Liberal-Labour (New Zealand)
Liberal–Labour (often referred to as "Lib-Lab") was a political association in New Zealand in the last decade of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries.
History
Initially, Liberal-Labour candidates were usually members of the Liberal Party who received Labour movement endorsement and/or advocated on behalf of labourers and trade unions in parliament. This was mainly a result of the early unionists being mostly anti-political.[1] In 1890 there was a "Lib-Lab" alliance where Liberals and Labour sympathizers co-operated with each other. The two agreed on candidates who ran on combined tickets in several electorates. Equally, in others where only one was running against a government member, supporters of both backed each other's candidates.[2]
When the Liberal Party won power in 1890, five members of John Ballance's caucus claimed to be "Labour" MPs. They claimed to be from a Labour "party", though it was mostly regarded that they were merely the Labour "faction" of the Liberals.[3] In the 1893 election they were joined by two more Liberals identifying as representing Labour interests.[3] However, in 1896 three of the Labour members were defeated and the remaining Labour aligned Liberals merged more definitely with the other Liberals.[4] The Liberals attempted to strengthen their support base with unionists by creating the Liberal-Labour Federation in 1899 hoping to attract formal trade union support.[5] Many electoral alliances were formed between the Liberals and Labour particularly during second ballots in the 1908 and 1911 elections.[6]
During the period 1904–13 there was increasing debate by unionists on the issue to separate themselves from the Liberals, which ultimately led to the creation of the present-day Labour Party in 1916.[7]
Notable Liberal-Labour MPs
| Name | Electorate | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Tanner | Heathcote Avon |
1890 1893 |
1893 1908 |
Considered to be "the first Labour candidate" elected to Parliament.[8] |
| David Pinkerton | City of Dunedin | 1890 | 1896 | |
| William Earnshaw | Peninsula City of Dunedin |
1890 1893 |
1893 1896 |
|
| Lindsay Buick | Wairau | 1890 | 1896 | |
| James Whyte Kelly | Invercargill | 1890 | 1899 | |
| Ebenezer Sandford | City of Christchurch | 1891 | 1893 | First elected in by-election |
| John A. Millar | Chalmers City of Dunedin Dunedin Central Dunedin West |
1893 1896 1905 1911 |
1896 1905 1911 1914 |
Liberal only from 1905 onwards |
| John Hutcheson | City of Wellington | 1896 | 1902 | |
| James Frederick Arnold | City of Dunedin Dunedin South Dunedin Central |
1899 1905 1908 |
1905 1908 1911 |
|
| Alfred Barclay | City of Dunedin Dunedin North |
1899 1905 |
1902 1908 |
|
| James Thomas Hogan | Wanganui | 1905 | 1911 | Independent MP for Rangitikei, 1928–31 |
| Robert Beatson Ross | Pahiatua | 1905 | 1911 | |
| Tommy Taylor | Christchurch North | 1908 | 1911 | New Liberal MP 1905, died in office |
| Sydney George Smith | Taranaki | 1919 | 1922 | Joined the Liberal Party in 1922 |
Notes
- ↑ Brown 1962, pp. 2.
- ↑ Hamer1988, pp. 32-3.
- 1 2 Brown 1962, pp. 2-3.
- ↑ Brown 1962, pp. 3.
- ↑ Brown 1962, pp. 4.
- ↑ Gustafson 1980, pp. 80.
- ↑ Brown 1962, pp. 5.
- ↑ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1903). "Mr. William Wilcox Tanner". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. p. 91. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
References
- Brown, Bruce (1962). The Rise of New Zealand Labour: A history of the New Zealand Labour Party. Wellington: Price Milburn.
- Hamer, David A. (1988). The New Zealand Liberals: The Years of Power, 1891–1912. Christchurch.
- Gustafson, Barry (1980). Labour's path to political independence: The Origins and Establishment of the New Zealand Labour Party, 1900–19. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University Press. ISBN 0-19-647986-X.