Conservative Party of Great Britain: ideology, leaders

Great Britain is essentially an extremely conservative country, the political system operating there is very specific, political culture is very different from other countries. That is why the largest of the opposition parties is the conservative British party. The origins of its birth are in the nineteenth century, and most vividly manifested activity in 1997, when the party got its present name - "Tory".

Features

Since its inception, the conservative British party has defended the interests of aristocrats and the bourgeoisie both financially and industrially, which gradually emerged from the custody of the liberal party. Conservatives even had the opportunity to form a government from time to time, so this party was popular. For many years, the conservative British party was also experiencing triumphs. There were also turning points, when their age-old political opponents-the liberal party-triumphed. For example, when Margaret Thatcher left the public policy, the conservatives had to do very badly. They lost their hard-won positions in the government and almost all support for the electorate.

Margaret Thatcher

This is the most charismatic leader of the conservative party in Britain, not in vain she was awarded the title of "Iron Lady." At the time of her departure, the period of decline began, the ratings of the party steadily decreased, the apparatus was difficult to reform, and the leaders often changed unsuccessfully. Equal force of political thought Margaret Thatcher really found it was almost impossible. The Conservative Party was in decline.

A new life came for her, when David Cameron became the head , who changed not only members of the party, who became somewhat younger, but even symbolism. The greenery of the tree, the main symbol, means a new direction that preserves the ecology of the United Kingdom. Blue and green are the official colors that the conservative British party chose for itself.

Program

The main slogan is diversity and equality. The 2010 elections defined the program in its current quality. The share of women's participation is increasing, besides, not only ethnic, but also other minorities are represented. The election of the new mayor of London from among Muslims most vividly characterizes this activity.

The reform of the British economic system is also not forgotten, the struggle is for redistribution of the budget, social programs of financing are being reduced, the course is taken on the rationality of all budget spending. Residents of the country are gradually getting used to such a plan of sharing the powers of the authorities, so the protest movement is very poorly expressed, basically, the population agrees with these political principles.

Traditions

The Conservative Party of Great Britain, however, is traditionally popular among the rich strata of the population and among aristocrats, its ranks are formed from members of the higher military, clergy, highly prosperous deputies and officials. It is the conservatives who dictate the external differences of the English from the rest of humanity: restraint, strict breeding and even a little mannerism.

Conservatives are not interested in membership fees, the issues of the composition and its formation are completely resolved by the leader of a particular community, which even the annual party conference has the right not to obey. Independence traditionally distinguishes the social movement of the conservatives from the other party formations. Parliamentary elections, however, determine the course of the country for five years and the composition of the government. There are two main political parties in the country, liberals and conservatives struggle for varying degrees of success.

History

Reforms in the Parliament of 1832 served as an impetus for the emergence of small local organizations that called themselves Tories and Conservatives, as they did not like the reforms. Then, in 1867, they united as the National Union. The first significant leader of conservatives was Benjamin Disraeli, who was trusted by the Tories in 1846, and later became a good prime minister (1868 and 1874-1880). The Conservative Party of Great Britain, the program of which had previously suited only the aristocratic elite, was gradually changing. Since the 1870s, it attracted a large part of the electorate of its opponents. The liberals and conservatives were already actively opposed in the struggle for power.

Most of the twentieth century was held under the rule of the Conservative Party, which neither the Labor Party nor the liberals gave power for more than one term. Almost thirty years since 1915 the Conservatives formed the government themselves (only 1924 and 1929 became an exception) or formed a coalition with the Labor, forming the national government. The full name of the party and it sounds like a kind of association: the conservative and unionist party. The post-war period, too, was repeatedly noted by the Conservative Board. Only defeat in the parliamentary elections of 1997, 2001 and 2005 forced them to join the opposition.

Achievements

Reducing the financing of certain social programs and the state's influence on economic processes, responsibility in spending public funds, fighting for traditional family values and encouraging initiatives of private entrepreneurs-all these, being the main points of the party program, made the conservatives the most popular among the electorate. Their stay in power helped the country achieve high results in increasing the economy's growth rates, reducing inflationary processes, and increasing the incomes of private business. A number of state companies were privatized.

Since 2005, when the party ruled Cameron, the country's successes are even more grandiose, the field of activity has expanded and the influence of conservatives has increased in all spheres of public life and politics. The Parliament of Great Britain after the elections of 2010 three hundred and six mandates of the House of Commons entrusted the Conservative Party, for which about eleven million voters voted. At the same time, Cameron formed a coalition with the liberal-democratic party to form a government. In 2015, conservatives still had a majority - three hundred and two parliamentary seats.

New plans

Some of the new promises of the Conservatives in the last election to the British Parliament have been severely criticized. For example, a referendum that the party intends to hold on the withdrawal of the country from the European Union, as well as the modernization of the nuclear safety system. At the same time, other important issues that dictate the time are also on the agenda: a budget deficit that requires reduction, taxes that have risen on the upper and the main lath, the availability of housing, the provision of retirees, and much more.

Here, too, traditions have triumphed since the development of the Chamber of Commerce doctrine, which put forward the idea of a customs union, introduced protectionism, which forced the country to leave the place of a monopolist in the world industry, and intensified competition (especially with Germany). Attempts to pacify Nazi aggression in those days led to the outbreak of World War II. What will happen this time is not yet very clear, but the whole world after the last statements of the conservatives is slightly alarmed, not only the UK. Conservatives in the fortieth year found and put forward Churchill, who led the government and helped defeat Nazism. Is there an actor of this magnitude today? On this it remains only to hope. Especially if we take into account that even in Churchill, irreparable blunders happened a little later.

World leaders

In March 1946, the same Churchill, ally and ally of the USSR in the Great War, said a speech in the American Fulton, which proposed the unification of all capitalist forces for an anti-Soviet bloc. For a while, the conservatives even lost power. But in 1951 they returned and stayed in power for thirteen years. In 1955, Churchill was succeeded by Eden, a comrade-in-arms and a long-time friend. However, the Suez crisis, he failed and was forced to leave already in 1957.

Further conservatives led to the leadership of McMillan and Douglas-Hume, but they did not succeed in public policy, but in 1970 E. Heath, the head of the party since 1965, independently formed the British government. He managed very much: joining the common market, the all-European consolidation. For this, by the way, inside the party he was severely criticized, and the party itself received deep disagreements among its members: the British do not like either change or consolidation. And now, after Hit's resignation, the leader of the party was Margaret Thatcher's "iron" party, which not only enlivened the party work, but also significantly stimulated the development of the British economy.

Defeat

After Churchill, Margaret Thatcher was the strongest leader among all her predecessors. Then the privatization of whole branches of the state industry began, the trade unions were almost completely suppressed, and the conservatives won the elections confidently and with a huge margin. In 1990, Major in her place could not manage the country as successfully, because in 1992 the conservatives began to lose their popularity. In 1997, the defeat in the elections was devastating, when the Labor Party took 418 seats in the parliament, and the conservatives only 165.

The programs of the conservative party had to undergo significant changes, which happened. The leadership was rejuvenated, the program looked like a liberal one. This continued until 2005, when Cameron became the leader, but for independence, the time has not yet come: the actions took place in a coalition with the liberals.

Fractions

Conservatives are one nation. The basis of conservatism is social cohesion with unified institutions that support harmony in interested groups and classes. In this concept was not until recent times of different races and religions. Just their people, citizens of their own country, having deep roots, passing traditions from generation to generation. Now the unity is significantly enlarged, as there are many supporters of the European Union and the presence of Great Britain among the conservatives.

But there are no less conservatives among the opponents of this state of affairs. Thus, the first group of members of the Conservative Party - "One Nation" - with prominent politicians Taplesel, Clark, Rifkind and others has formed. Radical politics and any kind of erosion of their national identity are not at all close to them. And time demands tolerance! Like the political predilections of the United States and the rest of Europe, for which tolerance is simply necessary for various reasons.

Free Market Wing

This fraction of the followers of Margaret Thatcher, conservatives with a liberalistic bias. For a long time, they dominated the ranks of party members - immediately after Thatcher's election in 1975, consistently reducing the role of the state in economic development, reducing the scope of its participation in all industries, thereby stopping its existence as a social one.

The society became classless, and this was the main task of the political movement, the so-called Thatcherism. Among the leaders of this wing there are also many eurosceptics who oppose the rules of interference in the free market, because they see this as a threat to British sovereignty. Reagan highly appreciated Thatcher's contribution to world politics. The US is very much in favor of such economic liberalism, which developed its fundamental principles in the United States.

Traditionalists

These groups within the conservative party can easily be attributed to the most right: faith, family, flag - these are the main social institutions that the adherents of traditionalism have taken on ramen. Anglicanism, state, family. This legacy is opposed to any transfer of power outside the country, even if it is the European Union.

Also supporters of this movement against the increase in immigration, against abortion and for traditional family values, including they advocate for compulsory marriage, for which even some tax benefits are offered. They work least in the economic sphere, they often try to solve social, moral and cultural problems.