United Bermuda Party
Encyclopedia
| United Bermuda Party | |
|---|---|
| Party Leader | Hon. Kim Swan Kim Swan Hubert "Kim" E.Swan JP MP is a Bermudian professional golfer and politician, elected under the United Bermuda Party who served as the Leader of the Opposition of Bermuda from January 21, 2008 until May 16th,2011.-Early life:... JP, MP |
| Founded | 21 August 1964 |
| Headquarters | 3rd Floor Bermudiana Arcade, Queen Street, Hamilton, Bermuda |
| Website | http://www.ubp.bm |
The United Bermuda Party (UBP) was a 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...
in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. It represented itself as centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
party in favor of a moderate social and fiscal agenda. Having held power in Bermuda's House of Assembly
House of Assembly of Bermuda
The House of Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Bermuda. The house has 36 members, each elected for a five year term in a single seat constituencies....
continuously from 1968 to 1998, the 47-year old party officially ceased operations on June 30, 2011 after the majority of its members joined the One Bermuda Alliance
One Bermuda Alliance
The One Bermuda Alliance is a political party in Bermuda. It is a result of a May 2011 merger of most members of Bermuda's two main opposition parties, the United Bermuda Party and the Bermuda Democratic Alliance. - History :...
.
History
The United Bermuda Party was founded on 21 August 1964, by 24 members of Bermuda's Parliament, following the formation of the Progressive Labour PartyProgressive Labour Party (Bermuda)
The Progressive Labour Party is a political party in Bermuda. It has been in power since 1998, winning subsequent elections in 2003 and 2007.- Formation :...
. Sir Henry Tucker
Henry Tucker (Bermudian politician)
Sir Henry James "Jack" Tucker was the first Premier of Bermuda. Tucker first took office on June 10, 1968 and served until December 29, 1971, as a member of the United Bermuda Party , the political party in which he helped found in 1964.-Early life:Henry Tucker was born in Bermuda on March 14, 1903...
was the leader of the new party. In 1968 the UBP formed the first Government under Bermuda’s new Constitution and universal adult suffrage, winning 30 of the 40 seats. Tucker was appointed Bermuda’s first Government Leader.
From 1964 until 1998 the UBP had a string of 8 straight electoral victories. Following the first, the party held 30 seats in Parliament. The 1970s saw the UBP majority in Parliament decline as the PLP grew in popularity. This trend stopped following the appointment of Sir John Swan as Premier on 15 January 1982. Under Swan's leadership, the second black man to lead the party, the UBP control of Parliament strengthened through the elections of 1983 and 1985 (where it reached an all-time high of 31 seats), though this reversal ended in 1989.
Recent history
The 1990s were a troubling time for the party as the PLP gained in popularity. By 1993 the UBP held 22 seats in Parliament. In 1995, Swan held a referendum on independence, which was soundly defeated. He promised to resign if the measure was defeated as a sign of his support for the issue, and kept his word. He was replaced by MP Dr. David Saul, who was soon replaced by Pamela Gordon, Bermuda's youngest Premier, and the first woman to hold the office.In 1998 the PLP finally defeated the UBP. This marked the first time in over 30 years that the UBP was not in power. In the subsequent election
Elections in Bermuda
Elections in Bermuda have been taking place since 1968. Bermuda elects on territorial level a legislature. Parliament has two chambers. The House of Assembly has 36 members, elected for a five year term in single seat constituencies...
(24 July 2003), the party won 48.0% of popular votes and 14 out of 36 seats under the leadership of Dr. Grant Gibbons. In January 2006, Gibbons was replaced when Wayne Furbert was unanimously selected as the new party leader. On 3 April 2007, Michael Dunkley replaced Wayne Furbert as leader of the opposition. Following the loss of his seat in the December, 2007, elections, Dunkley was replaced as Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...
by Kim Swan
Kim Swan
Hubert "Kim" E.Swan JP MP is a Bermudian professional golfer and politician, elected under the United Bermuda Party who served as the Leader of the Opposition of Bermuda from January 21, 2008 until May 16th,2011.-Early life:...
. The party's deputy leader is long-standing maverick MP Trevor Moniz, a recognised champion of Bermuda's Portuguese community.
On 3 May 2011, the UBP executive voted to disband and merge with the Bermuda Democratic Alliance
Bermuda Democratic Alliance
The Bermuda Democratic Alliance is a former political party in Bermuda which lasted from its foundation in November 2009 until its merger into the One Bermuda Alliance in May 2011.- History :...
(BDA), together forming the One Bermuda Alliance
One Bermuda Alliance
The One Bermuda Alliance is a political party in Bermuda. It is a result of a May 2011 merger of most members of Bermuda's two main opposition parties, the United Bermuda Party and the Bermuda Democratic Alliance. - History :...
(OBA). Party leader Kim Swan refused to join and began a court challenge to block the merger, citing a fault in the procedure set out in the UBP constitution. In response, seven UBP Members of Parliament resigned from the UBP and joined with the sitting BDA members under the OBA banner. While Kim Swan and Charles Swan remained as UBP Members of Parliament, the OBA replaced the UBP as the official opposition party. On June 29, 2011, the UBP announced that its offices would close and it would cease to operate as of the following day.
Leaders of the United Bermuda Party
| Entered office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Henry Tucker Henry Tucker (Bermudian politician) Sir Henry James "Jack" Tucker was the first Premier of Bermuda. Tucker first took office on June 10, 1968 and served until December 29, 1971, as a member of the United Bermuda Party , the political party in which he helped found in 1964.-Early life:Henry Tucker was born in Bermuda on March 14, 1903... |
1964 | 1971 |
| Sir Edward Richards Edward Richards Sir Edward Trenton Richards was the first Black Bermudian to head the government of Bermuda and the second Premier of Bermuda. He was the leader of the United Bermuda Party between 1971 and 1973.... |
1971 | 1976 |
| Sir John Sharpe | 1976 | 1977 |
| Sir David Gibbons | 1977 | 1982 |
| Sir John Swan | 1982 | 1995 |
| Dr. David Saul | 1995 | 1997 |
| Dame Pamela Gordon | 1997 | 2001 |
| Dr. Grant Gibbons | 2001 | 2006 |
| Hon. Wayne Furbert | 2006 | 2007 |
| Hon. Michael Dunkley | 2007 | 2007 |
| Hon. Kim Swan Kim Swan Hubert "Kim" E.Swan JP MP is a Bermudian professional golfer and politician, elected under the United Bermuda Party who served as the Leader of the Opposition of Bermuda from January 21, 2008 until May 16th,2011.-Early life:... |
2007 | 2011 |
Platform
The United Bermuda Party's core objectives are:- To promote Bermuda's social, moral, economic and political welfare.
- To develop Bermuda's unity and understanding.
- The ensure freedom and opportunity.
- To enforce the rights granted by the Bermuda Constitution.
- To maintain economic and political stability under a free marketFree marketA free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
economy. - To provide a sound, responsible and democratic government.