Evaluate the view that the only political parties that matter in our political system are the Labour and Conservatives Parties.

Question 1

Introduction - Themes

Answer 1

• Official Agreement in Westminster
• Devolution
• Influence in Westminster

Question 2

Introduction - Argument

Answer 2

The UK as a whole can be descrbibed as a two party system with many parties in different areas competing to gain power, but in terms of election results it is a two party system

Question 3

Official Agreements in Westminister - Disagree - Point

Answer 3

In the 2017 elections the percentage of votes for Labour and the Conservative Party reached a high, and this trend continued in 2019

Question 4

Official Agreements in Westminster - Disagree - Examples

Answer 4

• In 2017, the Conservatives and Labour made up over 82.4% of the vote share and over 90% of the seats
• In 2019, the Conservatives and Labour made up over 75.8% of the vote share and over 83% of the seats

Question 5

Official Agreements in Westminster - Agree - Point

Answer 5

Even with the high percentage of seats in Westminister, other parties still have had influence within Parliament, especially in recent years

Question 6

Official Agreements in Westminister - Agree - Examples

Answer 6

• When Theresa May was in a minority government, she had to enter a confiderence-and-supply agreement with the DUP
• David Cameron had to go into a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats

Question 7

Devolution - Disagree - Point

Answer 7

Devolved bodies with regards to seats and voters are still primarily two-party systems as Labour and the Conservatives still control a lot of devolved assemblies

Question 8

Devolution - Disagree - Examples

Answer 8

• In 2021, Labour won 50% of seats in the Welsh Parliament
• In the recent London Mayoral Elections it was Labour candidate, Sadiq Kahn, that emerged victorious. Before him, it was Boris Johnson from the Conservative Party

Question 9

Devolution - Agree - Point

Answer 9

Northern Ireland and Scotland cannot be ignored - they are both dominated by other parties and Labour and the Conservatives are minorities

Question 10

Devolution - Agree - Examples

Answer 10

• Scottish Parliament had been dominated by the SNP since 2007 and in Westminister the SNP won 48 out of 59 seats avaliable
• Due to the history of Northern Ireland, they have a completely different party system - with the DUP and Sinn Fein dominating

Question 11

Influence in Westminster - Disagree - Point

Answer 11

Despite recent laps in the two-party dominance, after 2019 the importance of Labour and the Conservatives has been reiterated

Question 12

Influence in Westminster - Disagree - Examples

Answer 12

• Not only did the two get 76.8% of the vote, but the Conservatives dramatically increased their seat share, winning 47 more seats than in 2019
• There has been a major decline of third parties - the Lib Dems lost 49 seats in the 2015 general election

Question 13

Influence in Westminster - Agree - Point

Answer 13

Minor parties have been gaining more of the vote share, rather than seats, this has led them to be able to influence major parties

Question 14

Influence in Westminster - Agree - Examples

Answer 14

• The Green Party vote share has grown from 1% in 2010 to 3.8% in 2015, including 1 seat in Parliament held by Caroline Lucas. Both major parties now have more environmentally conscious policies
• UKIP and the Brexit Party’s vote share massively decline in 2019, this is because they had both achieved their aim of Brexit