Growth of Political Parties

The 19^th century was a time of revolution. The “rotten boroughs” changed the population and demographics in cities such as Liverpool and Manchester. The Reform Act 1832 brought about a shift in representation for the towns and the North. The repeal of the Corn Laws caused a massive change as it was the end of the Tory Vs. Whig system and marked the beginning of the Liberal and the Conservative Parties. The working class gained the vote in the latter part of the 19^th century due to electoral reform and a steady increase of the reform acts.
Post First World War- Brought the rise of the Labour Party – The General Strike in 1926
Post Second World War- First Labour Government was established in 1945 with a secure majority. There were man social democratic reforms concerning the NHS, Keynesian Economics and Trade Union rights. This was also the point at which the British Empire began to decline.
William Beveridge promised national insurance from “cradle to grave” which was a golden moment for Labour. However disaster then followed in 1978-79 which the media labelled the “winter of discontent”. There were widespread strikes from many local authorities all demanding an increase in pay.

Margaret Thatcher won the General Election in 1979 and became Prime Minister. The miners strike was the biggest confrontation between the unions and the Thatcher government- she was committed to reducing the power of the trade unions, to cure the nation from this “British disease”. The miners lost and returned to work in 1985. Unions then changed drastically after realising the power of the state.

John Major then became Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party in 1990. The mid 1990’s were a boom period for tabloid journalism as the Tories got themselves involved with a string of “sleaze scandals”. This proved to be too much for John Major who resigned in 1995, to be re-elected as party leader.

Defence Minister, Jonathon Aitken stated he would resolve the problem of twisted journalism with his “sword of truth”. The Guardian reported that he was taking bribes, a claim which he denied, however he was later convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice.

The rise of the “new” Labour was seen as reformed leadership and Tony Blair was elected in 1997. His government introduced the Human Rights Act and the Freedom of Information Act, both of which are significantly important to journalists. Blair resigned in 2007 and Gordon Brown took over power. From 2010 to today we have a coalition government, which is formed by Tory, David Cameron and Liberal Democrat, Nick Clegg.