Labour Party (Rainier)

The Labour Party (: Plaid Llafur) is a political party in Rainier. Founded in 1921, it is currently the main opposition party in the House of Councillors.

Formed as the Social-Labour Party in 1914, the Labour Party originally was the political arm of the trade union movement in Rainier. The offset of the Great Depression in the early 1930's led in 1933 for the first Labour Party president, Matthew Glyndŵr, to be elected ruling for two terms between 1933-43 with his successor Emyr Phillips ruling for a single term between 1943-8 when the Labour Party re-entered opposition. After a 20-year stint in opposition they returned to power in 1968 under Frederick Joseph, whose controversial presidency, especially in regards to foreign policy, led to his overthrow by the military in 1976. Like all political parties the Labour Party was banned under the military dictatorship of 1976-89, before winning the first democratic election since 1973 in 1989 under Nicholas Halifax, who served one term before stepping down. Under the presidency of Edward Kennedy the Labour Party began a shift to the right, embracing and  economic policies. In 2004, the first female Labour leader Hannah Kwong was elected President of Rainier, serving for two terms until stepping down in 2014.

The Labour Party currently supports, and , having been perceived to have moved away from their ,  roots. They are currently the second largest party in Rainier and the largest left-of-centre party.

Formation
The Farmer-Labour Party was formed on the 12th October 1914 as a merger between the Social Democratic Party and the Rainian Labour Committee (RLC). The RLC was a body set up by the two largest trade unions in Rainier, the National Union of Shipbuilders (NUS) and the Miners Guild and Union (MGU) three years earlier to push for political representation for trade union workers'. The Social Democratic Party meanwhile had been created in 1897, and was a party based around the writings of.

The leader of the RLC, Harold Farnham, discussed with the then-newly appointed SDP leader David Meadowson the possibility of merging the RLC and the SDP into one body. At the time the SDP was a small organisation with only a few seats in parliament, whilst the RLC had maintained a policy of calling for its members to vote for the National Union Party over the rival Radical Liberal Party. The merging of the RLC and SDP was hoped to lead to a major leftist force in Rainian politics that would represent the growing urban proletariat, rather than the NUP who courted support from rural landlords and farmers and the RLP who were rooted in the liberal bourgeoisie.

Ideology
The official party ideology of the Labour Party according to their website is "to promote socialism in a democratic manner whilst protecting the interest of Rainier.". Commonly they are referred to incorporating or  policies with a strong support of trade unions and public services. They describe themselves as being centre-left.

Whilst the Labour Party has been prominent in its consistent support of women's and workers rights, during the 1950's up until the 1980's the Labour Party endorsed several policies such as opposition to recognising homosexuality and improving race relations in order to win working class voters, who were often opposed to the  of the Radical Liberal Party and the pragmatism of the National Union Party. Under the presidency of Nicholas Halifax between 1989-94 the party shifted away from social conservatism embracing socially liberal policies as it became more popular with the middle class. During the 1990's and early 2000's when the Labour Party was consigned to being in opposition in began to move to the right economically, embracing more centrist policies. In 2004 Hannah Kwong was elected president being the first women and Chinese-Rainian to hold the post, completing the party's shift away from social conservatism.

The Labour Party has been described by international sources as social-democratic, socially progressive and dovish.

Factions
The Labour Party is a party has four major factions within it - the , the  , the   and the. Factions are often based around factional leaders, who act as patrons for faction members, providing them with financial support and connections with extra-parliamentary organisations - however, unlike the National Union Party (who also have patronage networks) these networks and connections are based on ideological factions rather than regional organisations. The current four factions are formalised within the House of Councillors, although there can be overlap within the party.

Democratic Socialists
The Democratic Socialists (sometime referred to as the DemSocs) consists of the of the Labour party who favour strongly socialist policies, greater links with the trade unions and a form of  social liberalism that emphasises social justice. In recent years the DemSocs have also favoured green policies and are strongly anti-nuclear as well as non-interventionist in foreign affairs, with some members being pacifists. They are often critical of the Conference of American States.

The DemSocs trace their roots to the old left of the party who during the 1970's became influenced by an influx of young activists who identified with the, with many of its members being former. Many DemSocs actively opposed the military regime between 1976-89, and saw many of their members elected in the first free elections in 1990 - despite this the DemSocs have never held much sway over the party, although they did sponsor some key socially progressive policies under Hannah Kwong such as the cannabis legalisation referendum. It currently has six members in the House of Councillors with its leader being John Richmound, who has twice run for the Labour party candidate for president.

Social Democrats
The Social Democrats are identified with the, calling for a form of social democracy and social liberalism that sits to the left of the Third Way Coalition but the right of the DemSocs. The Social Democrats often favour progressive social policies, and strong support of the  with moderate ties to the trade unions. They favour American unionism.

Formed from the in the 1920's, the Social Democrats have consistently been the dominant faction within the Labour Party with four of the five Labour presidents (Matthew Glyndŵr, Emyr Phillips and Frederick Joseph and Hannah Kwong) being from the faction. During the 1960's and 1970's they began to become more socially liberal and during the 1990's moved to the right economically. The Social Democrats currently possess the most seats of any faction within the House of Councillors at 16 with their leader being Yvonne Casimir, the Labour leader and former Prime Minister.

Third Way Coalition
The newest faction within the Labour party, the Third Way Coalition are seen as the right of the Labour party being heavily influenced by the Democratic-Republican Party of Sierra and in the. Advocating for politics, the TWC place more of their focus on social justice then equality and are embracing of  economics as well as a  foreign policy. They are the most supportive of all the factions of American unionism.

The TWC traces their roots to the Labour "modernisers" of the 1970's, a loose grouping of Labour MP's who promoted capitalism. They were formally created as a faction in 1990 as the the Democratic Labour Coalition (DLC) to suupport the centrist Labour presidency of Nicholas Halifax who championed third-way policies. Changing their name to the TWC in 2001, they became somewhat influential during the Hannah Kwong presidency especially on foreign policy issues. In the 2015 presidential election the Labour candidate, Frank Jackson, hailed from the TWC. Currently the TWC have 9 members in the House of Councillors with Jackson being their leader.

Blue Labour
Blue Labour represent the old right wing of the Labour party, being rooted in trade unionism and. Blue Labour are more and less willing to pursue radical policies like the Social Democrats and the DemSocs, advocating for a form of  whilst placing great emphasis on the role of the family and opposition to immigration. They are highly critical of the CAS and advocate for withdrawal from the organisation.

Blue Labour were formally the mainstream right wing of the Labour party, although they have never produced a Labour president. Despite this they were influential during the presidencies of Matthew Glyndŵr and Emyr Phillips, although their influence had begun to decline by the mid-1960's. The rise of the Third Way Coalition during the 1990's marginalised Blue Labour, who have never become influential in the party since. They currently have 3 seats within the House of Councillors with their leader being Andrew Butler.

Organisation
The Labour Party is made up of three membership bodies - Constituency Labour Parties (CLP's), affiliated trade unions and. The main decision making body is the National Executive Council (NEC) which is elected by Labour members every five years. All members who are elected to parliamentary posts (either President, a MP in the House of Councillors or a MAP in the American Parliament) form the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) which alongside the NEC and the National Policy Plenum (NPP) directs and drafts party policy, although CLP's can sponsor proposals to the NPP. The NEC and bodies below it are responsible for handling party finances, creating s, administrative work and organisation.

The Labour party National Conference, held annually, still serves as a forum for debate and policy making, with CLP proposals often being brought up during the conference. However, the National Conference has declined in relevance in recent years with policy debates being less frequent as most policy is debated within the NEC, the NPP and the PLP.

The Labour Party was a founding member of, previously having been a member of the between 1923–1940. In 2013 it joined the, but has stated it has no wish to cancel its ties with SI. The Labour Party sits with the Social Democrats of America group within the American Parliament.

Party Emblem and Flag
The official party emblem of the Labour Party is a red rose, a globally recognised symbol of social democracy. Their flag also shows the symbol of rose, with their first flag being a simple red field. The red is intended to represent the defiance and blood of the workers of Rainier. is the official anthem of the party, with the first stanza sung at the end of every official party meeting.

Party positions overview
Below is a summary of the Labour Party's policies during the 2015 election.

CAS Defence Economy Education Environment Foreign Health Housing and homelessness Immigration Law and order Political reform Social policy Tax Transport Welfare
 * Oppose significant transfers of sovereignty from Rainier to the CAS.
 * Oppose any attempt to launch an in/out referendum on Rainian CAS membership.
 * Coordinate with the CAS to take an active role in the resettlement of Syrian refugees.
 * Solidify links so that the CAS can ensure simple and effective cross-border action on crime and terrorism.
 * Maintain Rainier's non-nuclear status.
 * Continue the multi-national effort to defeat the.
 * Decrease oversea's military spending.
 * Allow transgender person's the right to serve in the armed forces.
 * Reduce national debt to 75 per cent of GDP by 2020 through tax increases and public spending cuts.
 * Expand workers' and trade union autonomy in the private sector.
 * Increase from $6.99 per hour to $10.99 per hour.
 * No additional borrowing for the next five years.
 * Ban zero hour contracts and expand apprenticeships.
 * Help SMEs create 300,000 jobs by 2017.
 * Reduce university tuition fees from $8,000 a year to $5,000.
 * Extend the school meals programme.
 * Reduce the average class size from 30 to 23.
 * Standardise testing between private and state schools.
 * Oppose any privatisation of national parks.
 * Prioritise support for organic farms.
 * Launch a new 10 cent plastic bag tax.
 * Oppose further fracking until its longterm effects are fully understood.
 * Expand the use of and end dependence on.
 * Support a in regards to  and the.
 * Establish a over  and support the removal of.
 * Support normalisation of relations with the and.
 * Continue to impose economic sanctions on rogue states such as the.
 * Support the with the.
 * Invest an extra £3 billion a year for the RHAP by 2020, used to fund 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 GPs and 3,000 midwives.
 * Oppose further of the RHAp and cap private investment in the RHAP to 8%.
 * Exempt the inclusion of the RHAP in the CAS-EU free trade agreement, TTIP
 * Merge health and social care budgets.
 * Get 100,000 new homes built a year by 2020.
 * Establish save-to-buy scheme for aspiring home owners.
 * Prioritise capital investment in housing to build more affordable homes.
 * Expand the Safe Shelter programme for the homeless.
 * Support Rainier's inclusion in the St Louis Area and freedom of movement for Americans.
 * Oppose moves to impose immigration caps.
 * Resettle 20,000 into Rainier by 2020.
 * Recognise the contribution of immigrants in Rainier.
 * End the political appointment of judges.
 * Introduce elected policing commissars.
 * No cuts to frontline policing, and invest more funds into the Anti-Terrorism Unit.
 * Criminalise the practice of revenge porn, and increase the length of rape sentences.
 * Allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in all elections.
 * Allow citizens living abroad the opportunity to vote in presidential, parliamentary and American elections.
 * Make the senate into a fully elected body.
 * Every town/rural area should have its own directly elected mayor and local council.
 * Move to secularise government institutions.
 * Oppose moves to re-criminalise cannabis.
 * Set target of 45 per cent of all State board appointees to be women.
 * Expand a women's right to choose.
 * Implement more expansive anti-discrimination laws.
 * Support existing policies.
 * Maintain strict gun control including hand gun bans.
 * Establish a new body to investigate tax evasion.
 * Raise the top rate of income tax ($300,000) from 47% to 54%.
 * Implement a VAT freeze for two years, before putting it under review annually.
 * Raise the capital gains tax.
 * Freeze rail fares next year and cap rises after that.
 * Give 16-21 year olds half price off all bus and train travel.
 * Oppose privatisation of Rainian Rail.
 * Promote investment in cycling and walking paths.
 * Oppose a welfare cap on social welfare spending.
 * Tax credits to be pegged with inflation.
 * Eliminate child poverty by 2020.