermine the freedom of the individual and the future economic prosperity of this country by preserving and advancing the overreaching power of the state in our economy and society. Never again shall we stand by and allow our nation to fall into terminal decline – be ripped apart by unions, bureaucratic-oligarchies, statist megalomania and well-meaning but ultimately fatally mistaken economic policy.

The National Liberal Party shall only cooperate with governments promising to roll back the borders of the state and advance freedom in this country.

The National Liberal Party demands the privatisation of all state owned industries, the removal of limits on the freedom of the market and the individual and the adoption of a sensible monetarist approach to economic policy.

Just as the overarching power of the state must be fought against, we must mobilise ourselves against the most dangerous enemies of liberty. The Communist Party, a permanent fifth column subservient to Britain’s greatest enemies’ must be banned, whilst the trade unions, who have persistently showed their ability and willingness to subvert democracy and attempt to destroy the elected government, must see their power reigned in significantly.

Ahead lays a long and dangerous road for Britain – but under the leadership of her National Liberal Party our nation shall lead the way forward. Let freedom reign and Britain enter a new era of prosperity that shall benefit the whole of society!




To vote in the referendum, write YES or NO. Please capitalise and/or bold your referendum vote in order to make it easier to record.

When voting for a specific faction of a party either by placing the initial or the full title of the faction listed at the top of its manifesto. If you fail to do so and only list the party then your vote will be counted as a vote for the leadership faction. Therefore, for a Liberal vote either write:

Liberal (Y) or Liberal (Yellow)

Or

Liberal (O) or Liberal (Orange)


And, when voting for a Conservative faction:

Conservative (ON) or Conservative (One Nationist)

or

Conservative (R) or Conservative (Rightist)

All readers may vote either:

Liberals (Yellow)

Liberals (Orange)

Conservative/Tories (One Nationists)

Conservative/Tories (Rightists)

Communists

Labour

National Liberals

! You may write the full name or shortened name of any party, so long as it is clear to me who you are voting for!

Please place your vote in a separate post or bold it within your post so it is easier for me to keep a tally.

Vote changing is not allowed. If you attempt to change your vote this will be ignored and your original vote shall continue to be counted.

Once again, spamming is not tolerated, you may not campaign outside this thread and I ask that you remain civil with each other.

Voting will close on Monday at Midday UK time, I will post in this thread to officially close the polls and return with the results shortly later.''
 
Perhaps one of the longest election updates yet at 6,500 words. You have seven options to vote for spread across five parties with a referendum thrown into the mix as well.
 
Great election update Tommy, some very interesting choices to be made.

Was disappointed to see both Liberal factions so silent of constitutional reform. The referendum is great but in my view there is far more to he done, we need a codified constitution and to examine closely the composition of the upper house.

So, with some regret, I must return my wig to Mr Blair and associates, and cast my vote for Labour

In the referendum, I vote Yes!

Colleagues, whatever size of the house you sit on, we have all suffered at one time or another under the perversions of an electoral system which is ill suited for our present multiparty system. I encourage you all to vote yes!
 
Difficult indeed. Split between Liberals and the moderate wing of the Conservative party.

Meanwhile I vote Yes to the refferendum/Proportional Representation

I dislike the economic policy, but whatever! Conservative (Rightist)!

What you talking about? They are one of the most sane and beneficial and substaineble in regards to the future of Britain.
 
Can I just remind people that the referendum is voting for a system "based" on proportional representation - it will almost veritably not be proportional representation as you know it from BoI.
 
Conservative Party (Rightist)
NO to the proportional representation

I certainly hope that Tory-NatLib union will finally happen and right will stand firm and united against Reds and liberals.
 
Callaghan, favouring abortion? WTF Tommy?

I cannot stand such historical lunacies, and therefore must back Gaitskell in his quest to fight, fight and fight again to save the party he loves!

Labour and No to a fairer voting system. :)
 
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