Saint Helena Labour Party

Saint Helena Labour Party
General SecretaryG. A. D. Thornton
Founded1974
Dissolvedc. 1976
HeadquartersP.O. Box 34, Jamestown, Saint Helena
IdeologyRight-wing libertarianism
Neoliberalism
Political positionRight-wing
Legislative Council of Saint Helena (1976)
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[1][2]

The Saint Helena Labour Party was a political party on the island of Saint Helena (a British crown colony). [2] The party was founded in 1974.[1] Despite having a similar name to that of many left-wing parties across the world, the party advocated private enterprise as opposed to dependence on British economic aid and a supposedly government-dominated economy.[1] It supported closer links with South Africa.[3]

The founding of the party had been preceded by a controversy regarding the purchase of the Solomon & Co. enterprise (a local trading company) by the South African concern South Atlantic Trade and Investment Company (SATIC).[4] The British government had taken over the SATIC operations in Saint Helena, fearing South African dominance over the local economy.[5] The founder of the party was G. A. D. 'Tony' Thornton, a businessman of dual South African and British nationality.[1][5][6] Thornton served as the general secretary of the party.[7] The Saint Helena Labour Party was the first opposition party on the island.[8]

In November 1975 the party published a document, authored by Thornton, titled 'The St. Helena Manifesto'. The 34-page document criticised the policies of British authorities and accused the government of Saint Helena of neglecting the interests of the island.[9][10] The manifesto charged that the 1974–1979 development plan was a blueprint for underdevelopment and depopulation of the island.[11] The party argued against public health care and education, and called for developing local industries and exports.[2] Thornton's positions were met with criticism from the Saint Helena government, discarding the economic policies of the Saint Helena Labour Party as unrealistic.[5]

In December 1975 the British governor Sir Thomas Oates decided to deport Thornton from Saint Helena. The expulsion caused an uproar amongst the inhabitants of the island.[8] The political life of Saint Helena was divided into pro- and anti-Thornton camps, with demonstrations, petitions, public meetings and court cases.[9]

After his expulsion, Thornton continued to try to rally support for the Saint Helena Labour Party.[9] The party contested the 1976 election to the Legislative Council of Saint Helena, but failed to win any seats.[1] The party appears to have become defunct in the same year, at a similar point in time as its pro-British adversary the Saint Helena Progressive Party.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d e Aldrich, Robert, and John Connell. The Last Colonies. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. p. 138
  2. ^ a b c Day, Alan J., and Henry W. Degenhardt. Political Parties of the World: A Kessing's Reference Publication. Harlow: Longman, 1980. p. 360
  3. ^ Nohlen, Dieter, and Franz Nuscheler. Handbuch der Dritten Welt 5, Ostafrika und Südafrika, Bonn: J.H.W. Dietz Nachf, 1993. p. 527
  4. ^ St Helena, Hansard, Volume 826: debated on Tuesday 16 November 1971
  5. ^ a b c Africa Confidential, Volume 16, Miramoor Publications Limited, 1975, pages 9-10
  6. ^ The Europa Year Book 1984: A World Survey. London: Europa Publications, 1984. p. 1264
  7. ^ a b The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 1986, page 210
  8. ^ a b The Islander, Thursday 21 December 2000
  9. ^ a b c Cohen, Robin. African Islands and Enclaves, Beverly Hills, Calif. [usw.]: Sage Publ, 1983. pp. 127–128
  10. ^ The St. Helena Independent. The St Helena Manifesto, 1975 Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Small Island Economies, Robin Cohen, University of Manchester, Department of Administrative Studies, 1983, page 9