Multi-party/ Minor Parties Flashcards
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
Introduction
Overall, while it can be contended that smaller parties can have significant impact on UK politics in periods of coalition and hung parliaments and in devolved settings, their overall impact is relatively minor and short-lived. This is due to both the structural and mechanical effects of the FPTP electoral system, which ultimately enforces the conditions that favour the two main parties, consequently sidelining smaller parties and rendering their impact insignificant in the national scale.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
1: Agenda- setting influence vs systemic marginalisation
Point
Firstly, it could be argued that small parties have a significant impact on UK politics given their increasing influence in national policy and debate. Parties like UKIP, The Green Party and more recently Reform UK have demonstrated their ability to set the political agenda despite limited representation in Parliament.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
1: Agenda- setting influence vs systemic marginalisation
Points and analyses (AGAINST)
-For example, UKIP played a pivotal role in pressuring the Conservative party to hold the 2016 EU referendum, leading to Brexit- a seismic event in UK politics.
-similarly, the Green Party’s consistent advocacy for environmental protection has helped push climate change into the mainstream political discourse, influencing Labour’s Green New Deal proposals and cross-party commitments to achieving net-zero emissions, and contributing to policy changes such as the plastic bag fee.
-The SNP has also kept the issue of Scottish Independence at the forefront of national debate, evidenced by the 2014 independence referendum and its continued pressure for a second vote.
-Furthermore, minor parties often focus on specific, niche issues that resonate with disaffected or underrepresented voters groups. UKIP’s Euro scepticism drew support from those frustrated with the political establishment, while the Greens galvanised environmentally conscious young people.
-these dynamics suggest that minor parties can play an outsized role in shaping national debates and voter preferences, even without significant parliamentary power.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
1: Agenda- setting influence vs systemic marginalisation
Volta
However, a more convincing argument is that the influence of small parties is often limited, indirect and short-lived due to the structural dominance of Labour and the Conservatives. While minor parties may introduce new ideas into the political conversation, the two main parties often absorb these policies, thereby reducing the distinctiveness and relevance of smaller parties.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
1: Agenda- setting influence vs systemic marginalisation
Points and analyses (FOR)
- For example, following Brexit, the Conservative Party incorporated much of UKIP’s platform rendering UKIP electorally obsolete.
-similarly, Labour and the Conservatives have embraced environmental policies such as net-zero targets, thereby marginalising the Greens.
-the Duverger’s law helps explain this dynamic: plurality voting systems like FPTP incentivise strategic voting as voters are discouraged from “wasting” their votes on parties unlikely to win.
-For instance, in the 2024 general election, 17% of voters supported Labour strategically, not because of alignment with their platform, but to prevent a Conservative win.
-the mechanical effects of FPTP also mean that even large vote shares yield negligible representation- UKIP won 3.8 million votes in 2015 and secured just one seat, while the Greens received over 850,000 votes in 2019 and also returned a single MP.
-This disproportionately severely limits the long-term impact of small parties, even when they enjoy temporary surges in support of
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
2:Leverage in hung parliament vs long-term decline
Point
Moreover, it can be contended that small parties can exert significant influence in UK politics during periods of coalition or minority government, where their support can become essential for legislative stability and confidence. In such scenarios, minor parties can wield disproportionate influence relative to their seat share.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
2:Leverage in hung parliament vs long-term decline
Points and Analyses (AGAINST)
-the DUP exemplified this during the 2017-2019 Conservative minority government, where its confidence and supply agreement granted it the power to extract £4 billion in additional funding for Northern Ireland- a substantial regional concession in exchange for parliamentary support.
-in addition to financial gains, the DUP also influenced the Brexit process. By pressuring Theresa may’s government to protect the union and avoid a customs border in the Irish Sea.
-these events demonstrate that small parties can significantly shape legislation and public spending in politically fragile environments.
-furthermore, these moments reveal that smaller parties are sometimes the deciding factor in whether governments survive key votes, giving them a strategic foothold in UK politics even without governing outright.
-Similar influence was seen with Caroline Lucas of the Green Party, who, despite being the sole Green MP, played a pivotal role in cross-party initiatives on climate legislation and anti-Brexit collaboration, including participation in People’s Vote Campaigns and working with backbench MPs on efforts to block no-deal outcomes
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
2:Leverage in hung parliament vs long-term decline
Volta
However, such scenarios are rare and do not fundamentally alter the structural dominance of Labour and the Conservatives, which is quickly asserted once a party regains a majority.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
2:Leverage in hung parliament vs long-term decline
Points and analyses (FOR)
-the DUP’s influence collapsed after Boris Johnson’s 2019 landslide. With an 80-seat majority, the conservatives no longer required the DUP backing, and their concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol were ignored in favour of a clean break from the UK.
-Similarly, while Reform UK polled strongly in 2024 election and shaped the Conservative campaign narrative, it failed to gain seats due to FPTP and could not convert popular support into legislative influence. This outcome reflects a repeated pattern: when major parties are in a strong position, small parties become politically irrelevant, their leverage evaporating overnight.
-even when small parties participate in coalition or confidence arrangements, their capacity to shape national direction is often limited by the need to concede to the dominant party’s agenda. They risk being blamed for unpopular policies, without receiving proportional credit for government achievements.
-this was seen with the Liberal Democrat’s collapse after the 2010-2015 coalition (from 57 seats in 2010 to 8 in 2015) after supporting measures such as tuition fee increase. Though Liberal Democrats are not a small party in the strict sense, their experience highlight a broader point: minor parties rarely emerge stringer after entering government under FPTP as they lack the institutional power to protect their identity and autonomy.
-ultimately, the 2024 general election- like that of 2019- saw Labour and the Conservatives collectively win over 75% of the vote, reaffirming their dominance in national politics.
-Duverger’s law explains why this pattern endures: in majoritarian systems, voters gravitate towards the parties most likely to win, marginalising those without credible path to power. Thus while small parties may experience brief windows of influence, these do not sustain a long-term realignment of the party system, which remains firmly dominated by two major parties
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
3:Devolved and local success vs national limitations
Point
Lastly, it can be argued that small parties exert meaningful influence in devolved and local politics, where proportional representation systems create conditions that enable more pluralistic competition.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
3:Devolved and local success vs national limitations
Points and analyses (AGAINST)
-In Scotland, the SNP has enjoyed prolonged dominance, forming governments since 2007 and winning 5 of 59 Westminster seats in 2019- a remarkable achievement for a party confined to one region. The SNP has used its electoral mandate to push for Scottish independence, implement progressive social policies such as free university tuition and expanded childcare, and take firm positions on austerity and Brexit.
-Similarly, Plaid Cymru has leveraged its presence in the Welsh Senedd to amplify Welsh cultural identity and advocate for further devolution, while Sinn Fein and the DUP hold significant sway in Northern Ireland’s power-sharing executive, shaping policy on health, education and regional governance.
-proportional representation in these assemblies allows small parties to operate on more equal footing with larger parties, enhancing democratic representation and regional responsiveness. These systems reduce wasted votes, meaning smaller parties are rewarded proportionally for their support- a stark contrast to the structural suppression they face under the FPTP in Westminster.
-As a result, voters in devolved regions encounter more competitive, multi-party contests, which enrich debate and improve accountability.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
3:Devolved and local success vs national limitations
Volta
Nevertheless, a more compelling argument is that these regional successes do not translate into national power, and thus fail to undermine the overall two-party system that dominates UK governance.
1: evaluate the view that the UK is becoming a multi-party system/ Evaluate the view that minor parties exert significant influence in UK politics
3:Devolved and local success vs national limitations
Points and analyses (FOR)
-The SNP’s 45 seats in 2019, while impressive, accounted for just 4% of national vote and were insufficient to influence government formation under a Conservative majority.
-Moreover, the SNP’s influence took a substantial hit in the 2024 general election, where it lost 39 seats, and Labour regained roughly 20% of the vote share in Scotland, showing that even regional party dominance is vulnerable to reversals by the Major UK-wide parties.
-additionally, Westminster retains control over “reserved powers” such as foreign policy, defence, constitutional law and macroeconomic planning- the most significant levers of power in UK politics.
-Devolved bodies cannot shape these areas, and when their priorities clash with national decisions, they are often overridden. The 2016 Brexit referendum starkly revealed this, as Scotland’s 62% vote to remain in the EU was dismissed by the national result. In such moments, small party influence is exposed as geographically and constitutionally constrained.
-moreover, the two major parties remain highly competitive in devolved politics. For example, Labour and the Scottish Conservatives together hold nearly half the seats in Holy rood, demonstrating that the reach of Westminster parties persists even where regionalist parties are strong.
-in Wales and Northern Ireland, the major parties also continue to field candidates and shape the agenda, reinforcing the idea that no region is entirely beyond the reach of Labour and the Conservatives. Consequently, while devolved arenas do enable minor parties to win and govern, they do not undermine the central dominance of the two-party system at Westminster, which control the most consequential areas of national policy
