Labour – Federation of Labour Groups

Labour – Federation of Labour Groups is the formally registered name of a collection of political organisations in Northern Ireland who aspire to become part of the Labour Party of Great Britain.

Background

The British Labour Party did not organise or allow membership in Northern Ireland from the early 1920sTemplate:Citation needed until 2003<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> (although one of the earliest Labour Party conferences was held in Belfast in 1907).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> For many years this gap was filled by the Northern Ireland Labour Party which had links to the British party and, from 1949 was explicitly in favour of the Union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> At the same time the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party had branches in Northern Ireland, the latter being the Ulster Unionists.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Troubles led to a major realignment in the politics of Northern Ireland, with the Ulster Unionists breaking away from the Conservatives,<ref name=":2" /> and both Northern Ireland Labour and Liberals declined to virtual electoral insignificance. Many in both Northern Ireland and Great Britain began to campaign for the major British political parties to allow membership, organise and run for election in Northern Ireland, in the hope of bringing a further realignment that would move political discourse away from total domination by The Border Question.Template:Citation needed

In the case of the British Labour Party this campaign had long run up against the party's former policy that Northern Ireland should be given over to the Republic of Ireland<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Labour's relations with the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Labour maintained a ban on residents of Northern Ireland joining the party, despite allowing residents of anywhere else in the world the right to join.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Despite this a number of activists formed local groups such as the South Belfast Constituency Labour Party or the Foyle Labour Group.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> These groups contested elections in the province as "Labour".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legislation now requires political parties to formally register in order to use a party description on ballot papers.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref> The local groups are formally registered as "Labour – Federation of Labour Groups".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Alt URL</ref>

In 2003 the trade unionist Andy McGivern initiated legal proceedings against the Labour Party, contending that the ban on membership breached the 1998 Human Rights Act.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Labour National Executive took legal advice and came to the conclusion that the courts would impose a change on the party;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> to pre-empt this the 2003 Labour Party Conference passed the appropriate rules changes to allow party membership.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />

However the Labour Party continued to refuse to organise in Northern Ireland, and so the local Labour groups continued their pressure. With the prospect of further legal action challenging the legality of the national party's decision, the Labour Party established an officially recognised branch in Northern Ireland in 2009.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

References

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External links

• Labour Party in NI Official regional party set up in 2009