Social Democratic Party (UK, 1990)
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The Social Democratic Party is a small political party in the United Kingdom. It traces its origin to the Social Democratic Party that was formed in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party politicians, all Members of Parliament (MPs) or former MPs: Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, who became known as the "Gang of Four".
The SDP soon formed an electoral alliance with the Liberal Party. In 1988, the SDP voted to merge with the Liberal Party. Former party leader David Owen, SDP MPs John Cartwright and Rosie Barnes, together with a minority of party members, decided to continue the Social Democratic Party. (See Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988).)
Following a series of setbacks and an embarrassing finish behind Screaming Lord Sutch of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in the 1990 Bootle by-election, Owen announced that the party’s National Executive had voted to dissolve the party, saying that the party could not possibly continue after being beaten by the Raving Loonies.
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[edit] From Bootle to Neath
A number of SDP members, however, promptly accused the party’s National Executive of arranging the Bootle disaster as a “get-out clause” so they could resurrect their political careers within the Conservative or Labour parties. In a repeat of the events of 1988, a number of SDP activists met days after the National Executive voted for dissolution, and voted to continue the party in defiance of the National Executive. The continuing group was led by Jack Holmes, whose defeat by the Raving Loonies at Bootle had caused the party's disgrace.
The much reduced SDP decided to fight the Neath by-election in 1991 in what proved to a small but significant turning point in their declining fortunes. With Jack Holmes serving as the party's election agent, the SDP candidate finished fifth with 5.3% of the vote – only 174 votes behind the fourth placed Liberal Democrats. (The SDP candidate left the party and joined the LibDems shortly thereafter.) [1]. The Neath result proved that a greatly reduced SDP could continue to be a viable party without David Owen. The party subsequently won a number of seats on the Neath (Port Talbot) County Borough Council.
[edit] The SDP today
Since 1992, the SDP has concentrated on campaigning at local level and on trying to build up support again largely from scratch. In more recent years it has held a number of council seats in Yorkshire and South Wales. The party is officially listed on the Register of Political Parties for England, Scotland and Wales. John Bates is the party president.
The party's strongest concentration is Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where Councillors Ray Allerston and Christine Allerston hold both seats for one of the town's three wards: 'Bridlington Central and Old Town ward' [2]. Councillor Christine Allerston was the Mayor of Bridlington for 2005/2006. The party also has councillors on the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, holding all three of the seats on the ward for the town of Aberavon. Councillors Jeff Dinham, T John Sullivan and Anthony Taylor were elected with large majorities. The party also won both the seats on the Catterick with Tunstall ward on Richmondshire District Council (Tony Pelton and Brian Smith) in 1999 in a campaign largely centred around concerns over health provisions at a local hospital. Tony Pelton was re-elected in 2003. [3].
The SDP is planning to revamp its operations in 2006, since it believes that – like the Liberal Party – it has built a solid enough base in a few areas to ensure a long term future. But, like many minor British parties, it is likely to focus its resources at local council level where they are more likely to win seats than in parliamentary elections.
According to the accounts filed with the Electoral Commission for the year ending 2004 it had 54 members, of whom 47 were in East Yorkshire [4].
[edit] Leaders of the Social Democratic Party (post-1990 dissolution)
- Jack Holmes 1990 to 1991
- John Bates (as party president) 1991 to present
[edit] External links
- Limehouse Declaration [5]
