Labour Party (Arkiasis)
Labour Party | |
|---|---|
| Labour Party Logo | |
| Leader | Mehgan Turner |
| Founded | 22 March, 1900 |
| Headquarters | 921 Constitution Ave, 01AFS932 Leighton |
| Student wing | Labour Students |
| Youth wing | Young Labour |
| Women's Wing | Association of Labour Women |
| Membership (2014) |  501,723 |
| Ideology | Social Democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| International affiliation | Progressive Alliance Socialist International Alliance of Esquarian Socialists |
| Esquarian Parliament | Social Democrats |
| Colours | Red |
| House of Representatives | 133 / 650
|
| Senate | 58 / 200
|
| Provincial Councils | 430 / 1,828
|
| Esquarian Parliament | 9 / 42
|
| Election symbol | |
| LP | |
| Website | |
| http://www.labour.org.ak | |
The Labour Party is a centre-left social-democratic political party in Arkiasis.
It is the second-largest party in the Arkiasian Parliament and the current leader of the opposition. Generally seen as the most successful and influential party in Arkiasian history, the Labour Party has exerted a profound influence on Arkiasian society, laying the foundation of the Arkiasian welfare state.
Ideology
The Labour Party strives for greater social equality whilst maintaining individual liberty through an extensive welfare state and a mixed economy with measures of government regulation in an attempt to establish fair competition, low inflation, low levels of unemployment, a standard of working conditions, and social welfare.
Political Impact and History
Many scholars attribute the Labour Party to be most the influential party in Arkiasis' history, holding power for 52 years in the 20th century. The party gained significant support during the Great Depression and its policies of relief (government jobs for the unemployed), recovery (economic growth), and reform (through regulation of the Stock Market, banks and transportation) are credited with helping bring Arkiasis out of the Great Depression.
Among the party's other signature policies and legislative accomplishments include women's suffrage, universal healthcare, Social Security, universal primary, secondary and tertiary education, demilitarization, the first female Head of Government, and social liberal policies including same-sex marriage and euthanasia.
From the end of the 1970s however, the party started to lose voters to the right, leading to a turn to the right for the party during the 1980s. Since the 1980s, the party has included more of the principles of a social market economy in its policy, allowing for privatisation of government-held assets and services and reducing income tax progressivity, following the wave of economic liberalisation in the 1980s.
In 2010 the party achieved its worst electoral results since 1926, forcing it to commit to a co-operation agreement with other parties in order to form a majority government. The party further lost support in the 2014 federal election and become the opposition party.
In 2014 and 2015 several Labour MP's from Vesperia have left the party and joined the Vesperian people's Party citing dissatisfaction of Vesperian voters towards the Labour Party.
House of Representative
| Election | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 133 / 650
|
21
|
in opposition |
| 2010 | 154 / 650
|
8
|
in government |
| 2006 | 162 / 615
|
11
|
in government |
| 2002 | 173 / 615
|
19
|
in government |
| 1998 | 192 / 580
|
 28
|
in government |
| 1994 | 164 / 580
|
8
|
in government |
| 1990 | 156 / 580
|
3
|
in opposition |
| 1986 | 159 / 545
|
18
|
in opposition |
| 1982 | 141 / 545
|
15
|
in opposition |
| 1978 | 156 / 510
|
21
|
in opposition |
| 1974 | 177 / 510
|
15
|
in government |
| 1970 | 192 / 510
|
192
|
in government |
| 1929 | 132 / 556
|
4
|
in opposition |
| 1926 | 128 / 546
|
16
|
in opposition |
| 1923 | 112 / 537
|
5
|
in opposition |
| 1920 | 107 / 518
|
14
|
in government |
| 1917 | 93 / 511
|
21
|
in opposition |
| 1911 | 72 / 455
|
27
|
in opposition |
| 1908 | 45 / 449
|
6
|
in opposition |
| 1905 | 39 / 445
|
4
|
in opposition |
| 1902 | 35 / 442
|
35
|
in opposition |