Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain
Encyclopedia
The Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain was a political party
in the United Kingdom
. It was founded prior to the February 1974 general election
by Tom Keen and Harold Smith, both business owners in Manchester
.
The party called for voters not to vote for them, but for tactical voting
to defeat the Labour Party
. Despite this, when Keen stood in the February election, he received 234 votes. In the October general election
, Keen set a new record by standing simultaneously in ten constituencies, and the campaign stood a total of 25 candidates, who received 4,301 votes. The success of the campaign was difficult to measure, and after standing in various by-elections, it stood in the 1979 general election
and finally the Beaconsfield by-election, 1982
.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was founded prior to the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
by Tom Keen and Harold Smith, both business owners in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
The party called for voters not to vote for them, but for tactical voting
Tactical voting
In voting systems, tactical voting occurs, in elections with more than two viable candidates, when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her sincere preference in order to prevent an undesirable outcome.It has been shown by the Gibbard-Satterthwaite theorem that any voting method which is...
to defeat the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Despite this, when Keen stood in the February election, he received 234 votes. In the October general election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
, Keen set a new record by standing simultaneously in ten constituencies, and the campaign stood a total of 25 candidates, who received 4,301 votes. The success of the campaign was difficult to measure, and after standing in various by-elections, it stood in the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
and finally the Beaconsfield by-election, 1982
Beaconsfield by-election, 1982
The Beaconsfield by-election, 1982 was a parliamentary by-election held on 27 May 1982 for the British House of Commons constituency of Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire...
.