202 THE BRITISH APPROACH TO POLITICS

they were the largest party. This fact takes away most of the
force from the common criticism of political parties: "It's all the
same whichever of them gets in". There have been no great
changes in policy because the electorate has not expressed a
wish for them.

THE LABOUR PARTY.

The Labour Party is the political expression of a working-class "
movement which can be seen developing from the time when the
Industrial Revolution created large masses of urban workers,
divorced from the occupation of land' or ownership of means of
production. This movement manifested itself in Trade Unions
and in Co-operative Societies, and in the great Chartist agitation
of the mid-i9th century, which demanded universal male suffrage.
But it was not until the franchise was extended in the late I9th
century that an effective political party could arise. The Labour -
Party was formed in 1900, and from that date has grown rapidly;
it emerged from the General Election of 1922 as the second largest
party.

Labour advocates a Socialist policy. Its programme jherefore
contains two groups of measures; the former are intended to
transform Britain from a Capitalist to a Socialist country, the
latter to deal with the immediate alleviation of poverty and
unemployment, for which the party consider Socialism the only
permanent remedy. In the former group are proposals to
socialise—Le., to bring under the community's ownership and
control—the land, the financial system, coal and power, and
transport. The organisation suggested for these, and for industries
later socialised provides for the workers in the industries to share
in their management, subject to the Government's general plan -
of economic development. The latter group contains proposals
for increased Old Age Pensions, and education, raising of wages
and shortening of hours. Labour does not believe that the
Conservatives can adequately extend the social services, because
of the limitations of Capitalism. Since its programme would