Democratic Labour
Encyclopedia
This party is not to be confused with any of the other Democratic Labour parties
Democratic Labour was a minor political party
operating in the United Kingdom
in the 1970s. They were formed by the Labour
MP, Dick Taverne when his Constituency Labour Party
(Lincoln
) asked him to stand down as their candidate at the next general election. He had fallen out with them over Britain's continued membership of the European Economic Community
which he supported but they did not.
More to the point, the local party had become packed with members of a number of far-left groups, who intended to have one of their own members nominated and thus elected in what was a safe Labour seat. A similar process was happening throughout the country in many "soft" Labour branches, with the International Marxist Group
, the Socialist Workers Party
and particularly Militant Tendency
(at that time a platform within Labour) being implicated.
Taverne resigned from Labour on October 6, 1972, forming the Lincoln Democratic Labour Association which his supporters in the CLP joined. His initial ambitions were to eventually re-join the Labour Party, but there were some who attempted to persuade him to try to establish a new party of the political centre.
Taverne resigned
from parliament
at the same time that he resigned from the Labour Party in order to force the issue into the open, and he won the ensuing Lincoln by-election, held in March,1973.
His victory was aided by the lack of a Liberal
candidate as it decided instead to support his candidacy (in those days the party was only able to stand in a limited number of places and had a very limited base to work from in Lincoln) and the disastrous adoption of Jonathan Guinness by the Conservatives (Chairman of the Monday Club: during the campaign he was ridiculed as "Old Razor Blades" for saying that convicted rapists and murderers should have a razor blade left in their cell after conviction so that they could do "the honourable thing" and save on taxpayer's money), so that any potential anti-Labour vote, as well as his own personal vote, was his for the taking.
Shortly after his by-election victory, Taverne formed the Campaign for Social Democracy
as a nationally based body. He continued to serve as Lincoln MP until the October, 1974 general election
when he was defeated (Wilson demanding the Labour Party "threw the kitchen sink" at Lincoln to get him out). He did not stand in the seat again, but Democratic Labour continued to organise politically, to the extent that Democratic Labour controlled Lincoln City Council from 1973 until 1979.
At the 1979 general election
, Democratic Labour contested two seats: Lincoln
and Brigg and Scunthorpe
. Taverne advised against nominating any candidates but campaigned for them anyway. Both were unsuccessful in their attempts to gain seats in the House of Commons
, with both candidates losing their deposits (at that time, 12.5% of the vote was need to keep deposits, falling to 5% only after the 1983 General Election).
In 1980, Democratic Labour merged with the Social Democratic Alliance
. A social club they had established ran until 1987.
In many ways, Democratic Labour can be seen as a forerunner of the Social Democratic Party
, which was formed by many of the viewpoints as Taverne, that broke away from Labour in the early 1980s. Taverne himself twice stood as a Social Democratic Party candidate but failed to be elected again.
Democratic Labour Party
The Democratic Labour Party is a name used by many political parties:* Democratic Labour Party * Democratic Labour Party * Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania* Democratic Labour Party...
Democratic Labour was a minor political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
operating in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the 1970s. They were formed by the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP, Dick Taverne when his Constituency Labour Party
Constituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
(Lincoln
Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)
Lincoln is a borough 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....
) asked him to stand down as their candidate at the next general election. He had fallen out with them over Britain's continued membership of the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
which he supported but they did not.
More to the point, the local party had become packed with members of a number of far-left groups, who intended to have one of their own members nominated and thus elected in what was a safe Labour seat. A similar process was happening throughout the country in many "soft" Labour branches, with the International Marxist Group
International Marxist Group
The International Marxist Group was a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982. It was the British Section of the Fourth International. It and its youth organisation had had around 1,000 members and supporters in the late 1970s...
, the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
and particularly Militant Tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
(at that time a platform within Labour) being implicated.
Taverne resigned from Labour on October 6, 1972, forming the Lincoln Democratic Labour Association which his supporters in the CLP joined. His initial ambitions were to eventually re-join the Labour Party, but there were some who attempted to persuade him to try to establish a new party of the political centre.
Taverne resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
from parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at the same time that he resigned from the Labour Party in order to force the issue into the open, and he won the ensuing Lincoln by-election, held in March,1973.
His victory was aided by the lack of a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate as it decided instead to support his candidacy (in those days the party was only able to stand in a limited number of places and had a very limited base to work from in Lincoln) and the disastrous adoption of Jonathan Guinness by the Conservatives (Chairman of the Monday Club: during the campaign he was ridiculed as "Old Razor Blades" for saying that convicted rapists and murderers should have a razor blade left in their cell after conviction so that they could do "the honourable thing" and save on taxpayer's money), so that any potential anti-Labour vote, as well as his own personal vote, was his for the taking.
Shortly after his by-election victory, Taverne formed the Campaign for Social Democracy
Campaign for Social Democracy
The Campaign for Social Democracy was a minor political party operating in the United Kingdom in the 1970s.They were formed in September, 1973 by Dick Taverne, who had resigned from the Labour Party, after falling out with his Constituency Labour Party over the European Economic Community.He had...
as a nationally based body. He continued to serve as Lincoln MP until the October, 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
when he was defeated (Wilson demanding the Labour Party "threw the kitchen sink" at Lincoln to get him out). He did not stand in the seat again, but Democratic Labour continued to organise politically, to the extent that Democratic Labour controlled Lincoln City Council from 1973 until 1979.
At 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...
, Democratic Labour contested two seats: Lincoln
Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)
Lincoln is a borough 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....
and Brigg and Scunthorpe
Brigg and Scunthorpe (UK Parliament constituency)
Brigg and Scunthorpe was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Brigg and Scunthorpe in Humberside. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. Taverne advised against nominating any candidates but campaigned for them anyway. Both were unsuccessful in their attempts to gain seats in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, with both candidates losing their deposits (at that time, 12.5% of the vote was need to keep deposits, falling to 5% only after the 1983 General Election).
In 1980, Democratic Labour merged with the Social Democratic Alliance
Social Democratic Alliance (UK)
-Foundation:The group was founded in June 1975 by councillors and other individuals on the right wing of the Labour Party. Peter Stephenson, the editor of Socialist Commentary, became its chairman. The group claimed to stand in the tradition of Hugh Gaitskell's Campaign for Democratic Socialism,...
. A social club they had established ran until 1987.
In many ways, Democratic Labour can be seen as a forerunner of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
, which was formed by many of the viewpoints as Taverne, that broke away from Labour in the early 1980s. Taverne himself twice stood as a Social Democratic Party candidate but failed to be elected again.