Liverpool Protestant Party | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1903 |
| Dissolved | 1974 |
| Merged into | Conservatives |
| Ideology | Conservatism Religious conservatism Protestant Interests British Unionism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Religion | Protestantism |
TheLiverpool Protestant Party (LPP) was a minor political party operating in the city ofLiverpool in northwest England.
The origins of the Liverpool Protestant Party lie in the increasing dissatisfaction with theConservative and Unionist Party felt by manyOrange Lodge members and other militantProtestants in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
This unease was caused by a number of issues:
Large scaleIrish migration, especially byIrish Catholics, to Liverpool had seen the city's Roman Catholic population greatly increase. The Liverpool Protestant Party fiercely opposed the construction of acathedral for the Catholic community of Liverpool. The first attempt to secure independent Protestant representation was made byJohn Kensit, leader of theProtestant Truth Society, who stood for election to theHouse of Commons inBrighton in 1898. InIreland, this unease manifested itself in the creation of theIndependent Orange Order inBelfast inUlster in 1902.
There was disquiet due to the reluctance of the Conservative-controlledLiverpool Corporation to set aside areas of public open space specifically for outdoor meetings. George Wise, a prominent local Protestant leader, had been imprisoned for refusing to be bound over to keep the peace following disturbances at meetings held in public squares and gardens. On his release fromWalton Gaol on 6 June he decided to pursue independent Protestant representation on the city council.[1]
Support was centred among Wise's adherents, including large numbers of members of theOrange Order and the congregation of the Protestant Reformers Church of which he was the Pastor. Traditionally the "Orange vote" would go to theConservatives but in 1903, the LPP was formed as a distinct party by George Wise.
Four seats were contested and three won, includingKirkdale. Representation was also secured on theWest DerbyBoard of Guardians, which supervised health care and poor relief in the North and East of the city. Some rapprochement with the Conservatives took place beforeWorld War I through co-operation to fight theIrish Home Rule Bill, although the Conservative leader in the city,AldermanArchibald Salvidge, was opposed to independent Protestant representation.
The support of the Conservative Party for the establishment of theIrish Free State renewed dissatisfaction with them amongst militant Protestants. In Liverpool this was manifested in a loss of membership in theConservative Workingmen's Association. The Liverpool Protestant Party believed the establishment of the Irish Free State was a mere stepping stone to anIrish republic.TheNational Protestant Electoral Federation (NPEF) was formed at this time with four aims:-
In Liverpool the policies of the NPEF were put into effect for the 1922 elections to the Boards of Guardians. The NPEF endorsed Protestant Party candidates and any other candidates who were willing to add the word Protestant to their party name. This resulted in two Protestant Party and two Protestant & Unionist candidates being elected with 25,787 votes between them.
TheLocal Government Act 1929 abolished the Boards of Guardians and handed their responsibilities to local authorities. Liverpool Corporation took over three Boards – West Derby for the North and East of the city, Liverpool for the City Centre andToxteth Park for the South. Some rationalisation of the various hospital and other facilities took place which meant that the Liverpool Board of Guardians 9-acre (36,000 m2) facility at Brownlow Hill became redundant. The city council decided to sell the site to theArchdiocese of Liverpool in order for the archdiocese to build a Catholiccathedral. Sales of redundant land and property to Catholic interests had been blocked by Protestant representatives on the Boards, but under the council the sale went ahead with Conservative approval.
This led to the Protestant Party contesting the City Council elections of November 1930. Only the party leaderHarry Dixon Longbottom was successful, in St Domingo, but in severalwards the Protestant Party took enough votes from the Conservatives to cause them to lose them to Labour.
It opposed the emergent socialist politics of theLabour movement and called for curbs on immigration intoGreat Britain fromRoman Catholic areas of Ireland. It also blamed Irish immigrants for unemployment, poor housing and high rates.
It primarily fought local government seats, but did stand the Reverend H. D. Longbottom in theLiverpool Kirkdale seat forWestminster elections from 1931 until 1945. In 1931, he took a quarter of the votes cast.[2]
For all but one year – 1963 – between 1945 and 1970, the Protestant Party was the third largest party on the council, in terms of seat share. The party tended to stand in the northern St. Domingo and Netherfield wards, unopposed by the Conservatives, and in return voted with them on most issues in the council chamber. The party also held one Aldermanic seat on the council from 1945 to 1957. It won its last seat in 1973, but activity was waning and, as the "Orange vote" subsided in influence, the LPP found it harder to continue.
Following theLocal Government Act 1972, Liverpool City Council faced ward redistribution. In 1974, the Protestant Party was disbanded, with most of their members joining the Conservatives.[3]
The "Orange vote" has not totally died in Liverpool. TheDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP) has looked into the possibility of establishing a branch in Liverpool,[4] possibly considering standing local government candidates there as well. Former members of the LPP have been involved with this attempt.