Inostrannyy_yazyk_anglysky_-_UP_British_State

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6 Lord Chancellor – why is the post being scrapped?

The Lord Chancellor is a role which dates back to more than a thousand years in Britain. He is a Cabinet minister, the Head of the Judiciary and sits as a judge, and also presides over the House of Lords, sitting on the famous “woolsack”.

Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the change in his Cabinet. There has been criticism that it is just not right that a Cabinet minister should also sit as a judge. The government believes that the Lord Chancellor’s role is too wide.

By setting up a new Department of Constitutional Affairs, it should be possible to focus much more on establishing the best possible justice system, the government says. All judges would also be selected by an independent appointments’ commission, rather than by a politician Lord Chancellor.

Tony Blair’s ambitious scheme to scrap the oldest office in the land after the monarchy held over the centuries by saints, schemers and traitors has outraged traditionalists. Blair’s proposals spell the end of the line for the venerable and influential role of the Lord Chancellor which combines Speaker of parliament’s House of Lords with the duties of a chief justice and minister of justice.

Democratic reformers welcomed the changes, which pave the way for a Supreme Court in coming years. But they urged Blair to press ahead with further changes. “Now it is the time to seize the opportunity and bring in a written constitution for the United Kingdom, which the people of this country rightly deserve”, they announced. Critics said the changes were illconceived and appeared to have been sketched out on the back of an envelope.

(1600)

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House of Commons is the Speaker who despite his name is the one who actually never speaks. The Speaker is the Chairman of the House of Commons. He is elected by a vote of the House at the beginning of each new Parliament to preside over the House and enforce the rules of order. He cannot debate or vote. He votes only in case of a tie, i.e. when voting is equal and, in this case he votes with the Government. The main job of the Speaker is to maintain strict control over debates, to keep fair play between the parties, the Government and opposition, between back-benchers and front-benchers. The Speaker is responsible for the organized conduct of business, and is required to act with impartiality between Members in the House. He must forbid grossly insulting language. It is the Speaker who selects MPs to speak and when an MP is about to finish his speech several MPs stand up trying to catch the Speaker's eyes and get his permission to talk. The order of speakers is not arranged in advance, so the tradition of catching the Speakers eye affords him enormous powers either to restrict or to widen criticism of a bill by selecting the "right kind" of MP. The Speaker is assisted by three deputy speakers.

40000 words are said on every working day of the House. But most of the speeches are not intended to influence thought or action because most important decisions are nowadays made behind the scenes, behind the Speaker's Chair, in Smoking Room or in the Cabinet. And when the time comes the Speaker and the whips will see to the fact that the vote should go with the Government. The whips are party managers, who receive special salaries for their duties. They arrange each day program in Parliament and tell MPs when they must attend debates. They inform, instruct, dictate and enforce the views of the frontbenchers on the back-benchers. A backbencher is an ordinary MP who is not expected to display talents of an orator, wisdom of a statesman or initiate something in legislature. His only duty is to follow the whips' instructions. Each leading party has officially recognized whips as well as the Chief Whip of the Government

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and the Chief Whip of the Opposition.

The Commons usually meet in the afternoon, sitting until 10.30 p.m. and sometimes beyond midnight. On Fridays they sit from 9.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. They finish work early so as to be able to return to their constituency for the weekend to busy themselves with local matters, complaints and other formal duties.

In the Commons debating chamber there are seats for only 370 members and, except on matters of great importance. The presence of all members is not necessary. 40 MPs is enough to make up a quorum.

MPs are paid salaries, approximately twice the average national wage but considerably less than most MPs could earn outside the House of Commons (57,485 pounds in 2003). Only these members of the House of Commons have permanent seats in the House: the Speaker, the Father of the House (the oldest member in the House), the Prime Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition.

Notes to the text:

Whip – парламентский организатор партии

Task 6. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations: равный счет голосов, честная игра, заместитель спикера, осуществлять строгий контроль, беспристрастие, заранее, огромные полномочия, получать жалованье, проявлять таланты, государственный деятель, законодательство, следовать инструкциям, заниматься официальными обязанностями, вопрос особой важности, постоянные места.

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9No smoking, alcohol, or drugs.

9No kissing girls in public.

9Avoid being photographed by the media.

9Arrive and leave with royal aides.

9Be accompanied by detectives and a trustworthy friend.

9Get permission to attend the party, and be home on time.

Prince William is around 6’4”, much taller than his father, who is around 5’10”. William is left-handed.

The prince began his four-year university course at the University of St Andrews in autumn 2001. At first he studied art history, but in April 2002 it was reported that he was thinking about pursuing a geography degree instead. William graduated on June 23, 2005. While a student he was registered under the name “William of Wales”, and kept a deliberately low profile.

After graduating from St Andrews, Prince William will reportedly spend time in Wales, learning to speak Welsh in preparation for his future role as Prince of Wales.

He is also planning to undertake a series of work experience placements in the UK, such as spending time with a financial institution in London, gaining an insight into international finance and commerce, learning more about land management on a country estate.

William shares his mother’s down-to-earth style. He has chosen to postpone using the title HRH (His Royal Highness) and prefers to be called simply William instead of Sir.

(3000)

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5 The future of the British monarchy?

“My guiding principles in life are to be honest, genuine, thoughtful and caring”.

Prince William

These days there is an opinion that if the British monarchy is to survive into the next century, Prince William, the son of the Prince of Wales, seems to be its saviour. His country has expectations, which he has tried to fulfil, delivering excellent school work and displaying impeccable good manners. He is only too aware that the monarchy demands personal sacrifices. From an early age William has realized that the weight of historical inheritance can sometimes seem almost intolerable. But for William, the challenge in the years ahead will be to find a way of fulfilling his royal obligations while retaining a sense of personal freedom. Prince William denied rumours that he doesn’t want to inherit the throne. “It’s something I was born into and it’s my duty... It’s all about helping people and dedication and loyalty, which I hope I have – I know I have. I’ll take each step as it comes and deal with it as best as I can”.

It’s Interesting to Know

Prince William was the first heir to the British throne to be born in a hospital, and the first to attend nursery school.

The Prince can’t fly in the same plane as his father because an accident might take the lives of two future kings.

In his childhood after William slipped away from the security staff at Balmoral Castle for half an hour, he was given an electronic tracking bracelet.

At the age of eight Prince William was sent to a boarding school where he shared a room with four other boys. He spent five years there.

It was widely reported that Prince William was allowed to attend clubs and discos if he obeyed the following rules set down for him by The Queen:

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Task 7. Match the words having the opposite meaning:

Task 8. Answer the questions:

1.What do you know about the membership of the House of Commons?

2.How is the Government formed?

3.How is the official Opposition formed?

4.What are the Speaker’s functions?

5.What are the Whips’ duties?

6.Whom do we call backbenchers?

7.What is the working day in the House of Commons like?

8.How many MPs can make up a quorum?

9.Who has permanent seats in the House of Commons?

Task 9. Read and translate the text.

The House of Lords

The House of Lords appeared first as king's council consisting of lords and barons. The House is decorated with coats of arms of peers, with 6 large frescos and 18 bronze statues of the barons' who forced King John to sign Magna Carta (the Great Charter) in 1215.

Now the House is a non-elected, hereditary upper chamber.

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It comprise 26 Lords Spiritual (2 of which are archbishops of Canterbury and York, the rest – senior bishops of the Church of England), 91 hereditary peers, 568 life peers and peeresses, rewarded for specially good service. The title is not inherited by their children. 1/4 of life peers are women, Margaret Thatcher among them. The total number of persons in the House of Lords is more than 703.

The Queen belongs to the House of Lords so there is a throne in the Lords' Chamber from where she makes her State Opening Speech.

There is also a woolsack – the seat of the Lord Chancellor who presides in the House of Lords. Unlike the Speaker in the House of Commons the Lord Chancellor is not impartial, as he is a government officer, responsible for the administration of justice, and an automatic member of the Cabinet. Although he presides over the House he is not concerned with order. Any peer has the power to rise in his place and move thus demonstrating his disapproval to a fellow peer having the floor. No one calls to order. Woolsack was introduced at the beginning of the 14th century by Edward III as a symbol of prosperity, it is packed with wool from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, symbolizing unity of the four parts of the country.

Almost a century ago the Lords had the power of absolute veto over any legislation passed by the House of Commons. After a great struggle this was finally abolished by the Parliament Act of 1911. But it left the Lords with the power to delay a bill for two years and since 1949 the period reduced to one year. After one

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4 The Queen’s role in the Commonwealth

As Head of the Commonwealth, The Queen’s role is symbolic and has no constitutional functions attached to it. The Monarch personally reinforces the links by which the Commonwealth joins people together from around the world. This is done mainly through: Commonwealth visits; regular contact with the Commonwealth Secretary General, his Secretariat and Heads of Government; acting as patron for Commonwealth cultural events.

During her reign, The Queen has visited every country in the Commonwealth and made many repeat visits. One third of the Queen’s total overseas visits are to Commonwealth countries. The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and other members of the Royal family also pay frequent visits to the Commonwealth.

A meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government is usually held once every two years, at locations throughout the Commonwealth. The Queen is normally present in the host country, during which she has a series of private meetings with the Commonwealth countries’ leaders. The Queen also attends a reception and dinner during the conference period at which she makes a speech.

Since 1977, Commonwealth Day is celebrated throughout the Commonwealth on the second Monday in March. To mark the day, The Queen broadcasts a Commonwealth Day message to the peoples of the Commonwealth as a whole. These messages are unique in that they are delivered on The Queen’s own responsibility, drafted without ministerial advice.

The Queen, though not being part of the machinery of government in the Commonwealth, has become a personal link and human symbol of the Commonwealth as an international organization.

(1600)

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can be modified by an act of Parliament.

(2800)

3 From the history of monarchy

By the Middle Ages the monarchical system of government often based on the need for a strong ruler who could

with the throne usually being passed on to the eldest son or nearest male descendant. Many medieval rulers obtained soldiers and weapons from the feudal lords and thus were dependent on the allegiance of the nobility to maintain their power. With the decline of feudalism and the rise of nation-states (a nation-state is a country in which the territory of both the nation and the state coincide), power became centralized in the hands of the sovereigns. At first these rulers were supported by the growing middle class, or bourgeoisie, who benefited from a strong central government that maintained order and provided a stable atmosphere in which trade could flourish. However, abuses of power, as well as growing dissatisfaction among the bourgeoisie, helped bring about the end of many absolute monarchies; revolutions in England in the 17th century and in France in the 18th century were major landmarks in the limitation of absolute power. The modern concept of a limited, constitutional monarchy arose slowly throughout much of Europe. During the 19th century, parliamentary authority grew while royal power diminished. Many Western monarchies ceased to exist after World War I, including those in Russia, Germany, and Austria. Some constitutional monarchies still survive, primarily as symbols of national unity. Among the most enduring are those of Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Belgium.

(1600)

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year the bill is passed even without the Lords agreement.

The House of Lords is of Tory majority composed largely of company directors, landlords, bankers, steel and oil magnates, newspaper proprietors and so on. Its main function is to defend the interests of the propertied people, to criticize the Labour Government, to delay, amend or bury the bills which went contrary to their interests. For its utterly conservative character it is often called "the House of obstruction" or "a hangover from a past age". That's why from time to time Labour Governments and working people demanded abolition of the House of Lords.

The power of delaying a bill for a year is still a great privilege of the Lords. During a year the political situation may change in favour of the Conservatives, the propaganda work may divert the attention from the uneasy bill, it may be forgotten or amended. So this privilege may play into the hands of the ruling class.

In 1958 the idea of elevating to the peerage certain people who have rendered political or public service to the nation was launched. Such people are awarded the title of life peer and elevated to the House of Lords (Life peers do not pass on the titles when they die.) At some periods the idea was effectively used to get rid of dangerous, revolutionary-minded people within the House of Commons. Their efforts in fighting against social injustice were appreciated and rewarded by the title of life peer. Many former trade-union leaders have thus become Lords of the House and lost their revolutionary spirit.

Of all the parliaments in the world, the lowest quorum needed to adopt a decision is the British House of Lords. Three Lords present will make a quorum and will be capable to take any decision. Lords are far freer to vote according to their own convictions rather than party policy than are Members of the Commons.

A peer who attends a debate receives salary in addition to travelling expenses. Average daily attendance is only about 300

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and most of these are life peers, who retain interest in the state affairs.

In 1998 the Government introduced legislation to deprive hereditary peers (by then numbering 750) of their 700-year-old right to sit and vote in the upper chamber. A compromise, however, allowed 92 of them – who were elected by their fellow peers – to remain as temporary members. The legislation went into effect in late 1999. The removal of the hereditary principle means that the second chamber becomes more democratic, more broadly representative of modern Britain.

Notes to the text:

coat of arms – герб

Magna Carta – Великая хартия вольностей (грамота,

крепостному крестьянству не дала никаких прав)

woolsack – набитая шерстью подушка, на которой сидит лорд-канцлер

Task 10. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations: брать слово

(выступать), отложить законопроект, принять законопроект, имущие классы, вносить поправку в законопроект, идти вразрез с чем-либо, помеха (препятствие), пережиток прошлого, отмена, в чью-либо пользу, отвлекать внимание, сыграть на руку кому-либо, оказать услугу, несправедливость, лишить кого-либо права, вступать в силу.

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enactments of the British constitution are the Bill of Rights (1689), the Act of Settlement (1700-1701), the Parliament Act of 1911, the Successive Representation of the People Acts (which extended the suffrage). There are also the statutes dealing with the structure of the courts, the various local government acts, and many others. These are not ordinary statutes, even though they were adopted in the ordinary legislative way, and they are not codified within the structure of a single orderly document.

Whether “long” or “short”, written constitutions can concern themselves exclusively or prevalently with the organization of government or deal extensively with the rights of the people and with the goals of governmental action. The U.S. Constitution is a model of brevity (about 7,000 words). Just a little longer are most of the Western countries’ constitutions. On the other hand, the constitution of India extends to hundreds of pages.

Written constitutions are said to be “normative” when their binding principles are more or less observed in the actual operations of the political system. This applies to the constitutions of the United States, Canada, and of some western European countries. Other constitutions are said to be “nominal”, because they are largely or in substantial parts disregarded and do not provide insight into the real functioning of the system. This is often the case with constitutions of rapidly developing countries and of countries ruled by a one-person or a one-party dictatorship.

Constitutions, written or unwritten, must be distinguished according to whether they are “rigid” or “flexible”. Rigid are those constitutions at least some part of which cannot be modified in the ordinary legislative way. Flexible are those whose rules can all be modified through the simple procedure by which statutes are enacted. The United States has a rigid constitution, because proposals to amend the constitutional document adopted in 1788 can only be added through a complex procedure of majority vote in each house of Congress. Great Britain has a flexible constitution because all of its constitutional institutions and rules

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and of procedure; yet, on the other hand, adaptability to the social, economic, technological, and other changes that are inevitable in the life of a state; accountability of those in power to some other organ of the state, such as an electorate; openness in the conduct of government; and division of power among distinct branches of government. Constitutional government is thus limited government, and it is a chief function of a constitution to serve as the standard of legitimacy by which governments may be judged.

In its wider sense, the term constitution means the whole scheme whereby a country is governed; and this includes much else besides law. The constitutional lawyer must constantly keep glancing backward into constitutional history; he must also keep his eye on current political practice and the day-to-day working of political institutions. In its narrower sense, "constitution" means the leading legal rules, usually collected into some document that comes to be almost venerated as "The Constitution." But no country's constitution can ever be compressed within the compass of one document, and even where the attempt has been made, it is necessary to consider the extralegal rules, customs, and conventions that grow up around the formal document.

(2900)

2 Characteristics of constitutions

Every state has a constitution, since every state functions on the basis of certain rules and principles. It has often been asserted that the United States has a written constitution but that the constitution of Great Britain is unwritten. This is true, but only in the sense that in the United States there is a formal document called the Constitution, whereas there is no such document in Great Britain. In fact, however, many parts of the British constitution exist in written form, whereas important aspects of the American constitution are wholly unwritten. The leading

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Task 11. Find synonyms from the text to the following words: consist of, disinterested, richness, to stop, completely, to promote, every day, greater part, to value, presence.

Task 12. Answer the questions:

1.Who does the House of Lords consist of?

2.Who presides in the House of Lords and what is he responsible for?

3.What is a woolsack?

4.What are the main functions of the House of Lords?

5.What is the difference between hereditary peers and life peers? Which of these titles can be awarded and what for?

6.How many Lords can make up a quorum?

7.Is the House of Lords a democratic institution?

Task 13. Read and translate the text.

The work of Parliament

Part I

Each parliamentary session begins with the State Opening of Parliament, a ceremonial occasion when the Queen announces the program of the work of Parliament for the coming session. Routine working day of MPs begins in the afternoon and lasts until about 10.30 p.m. though sometimes it may be beyond midnight. Lord's working day begins in the morning lasting till afternoon, they do not work on Friday.

The general way and details of conducting business in Parliament is governed by "standing orders" which resulted from custom and precedent.

After brief opening formalities the working day of Parliament begins with Question Time, lasting about an hour. Ministers are asked from 40 to 70 questions on any points MPs

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choose. But questions should be handed to the officials of the House at least 48 hours beforehand. The answer to the question is prepared for the ministers by civil servants. There is no means of compelling a minister to give a truthful answer. Answers are often given without supplying any information at all.

Naturally, both the Government and the Opposition use this period to reveal the weaknesses of their opponents. So after a minister's formal answer supplementary questions may be asked. A minister and his staff preparing answers should anticipate what questions may be asked. The aim of supplementary questions is to reveal a weakness in the Government policy or to persuade the Government to modify its course of action. On two afternoons each week the Prime Minister is to answer questions on general policy matters.

After the question-time the House of Commons goes on to the main debate of the day to which it can give 6 hours or more. It often concerns foreign or home policy, or it may be the examination of the contents of a bill, as Parliament's unique and overriding function is the making of laws. The starting point is the drafting of a bill. The preparation of the text of the bill takes many months with long consultations involving civil-servant and legal experts.

Proposals of a bill sometimes take the form of "white papers", stating government policy, which can be debated before a bill is introduced. "Green papers" are published when the Government wants a full public discussion before it formulates its own proposals. When at last the draft receives approval of the Cabinet it is ready to be presented to Parliament. It should pass through both Houses and it may begin its journey in either of the Houses, but usually the bills are introduced first in the House of Commons.

Notes to the text: standing orders – правила процедуры

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SUPPLEMENTARY READING

1 The concept and history of constitution

The idea of a constitution was first elaborated by Aristotle in his classification of governments as monarchies, tyrannies, aristocracies, oligarchies, democracies, and so on. For Aristotle, the best form of government – the best constitution – was that which combined elements of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy in such a way that the citizens of every class were enabled to enjoy their respective privileges and encouraged to exercise their respective responsibilities in the interest of the whole society.

In the Rome of the Stoic philosophers, government was viewed as organized and conducted under the rule of a universal reason and thus as reflecting a kind of universal constitution. This universalism was taken over by medieval Christian thinkers.

The modern idea of a constitution began to emerge after the Reformation particularly in the works of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who developed the notion of the social contract. In the social-contract view, people agree among themselves to give up a portion of the absolute freedom in return for the security that a sovereign government can provide. Locke's major works were particularly devoted to the division of rights between the government and individuals and to the division of powers within the government. These writings had a great impact on the late 18th-century authors of the American Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.

A constitution, to be worthy of the name, must contain provisions for certain political attributes: stability, both of form

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unsuccessful results of the 1987 Election the Liberal Party merged with the Social Democratic Party (1988) to become the Liberal Democrats. Its aim is to attract the votes of the middle ground between Labour and the Conservatives and opponents of both parties, of those who are disillusioned with their policies. But there parliamentary representation is almost insignificant so far (26 % of vote but 8 % of MPs in 2001 General Elections). That is why it campaigns for a system of proportional representation in Parliament. But the Party plays a certain role with the possibility of tipping the scales between the two largest parties.

The Liberal Democratic Party aims to build a liberal democratic society in which every citizen shall possess liberty, property and security and none shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.

Notes to the text:

to tip the scales – склонить чашу весов, решить исход дела conformity – конформизм, приспособленчество

Task 16. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations: прервать господство,

крайнее правое крыло, бороться на выборах, быть разочарованным чем-либо, представительство, незначительный, поэтому, проводить кампанию, играть определенную роль, невежество.

Task 17. Guess the words used in the text by their definitions: to join together, unimportant, being poor, lack of knowledge, person with full rights as an inhabitant of a country, to plan to do, protection against criminals, way in which people are organized.

Task 18. Answer the questions:

1.What is the origin of the Liberal Democratic Party?

2.What aims does the Party have?

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overriding – основной, первостепенный

"White papers" – «Белая книга» (официальный правительственный документ, название по цвету обложки)

"Green papers" – «Зеленая книга» (официальный правительственный документ, название по цвету обложки)

Task 14. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations: предстоящая сессия,

вести дела, заранее, дополнительные вопросы, содержание законопроекта, составление законопроекта, выдвинуть законопроект, проект, получить одобрение.

Task 15. Find synonyms from the text to the following words: to declare, to rule, short, additional, to continue, to foresee, to convince, main, to change, to discuss.

Task 16. Answer the questions:

1.How long does the working day of MPs and Lords last?

2.What is meant by Question Time?

3.What is the aim of supplementary questions?

4.What does the main debate of the day usually concern?

5.When is the draft presented to Parliament?

Part II

The procedure of passing a bill is similar in both Houses. The first stage of the bill's progress is still known as "reading", although the bill is no longer read aloud. This is a remainder of the days when printed copies were not generally available and the two Houses had to be informed of the contents of the bill by hearing a clerk read it aloud. Nowadays the first reading stage is a formality. It is during the second reading that crucial debates take place about a week later. The Minister or MP in charge of the bill

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explains to the House the whole purpose of the bill and the means proposed for putting it in effect. Then the main debates begin. Some MPs may support the bill, others may oppose it.

When various speeches have been made for and against the bill, the Speaker will then ask whether the bill is to pass the second reading and to go on to the next stage. If the House is not unanimous, if there is disagreement the Speaker (or the Lord Chancellor) calls for a division. The members leave their seats and pass into the lobbies through "Yes" or "No" doors thus showing which way they are voting. Two tellers – one on each side – count the votes as the MPs go through the doors and secretaries put down their names. Before the lobby doors close, a bell rings throughout the House 6 minutes to enable MPs, wherever they may be in the House, to vote. Party Whips stand outside the door of the lobby into which they expect their MPs to pass. Unless it is a free vote, members who ignore party policy risk the strong displeasure of the party leadership.

When the numbers have been taken, the members return to their seats and the Speaker (the Lord Chancellor) reads out the results of the voting. If the bill has a majority of votes, it has passed the second reading. It is then usually sent to a committee for detailed, clause by clause, word by word examination. Large committee rooms on the upper floor of Westminster Palace (the Committee Corridor) constitute one of the busiest parts of the palace. After days or weeks in a committee the bill then comes back to the House. When the committee reports to the House the conclusion of its work, there may be further discussion.

On the third reading the final text of the bill – perhaps rather different from that originally printed – is then approved or rejected. After that the bill goes through the same stages in the House of Lords. There it can be delayed but not rejected. Then it returns to the House of Commons and if the Commons accept the amendments, in case there are any, the bill is ready for its last stage. The final approval of the Queen and her signature will enact

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government to the Conservatives.

In 1988 the Liberal Party merged with the new Social Democratic Party forming the Liberal Democrats.

Notes to the text: franchise – избирательное право

to decline – идти на убыль, уменьшаться

Task 12. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations: происходить,

сторонник, добиваться социальных реформ, вводить, представитель, терпеть поражение на выборах, преодолевать, сливаться (соединяться).

Task 13. What verbs are the following words formed from?

Beginning, different, supporter, manufacturing, extension, representative, election, government, opposition.

Task 14. Answer the questions:

1.What is the origin of the Liberal Party?

2.What were the political priorities of the party?

3.What happened to the Liberal Party after World War I?

4.Does the Liberal Party exist nowadays?

Task 15. Read and translate the text.

Liberal Democratic Party

In 1981 a new party was formed to try to break the dominance of the Conservative and Labour. Some Conservatives and extreme right wing of Labours left their own parties to join the new Social Democrats. The new party agreed to fight elections in alliance with the small but long-established Liberals. After