Lib Dems + minor parties

Question 1

Policies of Lib Dems

Answer 1

• change from FPTP to proportional representation
• scrapping HoL
• stronger protection for civil liberties - LGBTQ, trans rights, drug liberalisation
• environmental protection
• pro EU and adopting currency - anti Brexit

Question 2

what happened in 2010?

Answer 2

Coalition government between Lib Dems and Conservatives - due to hung parliament, joined forced with Lib Dems - leader was David Cameron and deputy was Nick Clegg
Lib Dems won 57 seats to add to Conservatives 306 seats - 326 needed for majority

Question 3

why were lib dems polls post 2015 so disastrous?

Answer 3

2015 gen election - only won 8 seats + Clegg resigned
didn’t keep their promises of lowering tuition fees in coalition, in fact they tripled them so people didn’t want to support them.

Question 4

Lib Dems post 2019

Answer 4

leader is Ed Davey currently
have 15 seats, only had 11 in 2019 and now many seats have swung from Conservatives

Question 5

Lib Dem swings

Answer 5

Chesham and Amersham - June 2021 - 25% swing

North Shropshire - Dec 2021 - 34% swing to Lib Dems - resignation of Owen Paterson (following Randox lobbying scandal), Tories safe seat

Tiverton and Honiton - June 2022 - 30% swing - resignation of Neil Parish after the ‘Tractorgate’ scandal (watching porn in the HoC) although was leave EU seat

Question 6

how is the Lib Dems success explained?

Answer 6

they are many voters’ second choice - if no longer support a party, switch to them

Question 7

name the main minor parties

Answer 7

SNP, DUP, SInn Fein, Plaid Cymru, Reform UK (UKIP), Green party

Question 8

SNP details

Answer 8

scottish national party - dominate in scotland since 2007, push for scottish independence, third largest party in uk and hhold 43/59 scottish seats

Question 9

UKIP/Reform UK details

Answer 9

both act as pressure for the conservative party - people may vote for them - have 6-7% of the vote. put pressure for brexit and now don’t really have a function

Question 10

Green party details

Answer 10

share power with SNP in scotland, have 1 MP in HoC. put pressure on parties to have green policies - there has been an increase but not because of them arguably
1 constituency led by Caroline Lucas - Brighton Pavilion.

Question 10

DUP details

Answer 10

democratic unionist party - Northern Ireland.
centre right party - kept theresa may in government in 2015 in a confidence and supply deal where they gave their 10 seats to vote for conservative supply in return for 1 billion pounds in funding for NI government.

Question 11

Plaid Cymru details

Answer 11

Welsh party, but do not dominate in Wales - Labour does. have 4 seats in Westminster, but policies are focused on Wales so even if they were in majority in wales they wouldn’t influence the UK as a whole