Workers' Party of Midrasia
Workers' Party Partit Obriers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Gerard Luboux |
| Deputy Leader | Giuseppe Billorande |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Halgarde Building, Usine Strade, Lotrič |
| Ideology | Marxism-Leninism Communism |
| International affiliation | Communist International |
| Colours | Dark red |
| Slogan | "Les travailleurs du monde s'unissent!" "Workers of the world, unite!" |
| Public Assembly | 0 / 572
|
| Senate | 0 / 300
|
| Election symbol | |
| PO | |
The Workers' Party (Midrasian: Partit Obriers pronounced: /parˈtit uβˈrjɛrs/) is a Marxist-Leninist political party within Midrasia. The Party formed out of the now defunct Communist Party of Midrasia, following political disagreements within the party leadership. Throughout its electoral history, the Worker's Party has historically performed poorly, never earning a seat on the Lotrič Assembly or Senate. However the party had consistently held one seat within the Senate, the district of Rizá West, which both rank as the poorest electoral district in the country. However, with the 2013 General Election, the party lost its only Senate seat to the Socialist Party, with pundits suggesting this was the result of corruption charges levied at the party leadership. Despite efforts to regain it in the 2017 election, the party proved unable to do so, with reports suggesting that internal divisions and a lack of funds will prevent any future political activity on a national level.
History
Origins
Following the various political scandals that rocked the outlawed Midrasian Communist Party within the early 1990s, many members of the party began to form splinter groups with the intention of creating a more electorally viable far-left party. Most notable of these splinter groups were the Radical Left Party and the Marxist Alliance. Although several members of the party had been imprisoned as a result of a clampdown on political corruption, those who were not implicated suggested that it would be impossible to retain the party in its current form, due to the Communist Party's increasingly divided and marginalised position. As such in early 1992 it was decided among the remaining leadership to dissolve the Communist Party, leading to its replacement with the Workers' Party which would absolve itself of the PCM's bloodied past. With the new party formed, several of the smaller splinter groups, such as the Marxist Alliance voted to join the Workers' Party.
Political Development
Following the dissolution of the Communist Party, the Workers' Party moved to secure itself within the Senate, winning the by-elections in Walden-Faldoux and Rizá West two of the poorest districts in Midrasia. Despite a strong campaign by the PSD, Workers' Party candidates secured each position with a majority of 52% and 59% respectively, though would soon come to lose Walden-Faldoux in 2001.
Throughout its time in control of the various constituencies, the party has focused on issues of workers rights and public ownership of industry. The party leadership was notable during 2004, calling for a "workers' revolution to overthrow the bourgeoisie" following the government's sale of Beaumont Steel to Kodeshi investors. However, the party leadership also came been involved in numerous criminal cases throughout the early 2000s, with party leader David Legeda arrested on charges of indecent assault, only to be released a month later with all charges dropped.
In late 2012 the Midrasian newspaper The Observer reported that several members of the Workers' Party were involved in widespread corruption and bribery. The subsequent allegations were followed up by a criminal investigation and the arrest of party leader David Legeda, pending trial. Following criminal investigation, Legeda was found guilty and sentenced to a maximum of four years imprisonment, amplified by the reopening of previous cases against Legeda. Legeda's imprisonment saw Gerard Luboux take over as party leader, who removed all party ties to Legeda.
During the 2013 elections, the party lost its Riza West seat to the Socialist Party, leaving it without any seats in parliament.
The Party Today
Following the party's loss of its final seat, coupled with the ongoing corruption scandal, the party's approval ratings have plummeted. However other pundits have suggested plummeting ratings were more a result of the party's refusal to co-operate with the Midrasian political establishment, in contrast to the rising Socialist Party who have a proven track record of partisanship leading to successful local schemes such as the Community Bus Fund, a successful public transport scheme implemented by other local councils.
Such refusal to work with the Political establishment to fund projects in deprived areas such as Riza West has landed the party with charges of hypocrisy. Many have also suggested the party deliberately keeps its districts poor to ensure re-election, whilst blaming a lack of funding on the government of the day.
The party failed to regain any seats in the 2017 election losing most of their deposits in contested seats.
Policies
The Workers' Party follows Marxism-Leninism and its policies largely reflect this. One of the party's central demands is the nationalisation of all utilities, transport services as well as the largest commercial and manufacturing businesses and banks in Midrasia. Party leaders have not had a consistent opinion regarding compensation for these companies, though the current leader, Gerard Luboux, has stated that businesses would be given "sufficient compensation" in the event of nationalisation.
Other policies are laid out in the party's Stratégie pour la Réforme Économique:
- Nationalisation of key businesses including utilities and transport
- Raise the minimum wage to a living wage
- Halt all privatisation of government services
- Integrate all independent schools into the public education sector
- Protect Midrasian manufacturing industries through anti-outsourcing programmes and subsidies
- Cut military spending to 0.5% of the national budget
- Unilateral nuclear disarmament
- Increase spending on nuclear and renewable energy while cutting spending on polluting energy types
- Support meaningful apprenticeship programmes to ready young people for work
- Oppose military intervention in all foreign conflicts, and withdraw from most mutual defence treaties
- Promote greater rights for ethnic and cultural minority groups in Midrasia, indigenous or otherwise
The introduction to the SRE reads: "The Workers' Party aims to establish a socialist state in Midrasia wherein a government of and for the country's workers manages the means of production, distribution and exchange for a popular benefit, rather than for the benefit of an elite clique of capitalists. To that end, revolutionary changes must occur. The Party must be the vanguard of such a transformation"
Publications
The party publishes a series of newspapers, the most notable being the Red Star. The newspaper had originally been published by the Communist Party since the newspaper's creation in 1902. However, following a lapse in production in 1990, the Workers' Party restarted production in 1993.
The party also produces a magazine, the Red Pages which is used to raise money for homeless constituents. The magazine is written by party members and volunteers and sold by homeless individuals who receive a percentage of sales revenue. Although the magazine's publication is stated as entirely non-profit by the party recent allegations have surfaced suggesting the majority of magazine revenue is given to high ranking party members, with the homeless receiving as little as 5% of all revenue.