Socialist Party (England and Wales) facts for kids
The Socialist Party is a political party in England and Wales. It is part of a bigger group called the Committee for a Workers' International. This party believes in Socialism, which means they want society to be fairer for everyone. They publish a weekly newspaper called The Socialist and a monthly magazine called Socialism Today.
The Socialist Party grew from a group known as the Militant Tendency. In the 1980s, members of Militant were asked to leave the Labour Party. This happened because they led a big campaign against a tax called the Poll Tax.
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What is the Socialist Party?
The Socialist Party is a group that wants to change society. They believe that important industries and services should be owned by everyone, not just private companies. This idea is called nationalisation. They want the top 150 big companies in Britain to be owned by the public.
The party also works with trade unions. These are groups that protect workers' rights. In 2005, 23 members of the Socialist Party were elected to lead national trade union committees.
A Look at Their History
After the Poll Tax campaign, the Militant Tendency had a big discussion. They decided to stop working inside the Labour Party. Most members agreed to form their own open party. A small group, led by Ted Grant, left to create Socialist Appeal.
The idea of an "open party" was first tried in Scotland. It was called Scottish Militant Labour. This led to the creation of the Scottish Socialist Alliance. Later, most Scottish members formed the Scottish Socialist Party. They then left the Committee for a Workers' International in 2001. This was because they changed their political views.
For a while, the party was known as Militant Labour. In 1997, they changed their name to the Socialist Party. However, an older group, the Socialist Party of Great Britain, already used that name. Because of this, the party is often called "The Socialist Party of England and Wales." When they run in elections, they sometimes use the name "Socialist Alternative."
What They Do Today
The Socialist Party used to be part of local Socialist Alliance groups. But they left these groups in 2001. Since then, they have run candidates in elections as Socialist Alternative.
After the UK local elections, 2006, the party had several councillors. They had three councillors in Coventry, one in Stoke, two in Lewisham (South London), and one in Huddersfield.
In 2005, the Socialist Party announced plans to join a new group for the parliamentary elections. This group was called the Socialist Green Unity Coalition. Other groups that did not join the Respect also joined this coalition.
The Socialist Party is smaller now than the Militant group was in the 1980s. But they still have influence in some trade unions. Their leader is Peter Taaffe. Their ideas are still similar to traditional Trotskyism.
Campaign for a New Workers' Party
In November 2005, the Socialist Party started a new campaign. It was called the 'Campaign for a New Workers' Party'. Their goal was to convince people and trade unions to help create a new political party. This new party would be an alternative to New Labour. It would fight for the rights of working class people.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT union) held a meeting in January 2006. They discussed the 'crisis in working class representation'. Dave Nellist, a Socialist Party member, was invited to speak. Most speakers at the meeting supported the idea of a new party. Other speakers, like MP John McDonnell, wished the campaign well.
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See also
In Spanish: Partido Socialista (Inglaterra y Gales) para niños
