2nd oldest political party
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Just to check
On our blogs, Matt has given the description of the Socialist Standard as “the oldest socialist journal in Britain.”
Does that still stand?
Strictly speaking it can’t be right as it implies that there are other socialist journals in Britain. But there aren’t any! The Socialist Standard is — of course ! — the only socialist journal in Britain. Isn’t it?
Personally, I do not care if the Socialist Party is the first, the second or the last political party. The only thing that I care is its history, its principles, and it is the only socialist party close to the body of ideas of Marx and Engels
“I think I’m right in saying that Douglas Home was never a member of the Conservative Party and was the last non-Tory Labour Prime Minister.”
I think you mean the last non-Tory, Tory Prime Minister.
Incidentally, the Liberals merged with the Social Democrats and became the Liberal Democrats in 1989, embracing “social democracy” in the process. Much was made of the radical (or as Roy Jenkins used to say “wadical”) nature of this change at the time.
So it could be argued that, since the SPGB’s name, objective and principles have remained unchanged sine its formation, it is entitled to claim that it is Britain’s 2nd oldest political party.
I just thought of that too. The old Liberal Party no longer exists. So the oldest extant political party would be Conservative Party with us as the second?
Next time I update the Socialist Standard links on the blogs I will amend it to read
“Give someone a copy and you provide a three-hour lesson on socialism”
Something I read once about the Socialist Standard
Seems this notion of the SPGB being the “2nd oldest political party” has been around quite a while.
One further example:
Someone calling themselves ‘weematt’ backs up the OP’s assertion.
Scroll down:
Before we can settle this we need to know which is the oldest political party in Britain. Is it the Conservatives or the Liberals?
If the Liberals are to be excluded because they merged with the SPD to become the Liberal Democrats, why aren’t the Conservatives ruled out because at some point they merged with the Liberal Unionists to become the Conservative and Unionist Party?
We might end up being the oldest political party in Britain!
Just found this from the Wikipedia entry on the Conservative Party:
“The Conservative Party was founded in 1834 from the Tory Party and was one of two dominant political parties in the 19th century, along with the Liberal Party. Under Benjamin Disraeli, it played a preeminent role in politics at the height of the British Empire. In 1912, the Liberal Unionist Party merged with the party to form the Conservative and Unionist Party.”
“I think I’m right in saying that Douglas Home was never a member of the Conservative Party and was the last non-Tory Labour Prime Minister.”
What I should have said was the last Non Conservative Party or Labour Party Prime Minister.
Douglas Home was a member of The Unionist Party
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