Political Parties- The UK Party System Flashcards
Party system
A reference to how many parties
achieve representation and have an influence on the politics of a country.
There are a number of ways of describing the UK party system. Several factors need to be considered, such as:
-how many parties have a realistic chance of forming a government
-how many have representation in a parliament or assembly
-and how many have a significant impact on policy.
Theories of party systems
Types of systems
Dominant party
Two-party
Three-party
Multi-party
Theories of party systems
Types of systems:
Dominant party
One party dominates the number of seats in the legislative body and is the only party in government.
Theories of party systems
Types of systems:
Two-party
Only two parties have significant representation.
Theories of party systems
Types of systems:
Three-party
Three parties have significant representation.
Theories of party systems
Types of systems:
Multi-party
Four or more parties have a significant number of representatives elected and smaller parties have a significant impact on policy.
Evidence of a dominant party system
+ The dominant party theory takes into account that usually only one party forms the government in the UK.
+ From 1979 to 2010 Britain had only one party in government (18 years of Conservative rule followed by 13 years of Labour rule).
+ The coalition that followed was a temporary phenomenon and since the 2015 election it has been business as usual.
+ One party (the Conservatives) is in government; since the 2019 general election the Tories have had 56% of the seats in the House of Commons.
+Even a minority government is able to control the agenda of Parliament;
Theresa May was able to delay votes on Brexit to the time of her choosing.
+ A weak government can therefore still dominate Parliament - the Conservatives were able to survive a no-confidence vote in January 2019.
Counter-arguments of a dominant party system
+ The Conservative government in Westminster between 2017 and 2019
relied on the DUP for key votes in order to pass legislation.
Evidence of a two-party system
+ First-past-the-post (FPTP) ensures that only two parties, Labour and Conservative, have a realistic chance of winning the general election.
+ FPTP ensures the two-party system is maintained in terms of how votes are converted into seats.
+ In 2017, the Labour and Conservative parties won 580 of the 650 seats (89%).
+ In 2019, they won 568 of the 650 seats (87%).
Counter-arguments of a two-party system
While it is easier to make the case for a two-party system in Westminster, especially in terms of votes and seats, the picture elsewhere is far more complex:
+ The SNP controls the Scottish government.
+ Labour formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in Wales after the
2016 Welsh Assembly elections.
+ Northern Ireland has its own parties that make up the Northern Irish Assembly, including Sinn Fein and the DUP.
These examples can be explained by the different electoral systems used in regional and sub-national elections that benefit smaller parties.
Evidence of a three-party or multi-party system
+ In 2019 some 82 MPs were elected from outside the two main parties and now enjoy representation in Parliament, compared to an average of 9 between 1950 and 1970.
+ The Green Party has its first MP - Caroline Lucas represents Brighton Pavilion and she has increased her majority in the last three general elections.
+ In the 2019 general election, the SNP won 48 seats in the House of
Commons, making it comfortably the third largest party in terms of seats.
Counter-arguments of a three-party or multi-party system
+ The FPTP electoral system doesn’t allow for a permanent multi-party system and more often than not benefits the two larger parties.
+ The 2017 general election saw the highest vote share for the two major parties since 1970, at 82.3%. In 2019 this vote share only fell back to 75.8%
+ The Lib Dem revival in 2019 was muted.
% of votes won by the two main parties
General election year 1979
80.8
% of votes won by the two main parties
General election year 1983
70.0
