Shaun Ley explores small parties that had a big impact on politics

Shaun Ley recalls the small parties which briefly lit up the political firmament, before fizzling out.

Over two series of Sunday Supplements for The Westminster Hour he explores the impact of both historic and contemporary political parties which changed the face of politics.

Series Two

In the second series, broadcast in February 2006, Shaun Ley looks at the New Party set up by Sir Oswald Mosley in 1931, Vanguard, the hardline Unionist party from 1970's Northern Ireland and Militant, the Trotskyites who operated as a party with the Labour Party in the mid 1980's.

Sir Oswald Mosley setup the New Party in 1931

In Part One, Shaun Ley tells the bizarre story of the New Party set up by Sir Oswald Mosley.

Mosley was recently rated the greatest British villain of the twentieth century by a group of historians for leading Britain's fascists.

But before that he left the Labour Government in 1931 to set up his New Party to fight unemployment.

Part One of The Party's Over will be broadcast at 2245 on Sunday 5 February 2006.

Series One

In the first series broadcast in April 2004, Shaun Ley recalls the surprising influence of the wartime Commonwealth Party, the breakaway Scottish Labour Party and, more recently, the Referendum Party.

In the first part, Shaun Ley returns to the final months of the Second World War when a political newcomer disrupted the wartime truce between the Conservatives and Labour. What impact did the Commonwealth Party have?

Listen to Part One: The Commonwealth Party

In the second part, Shaun Ley turns his attentions to the 1970s and a party that threatened to unbalance Labour in Scotland.

Listen to Part Two: The Scottish Labour Party

In the final report, Shaun Ley looks at the impact of the Referendum Party, which sent shivers down Tory spines in the run-up to the general election of 1997.

Listen to Part Three: The Referendum Party