Independent (politician)
From Freepedia
In politics, an independent is a a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. In countries with a two-party system, independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between the two parties, or may feel that neither of the two parties adequately represents their viewpoint.
Other independent candidates are associated with a political party and may be former members of it, but are not able to stand under its label. For instance, after being expelled from the Labour Party but before joining RESPECT, British MP George Galloway described himself as "Independent Labour".
A third category of independents are those who may belong to a political party but believe they can gain an advantage by presenting themselves as being independent of it. This was common among Conservative Party candidates in British local government elections in the mid-twentieth century.
Examples of independent candidates
Recent independent candidates for U.S. President include John Anderson in 1980, Ross Perot in 1992 and Ralph Nader in 2004.
Current independent UK MPs are Peter Law (MP for Blaenau Gwent) and Richard Taylor, sole member of the Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern party (MP for Wyre Forest). Dr. Richard Taylor's election to Parliament is most notable for the fact that he is the only independent in recent times to have been re-elected for a second term.
Another independent UK MP in recent times is Martin Bell (MP for Tatton from 1997 to 2001).
