2.3 - Emerging and Minor Parties in the UK

Question 1

When did the SNP first form a gov in Scotland?

Answer 1

SNP won enough seats in the 2007 Scottish parliamentary elections to form a gov and have done so ever since

Question 2

When was the SNP’s breakthrough in Westminster and how many seats did it win?

Answer 2

Made little progress in Westminster until 2015 when it won 56 of 59 available parliamentary seats in Scotland

Question 3

Why did SNP win so many votes in 2015?

Answer 3

Scottish voters were disillusioned with the main British parties and many were interested in greater autonomy and Scottish independence

Question 4

What was arguably the biggest achievement of the SNP?

Answer 4

Perhaps the greatest achievement of the SNP was persuading Cameron to sanction the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014 and acquiring greater levels of Scottish autonomy in the Scotland Act of 2016

Question 5

How many seats did the SNP win in 2017 and 2019?

Answer 5

• 2017 down to 35 seats
• 2019 back up to 48 seats

Question 6

What has happened to the Party recently?

Answer 6

Controversy surrounding the family of leader Nicola Sturgeon, who resigned in Feb 2023, has left the party in an interesting spot going into the next election

Question 7

When was UKIP launched and with what goal?

Answer 7

UKIP launched as a party in 1993 with the express goal of achieving English separation from Europe

Question 8

When did UKIP make its general election breakthrough?

Answer 8

Made its general election breakthrough in 2015, but the outcome of this success was rather different for UKIP than the SNP

Question 9

Why was this electoral success for UKIP different to that of the SNP?

Answer 9

UKIP won 12.6% of the popular vote in 2015, but because this support was so dispersed, this only translated to one parliamentary seat

Question 10

What did UKIP’s support do to Cameron?

Answer 10

Public support and threat to the major parties was enough to convince Cameron to pledge to an in/out of the EU referendum in 2016

Question 11

Positives and negatives of the Brexit vote for UKIP?

Answer 11

• UKIP got the referendum it wanted and the result it wanted, as the UK voted to leave the EU
• However, having achieved its greatest triumph, the party lost purpose and support shrank

Question 12

What was the status of UKIP in 2019 and what is its role in UK politics today?

Answer 12

• By 2019, it appeared on the verge of extinction with just 0.1% of the vote
• UKIP still exists as a party, but no longer appears to play a role in British policts

Question 13

What were the origins of the Brexit party and for what purpose?

Answer 13

Launched in 2019 by formed UKIP leader Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party was established to put pressure on the Conservatives to achieve Brexit - basically seen as a new version of UKIP and attracted many of its supporters and backers

Question 14

What sort of threat did the Brexit party pose to the Conservatives?

Answer 14

Seen as a threat to the Cons to get Brexit done or face losing support, a threat that would eventually see the Cons go further right under BJ

Question 15

What % of the vote did the Brexit Party get at the EU parliamentary election?

Answer 15

In 2019 the Brexit Party achieved 36% of the vote in the EU parliamentary elections, a similar percentage to what got Cameron a majority in 2015 general, albeit with half the turnout

Question 16

What has happened to the Brexit party since the appointment of BJ?

Answer 16

• However, since the appointment of BJ the party’s support has collapsed, only achieving 2% of the vote in the 2019 general election
• As with UKIP, its central purpose has collapsed and it is likely to become less and less relevant in UK politics

Question 17

What % of the vote did the Greens win in 2010 and 2015 and how many seats did it win?

Answer 17

• Greens’ share of the vote from 1% in 2010 to 3.9% in 2015
• It won one seat, that of Caroline Lucas, the Party’s co-founder

Question 18

Have the Greens made a major political breakthrough?

Answer 18

Although the Greens have failed to make a major electoral breakthrough, Caroline Lucas has become a vocal and popular MP in Parliament

Question 19

Is there evidence for growing support for the Greens?

Answer 19

Yes, the adoption of more climate-centred policies can be seen in part to be a response to growing support for the Greens

Question 20

What is the situation in the Northern Irish Assembly?

Answer 20

• Northern Ireland is unique and has developed its own party system
• Largely split between nationalists and unionists

Question 21

Examples of the DUP exerting influence in Westminster?

Answer 21

On its own, NI does not have enough MPs to influence Westminster, however the fiercely unionist DUP, with 10 seats, was able to have tremendous influence on Theresa May’s gov as it entered into a supply-and-demand agreement that helped her gov survive and helped the voice of the DUP be heard

Question 22

What does the rise of the SNP, UKIP, Brexit, Greens and DUP show about the nature of British politics?

Answer 22

This shows that while the UK remains dominated by the two main parties, several other parties are now making an impact in UK politics

Question 23

What is the political alignment and main objective of the SNP?

Answer 23

• The SNP is a centre-left party
• Its main objecting is complete independence as a sovereign state within the EU

Question 24

SNP views on constitutional reform and society?

Answer 24

• For as long as Scotland remains in the EU, the party supports constitutional reform such as an elected second chamber, the introduction of PR and votes for 16 year olds
• The party is socially democratic and supports social justice and supports the idea of the living wage

Question 25

SNP views on nuclear policy and tuition fees?

Answer 25

• Opposed to the UK retaining independent nuclear weapons and favours the cancellation of Trident
• The SNP has abolished tuition fees for Scottish students in Scotland – it sees education as a key component of equality of opportunity

Question 26

SNP views on the environment, welfare state, and the EU?

Answer 26

• Environmental protection is a key policy – almost as strong here as the Greens
• Supports the welfare state and would protect generous state provision of health, education and social security benefits
• Staunchly pro-EU and very opposed to Brexit

Question 27

What are green party policies centred around?

Answer 27

Greens centred around environmental policy and are largely left-wing in other areas

Question 28

Green views on housing, public transport, and tuition fees?

Answer 28

• Believe in large numbers of new, low-cost, environmentally friendly homes that should be financed or built by gov to solve the housing crisis
• Massive new investment in public transport
• Uni tuition fees for students should be abolished

Question 29

Green views on constitutional reform, taxes, and income?

Answer 29

• Extensive program of constitutional reform to make the UK more genuinely democratic
• Proposes a wealth tax on the top 1% of the income ladder, a living wage of £10 per hour and a special tax on large banks making excessive profits
• In 2019 it adopted a policy to introduce a universal basic income of £89 per week