Socialist Party (England and Wales) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Socialist Party
Welsh: Plaid Sosialaidd Cymru
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| Leader | Hannah Sell |
| Founder | Peter Taaffe |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Preceded by |
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| Headquarters | Enfield, London, England |
| Newspaper | The Socialist |
| Student wing | Socialist Students |
| Youth wing | Young Socialists |
| Ideology | Trotskyism Marxism Socialism Revolutionary socialism |
| Political position | Far-left |
| National affiliation | Socialist Green Unity Coalition (2005–2010) |
| European affiliation | European Anti-Capitalist Left |
| International affiliation | Committee for a Workers' International |
| Electoral alliance | TUSC |
| Colours | Red |
The Socialist Party (which is called Plaid Sosialaidd Cymru in Welsh) is a political party in England and Wales. It believes in a type of socialism called Trotskyism. This party started in 1997. Before that, it was known as a group called Militant from 1964 to 1991. Militant used to work inside the Labour Party. Then, from 1991 to 1997, it was called Militant Labour. Today, the Socialist Party is part of the Committee for a Workers' International and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.
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History of the Socialist Party
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The Socialist Party grew out of a group called Militant. Militant used a strategy called entryism. This meant its members joined the Labour Party to try and influence it from the inside.
Militant's Time in the Labour Party
In the 1980s, some Militant supporters became Members of Parliament (MPs) for the Labour Party. These included Dave Nellist, Pat Wall, and Terry Fields. In 1982, the local Labour Party in Liverpool decided to follow Militant's ideas. They wanted to fight against cuts in money from the government for the Liverpool City Council. This led to disagreements with the Conservative government at the time.
Becoming Militant Labour and the Socialist Party
By 1991, there was a big discussion within Militant. They had to decide if they could still work effectively within the Labour Party. Many of their members had been asked to leave the Labour Party. So, in 1991, the group left the Labour Party and changed its name to Militant Labour.
Later, in 1997, Militant Labour changed its name again to the Socialist Party. Their newspaper, which was called Militant, also got a new name: The Socialist.
Working with Other Groups
In March 2009, the Socialist Party was invited to join a group called No to EU – Yes to Democracy (No2EU). This was a group of left-wing organizations that wanted to change how things worked globally. The invitation came from Bob Crow, a leader of the RMT union. They worked together for the 2009 European Parliament elections.
This alliance later grew into the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC). The Socialist Party is still a member of TUSC today.
When Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the Labour Party, members of the Socialist Party tried to join Labour. Their leader, Peter Taaffe, hoped they could work together and even have joint candidates in future elections. However, the Labour Party said that their rules stop active members of other parties from joining.
In 2018 and 2019, the Socialist Party was part of a disagreement within an older international group called the Committee for a Workers' International. This disagreement was about how to understand socialism and identity politics. The Socialist Party, along with others, then helped to start a new Committee for a Workers' International in 2019. They see this new group as continuing the ideas of the original one.
Electoral Activities
The Socialist Party is officially registered with the UK Government Electoral Commission. However, because there is another party called the Socialist Party of Great Britain, the Socialist Party is registered under the name Socialist Alternative for elections.
See also
In Spanish: Partido Socialista (Inglaterra y Gales) para niños
- Campaign for a New Workers' Party
- History of socialism in Great Britain
- List of political parties in the United Kingdom opposed to austerity
- Politics of the United Kingdom
- Socialist Party (Ireland)
- Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
- Trotskyism
