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Southern Discomfort (Fabian Society Pamphlets)
The Southern Discomfort pamphlets were a series of studies by Labour MP Giles Radice, published by the Labour-affiliated think tank the Fabian Society that examined attitudes towards the party in the south of England after the 1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 general election defeat. The studies found that voters in marginal constituencies were concerned about Labour's lack of economic credibility and feared that their taxes would increase if party leader Neil Kinnock had won the election. The pamphlets were influential in underscoring the need for Labour to appeal to "C1" (White-collar worker, white collar) and "C2" (skilled) voters (based on the NRS social grade classifications identifying class in the UK). The title is a reference to Southern Comfort, a well-known American liqueur. It had been widely expected that Labour would form a government as a result of the 1992 election. However, John Major unexpectedly led the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party to a fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gravesham (UK Parliament Constituency)
Gravesham () is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Adam Holloway, a Conservative. Constituency profile The seat covers the historic riverside town of Gravesend and a more rural area extending to Higham and Vigo on the North Downs. The electorate voted strongly to leave in the 2016 EU referendum. Health and wealth are roughly average for the UK. Boundaries Since the constituency's creation, its boundaries have been co-terminous with those of the Borough of Gravesham. The largest town in the constituency is Gravesend. History This particular name of the seat was created in 1983 effectively as the new name for the Gravesend seat. The constituency and its predecessor together was considered a bellwether seat: from World War I until 2005 with the exceptions of the General Elections in 1929 Election and 1951, its winner came from the winning party. In 2005 Adam Holloway was one of 36 Conservative candidates to gain a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2010 United Kingdom General Election
The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom under the first-past-the-post system. The election resulted in a large swing to the Conservative Party similar to that seen in 1979, the last time a Conservative opposition had ousted a Labour government. The Labour Party lost the 66-seat majority it had previously enjoyed, but no party achieved the 326 seats needed for a majority. The Conservatives, led by David Cameron, won the most votes and seats, but still fell 20 seats short. This resulted in a hung parliament where no party was able to command a majority in the House of Commons. This was only the second general election since the Second World War to return a hung parliament, the first being the February 1974 election. For the leaders of all three major political parties, this was t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lincoln (UK Parliament Constituency)
Lincoln is a constituency in Lincolnshire, England represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Karl McCartney, a Conservative Party politician. Since the split of the seat City of York with effect from the 2010 general election, Lincoln has been the oldest constituency in continuous existence in the UK – established in 1265. Lincoln was a bellwether between 1974 and 2017. The seat bucked the national Conservative victory in 1970 by electing a Labour MP, as it did in 2017. The seat has been considered relative to others an ultra-marginal seat, as well as a swing seat, since 2005 as its winner's majority has not exceeded 6.9% of the vote since the 12.5% majority won in 2005 and the seat has changed hands three times since that year. Boundaries 1918–1950: The County Borough of Lincoln, and the Urban District of Bracebridge. 1950–1974: The County Borough of Lincoln. 1974–1983: As prior but with redrawn boundaries. 1983–1997: The City of Li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dudley West (UK Parliament Constituency)
Dudley West was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It existed from 1974 to 1997, returning one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system. History The constituency was created for the February 1974 general election, from the old Dudley constituency (which was created following the Reform Act in 1832) along with the Brierley Hill constituency, and abolished for the 1997 general election. It was a 'bellwether' constituency where the winner of each general election throughout its existence matched the party which won the election. Boundaries 1974–1983: The County Borough of Dudley wards of Brierley Hill, Brockmoor and Pensnett, Gornal, Kingswinford and Wall Heath, Quarry Bank, Sedgley, and Wordsley. 1983–1997: The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley wards of Amblecote, Brierley Hill, Brockmoor and Pensnett, Gornal, Kingswinford North and Wall Heath, Ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midlands
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. They are split into the West Midlands and East Midlands. The region's biggest city, Birmingham often considered the social, cultural, financial and commercial centre of the Midlands, is the second-largest city and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. Symbolism A saltire (diagonal cross) may have been used as a symbol of Mercia as early as the reign of Offa. By the 13th century, the saltire had become the attributed arms of the Kingdom of Mercia. The arms are blazoned ''Azure, a saltire Or'', meaning a gold (or yellow) saltire on a blue field. The saltire is used as both a flag and a coat of arms. As a flag, it is flown from Tamworth Castle, the ancient seat of the Mercian Kings, to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clause IV
Clause IV is part of the Labour Party Rule Book, which sets out the aims and values of the (UK) Labour Party. The original clause, adopted in 1918, called for common ownership of industry, and proved controversial in later years; Hugh Gaitskell attempted to remove the clause following Labour's loss in the 1959 general election. In 1995, under the leadership of Tony Blair, a new Clause IV was adopted. This was seen as a significant moment in Blair's redefinition of the party as New Labour, but has survived beyond the New Labour branding. Text The original version of Clause IV was drafted by Sidney and Beatrice Webb in November 1917, and adopted by the party in 1918. It read, in part 4: This section was widely seen as the Labour Party's commitment to socialism, even though the word "socialism" is not explicitly mentioned. ''The Manchester Guardian'' heralded it as showing "the Birth of a Socialist Party", stating that: In 1918, nationalisation was seen by many voters as aki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trade Union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (such as holiday, health care, and retirement), improving working conditions, improving safety standards, establishing complaint procedures, developing rules governing status of employees (rules governing promotions, just-cause conditions for termination) and protecting the integrity of their trade through the increased bargaining power wielded by solidarity among workers. Trade unions typically fund their head office and legal team functions through regularly imposed fees called ''union dues''. The delegate staff of the trade union representation in the workforce are usually made up of workplace volunteers who are often appointed by members in democratic elections. The trade union, through an elected leadership and bargaining committee, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hypothecated Tax
The hypothecation of a tax (also known as the ring-fencing or earmarking of a tax) is the dedication of the revenue from a specific tax for a particular expenditure purpose. This approach differs from the classical method according to which all government spending is done from a consolidated fund. History Hypothecated taxes have a long history. One of the first examples of earmarking was ship money, the tax paid by English seaports used to finance the Royal Navy. Later, in the 20th century, the hypothecated tax began to be discussed by politicians in the United Kingdom. For example, the Vehicle Excise Duty from 1920 when earned revenues were used for the construction and maintenance of the roads, assigning 1p on the income tax directly to education in 1992, or giving £300 million per year from the revenues from taxes on the tobacco industry to help the fight against smoking-related diseases since 1999. Nowadays, earmarking of taxes is mainly connected to the health care system, e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Pollard
Stephen Pollard (born 18 December 1964) is a British author and journalist. From 2008 until December 2021, he was the editor of ''The Jewish Chronicle'' and remains a senior advisor and writer on the paper. Early life Pollard had what he calls a "normal, nominally orthodox north-west London Jewish upbringing". His childhood dream was to become a barrister. He attended Mansfield College, Oxford at the same time as Michael Gove. Career He was a researcher for Labour MP Peter Shore. Think tanks In 1993, Pollard worked for the Fabian Society. In 1996, he joined the Social Market Foundation. In 2005, Pollard was a Senior Fellow at Civitas. In 2007, he was president for the Centre for the New Europe. In 2007, it was announced that he would be the first chair of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. Journalism Stephen Pollard started at the ''Evening Standard''. He then worked at the ''Daily Express'', leaving in 2001. In his final article for the pape ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Smith (Labour Party Leader)
John Smith (13 September 1938 – 12 May 1994) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his death from a heart attack in May 1994. He was also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Monklands East. Smith first entered Parliament in 1970 and, following junior ministerial roles as Minister of State for Energy (1975–1976) and Minister of State for the Privy Council Office (1976–1978), he entered the Cabinet towards the end of James Callaghan's tenure as Prime Minister, serving as Secretary of State for Trade and President of the Board of Trade (1978–1979). During Labour's time in Opposition to Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, he rose through the Shadow Cabinet, serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Trade (1979–1982), Shadow Secretary of State for Energy (1982–1983), Shadow Secretary of State for Employment (1983–1984), Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Indust ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stevenage (UK Parliament Constituency)
Stevenage is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Stephen McPartland, a Conservative. History The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the seats of Hertford and Stevenage, Hitchin, and East Hertfordshire. A Southern England new town seat with volatile voting patterns, it was Conservative held between 1983 and 1997 until Labour easily gained it, but their winning margin in 2005 was small and the Conservatives gained the seat at the 2010 election. Its main predecessor, named first, was also a bellwether of the national result. Shirley Williams has been the most prominent member, in fact the second frontbencher since 1974. She held it when she was a Secretary of State in government from 1974 until 1979, Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection and then Paymaster General. Barbara Follett achieved two ministerial roles from 2007 until 2010. Constituency profile The main town is known for its fast rail links ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
