The Uk Has a Multi Party System Rather Than a Two Party System. Discuss.
The UK has a multi- party system rather than a two party system. Discuss.
A political two party system is one where two parties have complete dominance over voting, in terms of seats and the general vote. The multi- party system however describes a system where more than two parties have the ability to win role as government. In this essay I will give a balanced argument on whether Britain is a two party, or multi- party system.
Throughout a significant period in history, 1945-79, a two party system was obviously predominant; the Labour and Conservative parties being the only two with the possibility of achieving majority vote and therefore forming a government. People voted for the party which represented their social class e.g. Conservative for middle class and Labour for working class. The clear distinction between which social classes would benefit from the two parties rule kept these two parties as a high percentage of the vote. In the elections leading up to 2005 Labour and Conservative seats were a significantly high number compared to other parties e.g. in 1992 Conservatives had 336 seats, labour-271 and other parties 44, meaning no other party had a real chance of winning, no matter what the vote favoured, which incidentally also supported the two dominant parties with 41.8% Conservative votes, 34.2% Labour votes and only 19% of votes for other parties.
The structure of the House of Commons also supports this idea because the two main parties sit on opposite benches in parliament, creating a government vs. opposition system, where the two main parties move between these two seats, currently with Labour as the opposition. The first-past-the-post voting system also supports this idea because it doesn’t allow smaller powers a chance for a place in power, as they don’t have enough MPs in comparison to stronger parties. Although, the Liberal Democrat’s seats in parliament have increased significantly, if it weren’t for the voting system, their numbers are
A political two party system is one where two parties have complete dominance over voting, in terms of seats and the general vote. The multi- party system however describes a system where more than two parties have the ability to win role as government. In this essay I will give a balanced argument on whether Britain is a two party, or multi- party system.
Throughout a significant period in history, 1945-79, a two party system was obviously predominant; the Labour and Conservative parties being the only two with the possibility of achieving majority vote and therefore forming a government. People voted for the party which represented their social class e.g. Conservative for middle class and Labour for working class. The clear distinction between which social classes would benefit from the two parties rule kept these two parties as a high percentage of the vote. In the elections leading up to 2005 Labour and Conservative seats were a significantly high number compared to other parties e.g. in 1992 Conservatives had 336 seats, labour-271 and other parties 44, meaning no other party had a real chance of winning, no matter what the vote favoured, which incidentally also supported the two dominant parties with 41.8% Conservative votes, 34.2% Labour votes and only 19% of votes for other parties.
The structure of the House of Commons also supports this idea because the two main parties sit on opposite benches in parliament, creating a government vs. opposition system, where the two main parties move between these two seats, currently with Labour as the opposition. The first-past-the-post voting system also supports this idea because it doesn’t allow smaller powers a chance for a place in power, as they don’t have enough MPs in comparison to stronger parties. Although, the Liberal Democrat’s seats in parliament have increased significantly, if it weren’t for the voting system, their numbers are