Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party

Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party
Leader Fabian Picardo
Founder Joe Bossano
Founded 1978 (1978)
Split from Democratic Party for a British Gibraltar[1]
Headquarters Suite 16, 3 Watergardens, Waterport Road, Gibraltar
Ideology Social democracy[2][3]
Pro-Europeanism
Political position Centre-left
National affiliation GSLP–Liberal Alliance
European affiliation none
International affiliation none
European Parliament group Party of European Socialists (2004–09)
Colours Red, White
UK affiliation Labour Party
Gibraltar Parliament
7 / 17
Website
http://www.gslp.gi/
Gibraltar
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Gibraltar

The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) is a social-democratic[2] political party in Gibraltar. The GSLP is the oldest surviving active political party in Gibraltar. Its grass roots are based in the trade union movement, as its founder and former leader Joe Bossano was the District Officer of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU).[4] The party has been led since 2011 by Fabian Picardo.

History

The TGWU during Bossano's tenure was instrumental in achieving parity with the United Kingdom for all workers in Gibraltar. Bossano left the Integration with Britain Party in 1975 and founded the Gibraltar Democratic Movement (GDM), which contested the 1976 election winning four seats in the House of Assembly. The GDM became the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party in 1978 and obtained one seat, that of Bossano, in the 1980 election. At the elections of 1984, the GSLP capitalized on the Gibraltarian discontent about the way the British Government was handling the future of the Gibraltar Royal Navy dockyard, opposing the transfer of the docks to Appledore International (which involved the loss of about 400 jobs), and winning seven of the fifteen seats of the Assembly.[5] The party was eventually in Government from 1988 to 1996.

In April 2011, Joe Bossano retired as party leader and he was replaced by Fabian Picardo.

Policy

Founder of the GSLP, Joe Bossano.

Like all the other parties in Gibraltar, the GSLP supports self-determination for Gibraltar and opposes any moves toward joint British–Spanish sovereignty. The party has strong member and personal ties with the UK Labour Party with many prominent members having been involved with the Labour Party while in the United Kingdom. The GSLP also endorsed the Labour Party at the 2014 European Parliament elections as it had done on previous European elections.[6]

The party strongly supports Gibraltar's territorial integrity, in particular seeks pursuit of the recognition of the full twelve-mile limit to Gibraltar territorial waters, as is the case with other British overseas territories, and it considers Spain's violations of the current three-mile limit of territorial waters as "a hostile and unfriendly act".[7]

The party does not consider Gibraltar to have been decolonised by the Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006 and has a policy of continued participation at all United Nations venues in which Gibraltar is discussed including the Special Committee on Decolonization until the decolonisation of Gibraltar is recognised by the UN and the achievement of a new international status for Gibraltar as a full self-governing territory under the British Crown.[8]

Elections

In the 1980 election to the Gibraltar House of Assembly, the party won its first seat in the House.[9]

In the 1984 election, the party won 34.2% of the popular vote and 7 seats.[10]

In the 1988 election, the party won 58.2% of the popular vote and 8 seats to form the new government.[11]

In the 1992 election, the party won 73.1%% of the popular vote and 8 seats.[12]

In the 1996 election, the party won 42.95% of the popular vote and 7 seats.[13]

In the 1999 by-election, following the death of GSLP Opposition MP Robert Mor, Liberal Party leader Dr. Joseph Garcia (backed by the GSLP) won 51.46% of the popular vote and the seat. He was the first joint GSLP/Liberal candidate to contest an election.[14]

In the 2000 election, the party won (in Alliance with the Liberals) 25.62% of the popular vote and 5 seats.[15]

In the 2003 election, the party won (in Alliance with the Liberals) 25.08% of the popular vote and 5 seats.[16]

In the 2007 election to the newly named (and re-organized) Gibraltar Parliament, the party won (in Alliance with the Liberals) 31.84% of the popular vote and 4 seats.[17]

In the 2011 election, the party won (in Alliance with the Liberals) 34.23% of the popular vote and 7 seats and, with the 3 seats won by the Liberal Party, formed the new Government of Gibraltar.[18]

In the 2013 by-election, following the death of Housing Minister Charles Bruzon (GSLP), the GSLP candidate Albert Isola won 49.84% of the popular vote to fill in the vacant seat.[19]

In the 2015 election, the party won (in Alliance with the Liberals) 47.83% of the popular vote and 7 seats.[20]

The GSLP was represented in the European Parliament by Glyn Ford MEP[21] of the PES Group during the 6th European Parliament term, however Ford later lost his seat in the 2009 European elections.

The GSLP supports and endorses the UK Labour Party during European parliament elections.

Election results

Parliament of Gibraltar

Election year # of
overall votes^		 % of
overall vote^		 # of
overall seats won^		 ±^
1980 N/A N/A
1 / 15
 New
1984 32,534 34.2
7 / 15
 Increase6
1988 60,626 58.2
8 / 15
 Increase1
1992 65,997 73.1
8 / 15
 Steady
1996 54,443 42.95
7 / 15
 Decrease1
1999 (by-election; in alliance with the 'LPG')* N/A (Backed the 'Liberal Party of Gibraltar' (GLP) candidate) N/A
0 / 1
6 / 15
 Decrease 1
2000 (in alliance with the 'LPG') 29,610 25.62
5 / 15
 Decrease1
2003 (in alliance with the 'LPG') 28,382 25.08
5 / 15
 Steady
2007 (in alliance with the 'LPG') 49,277 31.84
4 / 17
 Decrease1
2011 (in alliance with the 'LPG') 59,824 34.23
7 / 17
 Increase3
2013 (by-election; in alliance with the 'LPG')** 4,899 49.84
1 / 1
7 / 17
 Steady
2015 (in alliance with the 'LPG') 70,551 47.83
7 / 17
 Steady
^Each of these numbers are only based on how the GSLP performed in each [individual] election.
*The 1999 by-election in Gibraltar was to fill in a seat vacated by then-GSLP MP, Robert Mor, who died that year. Hence, the composition bar on this row would only signify whether or not a member of a particular political party has won the seat. If that particular member had won the seat, then the entire bar would be colored in. Since the GSLP did not present a candidate for this by-election, but instead backed a member of its smaller coalition partner ('Libs'), this still counts as a loss of a seat in parliament.
**The 2013 by-election in Gibraltar was to fill in a seat vacated by then-GSLP MP, Charles Arthur Bruzon, who died that year. Hence, the composition bar on this row would only signify whether or not a member of a particular political party has won the seat. If that particular member wins the seat, then the entire bar would be colored in.

Party leaders

# Leader Tenure Notes
1 Joe Bossano, MP 1978-April 2011 Chief Minister of Gibraltar from 1988-1996
2 Fabian Picardo, MP April 2011 – present Chief Minister of Gibraltar from 2011-present

Current GSLP MPs

References

  1. ↑ E.G. Archer (2006). Gibraltar Identity and Empire. Routledge. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-415-34796-9. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  2. 1 2 Parties and Elections in Europe: The database about parliamentary elections and political parties in Europe, by Wolfram Nordsieck
  3. ↑ http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2011/10/24/gibraltar-election-fever/
  4. ↑ R. H. Haigh; D S Morris; D. S. Morris (1 June 2002). Britain, Spain and Gibraltar 1945-1990: The Eternal Triangle. Taylor & Francis. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-203-19463-8. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  5. ↑ Peter Gold (2005). Gibraltar: British or Spanish?. Routledge. pp. 59–60. ISBN 0-415-34795-5.
  6. ↑ http://www.gbc.gi/news/news-details.php?id=3695
  7. ↑ http://www.webcitation.org/5gPXTaJyg
  8. ↑ http://www.gslp.gi/Press_Release/topic.php?id=325
  9. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_6_february_1980.pdf
  10. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_26_january_1984.pdf
  11. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_24_march_1988.pdf
  12. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_16_january_1992.pdf
  13. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_16_may_1996.pdf
  14. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/by_election_results_4_february_1999.pdf
  15. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_10_february_2000.pdf
  16. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_27_november_2003.pdf
  17. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_11_october_2007.pdf
  18. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_8_december_2011%20.pdf
  19. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/by_election_results_4_july_2013.pdf
  20. ↑ http://www.parliament.gi/images/parliamentary_election_results/general_election_results_26_november_2015.pdf
  21. ↑ http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/expert/committees/view.do;jsessionid=8378DABD4E3A86E05B3BAC03DB5E1108.node2?language=EN&id=1413
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