Changes

== Britain, the Labour Party and socialism ==

== Britain, the Labour Party and socialism ==

At its inception, the Labour Party borrowed socialist ideas by committing itself to a program of nationalization under 'Clause 4' of their Consitution, but was always fundamentally committed to the British State and the Westminser model of British government. Clause 4 was formally dropped after the election of [[Tony Blair]] as Party leader, signaling the creation of 'New' Labour.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/21/newsid_2515000/2515825.stm</ref>  The British governments of 1945-1950 and 1950-1951 under Clement Atlee implemented the nationalization of several industries and utilities. The best known example is the nationalization of health care to create the National Health Service (NHS).  This made - literally overnight - health care free at the point of delivery for everybody in Britain.

At its inception, the Labour Party borrowed socialist ideas by committing itself to a program of nationalization under 'Clause 4' of their Consitution, but was always fundamentally committed to the British State and the Westminster model of parliamentary government. Clause 4 was formally dropped after the election of [[Tony Blair]] as Party leader, signaling the creation of 'New' Labour.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/21/newsid_2515000/2515825.stm</ref>  The British governments of 1945-1950 and 1950-1951 under Clement Atlee implemented the nationalization of several industries and utilities, including coal, steel, water, railways and electricity. The best known example is the nationalization of health care to create the National Health Service (NHS).  This made - literally overnight - health care free at the point of delivery for everybody in Britain.

Today, Tony Blair's New Labour is virtually indistinguishable from the right-of-center Conservative Party, and is committed not to socialist economic planning but to the neo-liberal economics that characterised [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s premiership of the 1980s and [[John Major]]'s of the 1990s. Consequently, inequality overall has continued to increase under 'New' Labour since coming to power in 1997.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4989070.stm<ref>

Since the election to government of the Labour Party in 1997, many progressive measures have been introduced, such as the Minimum Wage, Child Tax Credits, union recognition legislation, increased maternity and paternity leave, the Child Trust Fund, refurbishment of council housing, free bus travel for the elderly, increased paid leave for all workers, free nursery-school places, and large cuts in unemployment[http://www.towerhamlets.labour.co.uk/a1c1ce9b-1488-7bb4-a528-14436f084ba3]. In addition, over a million children and a million pensioners have been lifted out of poverty; however, many in the Labour Movement are extremely critical of New Labour's tentative approach to reducing inequality, and are frustrated that the government has not been more willing to make the case to the public for the redistribution of wealth.

 

The 'New' Labour Prime Minister of the [[United Kingdom]], Tony Blair, is an avowed Christian, who has responded to criticism of the UK's involvement in the [[Iraq war]] by claiming that only [[God]] could judge him for his actions. <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4772142.stm</ref>.

==World socialism==

==World socialism==