Socialist Labour Party

The Socialist Labour Party (SLP) is a left wing to far left political party in the Federal Republic of Concadia. In all general elections since 1912, the SLP has either been the governing party or the Official Opposition. There have been 14 SLP Prime Ministers and 31 SLP Ministries.

The party was founded in 1874 from the trade union movement and the socialist parties. It overtook the Liberal Party in the 1910s to become the main opposition to the Conservative Party, forming it's first government in 1912 under Prime Minister James McWaldon. The SLP established the People's Health Service in the 1940s as part of the creation of one of the most comprehensive welfare states in the world. Unlike most left-wing political parties in the late 20th century, the SLP did not move towards the political centre ground, despite many attempts from small groups of party members.

The Party currently forms the Federal Government of Concadia in the Federal Parliament of Concadia, having won the most seats in the 2030 snap general election. The leader of the party and the Prime Minister is Oliver Slaughter. At a sub-federal level, the party controls the most legislatures of any other party. It is a member of the Progressive Alliance and Socialist International. The party has semi-autonomous sub-federal branches and has close ties with the Green Party and the Communist Party.

At a sub-federal level, the party controls 9 governments (Alridminia, Guildia, Herhowenia, Hitwarkia, Padho, Padia, Stanham, Witlebland, the CCT), is a junior party in 2 governments (Yeorough and Buclesland) and is the Official Opposition in 14 chambers. Each sub-federal branch of the party has its own leader.

## History

During the mid-19th century, Concadia was swept by the trade union movement, as many other nations were around the world. Many of these unions attempted to stand candidates at elections, but most were unsuccessful, and the fractured nature of the movement meant that forming a government was almost impossible, At the 1874 meeting of the Trades Union Assembly, it was decided that a party would be created that represented the interests of workers and the trade union movement - that party was the Labour Party. At the next election, the Labour Party successfully stood 147 candidates, with 109 being elected to Parliament. By the time of the next election, the Labour Party had received enough money to be able to stand candidates in every constituency. However, it wasn't until 1912 that the party won enough seats to form government.

The 1912 government of James McWaldon was groundbreaking for Concadia, and established universal suffrage for all those over 18 (including women). Since the McWaldon government, the Party has formed government a further 13 times.

In 1968, at the National conference, the party voted to change its name to the 'Socialist Labour Party' to differentiate itself from the 'socialist' parties of western Europe that were moving towards social-democracy and centrism.

## Policies

Policy of the SLP differs slightly by branch, with individual state, province and territory parties having being able to determine individual policies that apply to their region. However, the general policy trend (and the policies of the federal party) is determined by the party membership at annual conference. Each year, the members of the party vote by secret ballot (both in person and online) for the policies the party should advocate for and propose for the following year. Many policies are continued year after year, such as nationalisation, but new ones can come into the fold with the emergence of a new political issue (like trans rights), whilst others can be repealed should they no longer be considered relevant or important.

Under the party constitution, conference votes are binding on all levels of leadership. Under article 8 of the party constitution, a vote of no confidence in the leader can be triggered if the membership believes the leader to have ignored a binding conference vote.

The same procedure applies for annual local conferences held by the sub-federal branches of the party.

## Structure

### National Executive Committee and Party Secretariat

The National Executive Committee is the chief authority of the SLP outside of the conference. The committee's members are elected every year at conference and are representatives of the membership for the following year. It is the committee's responsibility to guide the party outside of conference and to hold the leadership accountable for following conference decisions.

The committee consists of 25 members, with representatives being either general representatives or representatives of certain groups (such as LGBTQ+ Socialists or Young Socialists).

The committee is also responsible for organising annual conferences and allotting funding for sub-federal parties and election campaigns.

National conference is held annually and all members are invited to attend if they can. Alongside members, there are also representatives of the trade unions. It is here that policy is decided by the members through secret ballots.

Elections are also held at conference, with the National Executive Committee being elected here, as well as the presidential candidate should an election be happening that year. If a leadership election is due to take place, voting will happen at conference as well.

The head office of the SLP is the Party Secretariat, headed by the General Secretary of the SLP. It serves a dual purpose, both organising campaigns and administrating the party. It assists the NEC and the party leadership.

### Federal Leadership

The federal party has a number of leaders. The Leader of the Socialist Labour Party is elected by the party to be the candidate for Prime Minister. Whomever holds this office is either the Leader of the Opposition or the Prime Minister depending on the parliamentary composition. There is no term limit for the leader, however if a leader loses a general election (whilst in office) or fails to increase the party's seats/gain government (whilst in opposition), they are expected to resign and call a leadership election. If a leader fails to carry out binding conference decisions, a vote of no confidence can be triggered.

Oliver Slaughter MP is the Leader of the Socialist Labour Party, serving since April 2030.

The Deputy Leader of the Socialist Labour Party is also elected by the party. Whomever holds this position is guaranteed to become the First Secretary or the Deputy Leader of the Opposition depending on the composition of parliament. There is no time limit for the deputy leader, and they cannot be fired by the leader. They are the one person guaranteed to be in the cabinet. A vote of no confidence can be triggered in a deputy leader, however this is much less likely than in a leader.

Isibéal Lynch-Wyatt MP is the Deputy Leader of the Socialist Labour Party, serving since April 2030.

The Chair of the Socialist Labour Party is an elected position held by the Party's candidate for the Presidency. If the party has won the presidential election, then the Federal President becomes the chair, if not, then the party will elect a candidate for the presidency who will assume the role. The Chair is expected to resign their position should they lose a presidential election or if they step down as president. The chair is responsible for overseeing the national conference.

President Catherine Jones is the Chair of the Socialist Labour Party, serving since September 2024.

The General Secretary is elected by the Party to a 2 year renewable term. They head the Party Secretariat and are responsible for oversight of the party and its administration. Under the party constitution, the General Secretary cannot be a current politician. If a General Secretary stands for election at any level of government, they are expected to resign.

### Federal Parliamentary Socialist Labour Party

The SLP MPs and Senators in the Federal Parliament belong to the Parliamentary Socialist Labour Party. Their main responsibility is coordinating strategy in Parliament for passing bills or holding the government to account, however they are also able to trigger leadership votes. The power of the PSLP has diminished over recent years in favour of transferring power to the membership over elected politicians.

### State, Province and Territory Branches

The SLP is a federal party, meaning as well as the national (or federal) party, there are 21 sub-federal branches for the states, provinces and the CCT. The structure of the national party is replicated in each of these branches, as the political systems of the sub-federal regions are the same. The main difference is the position of Chair in the branches. In some states, the Governor is elected by the people, and therefore the role of Chair is the same as it is at the national level. For other states, the position is appointed by the national Chair, as it is presumed that the person who is chair of the party in that branch will become the Governor should the party assume the presidency.

Members join their local sub-federal party, and are then a part of the national party. As a result, members are entitled to attend both their local conference and the national conference.

Sub-federal branches are responsible for selecting candidates for election at all levels of government. MPs, Senators, sub-federal legislators and councillors must be selected by their local branch or the sub-federal party.