only parties that matter are conservatives and labour Flashcards
‘kingmaker’
-since 2010, minor parties have been the “kingmaker”
twice,if there is minority government it must appeal to
minor parties for support to pass its legislative agenda through Parliament,power is partially held by minor parties e.g. the DUP (10 MPs) and their ‘confidence and supply’ agreement with May’s minority government from 2017-19,government could only command a majority with the support of the DUP, giving the DUP a great degree of power over the government’s EU policy.
-Lib Dems hold significant influence in the House of Lords. In 2023, they had 83 peers (10% of all peers).
‘kingmaker’ evaluation
-periods in which minor parties have exercise power at Westminster are the exception to the rule,generally strong, stable government is produced under FPTP, 2019 General Election seemed to indicate a return to
‘two-party’ dominance
-Many voters refuse to consider minor parties for general elections, fearing that their vote may well be (a) wasted or (b) allow their political opponents into power so often turn to tactical voting,inevitably, this reduces the chances of minor parties winning seats.
influence of populists
- 2010s, saw evidence of right-wing populist parties winning elections/shaping policy,UKIP won the 2014 EU Parliament elections,26% of the vote,worried the Tories forcing Cameron to promise to hold the EU referendum in the 2015 manifesto
-referendum caused Britain’s biggest constitutional change in recent times (Brexit)
-minor parties indirectly influence politics and do not need to be in power to exercise power. - ‘big two’ adopt the policies of minor parties to win over social groups in the electorate that are
represented by minor parties.
populists evaluation
Britain doesn’t tend to have a history of populism and examples are few and far between. Instead, major parties tend to undergon‘populist’ internal revolutions: e.g., Thatcher’s ‘New Right’ takeover of the Tory Party, Johnson’s vow of a ‘Hard Brexit’ or Corbyn’s ‘hard-left’
takeover of the Labour Party.
duvergers law
-Duverger’s law holds FPTP favours a two-party system,votes for minor parties are wasted
-Westminster politics will always be dominated by two-parties as long as FPTP remains in place.
-FPTP sustains the duopoly:parts of the electorate are aware of&support minor parties,but are aware that their vote may be wasted so vote tactically,results often discredit minor parties FPTP rarely sees a ‘breakthrough’ for a minor party,voters abandon them e.g. 2015 UKIP gained 12.8% of the vote,only 1 seat (0.2%)2019, many UKIP voters had concluded voting for that party was a wasted vote
duvergers law evaluation
-the FPTP system may be viewed as an insurmountable obstacle for minor parties, but it is worth remembering that that Labour Party was
a minor party at its birth in 1900, first election in 1900, it gained just 2 seats, built momentum in the elections that followed, becoming HM Opposition by the 1922 General Election, and won its first majority in 1945, it may be possible for parties such as the Greens to make breakthroughs in long-term, despite the hurdles FPTP places in its way.
control of devolved administrations
-too much focus on Westminster underestimates other parties,in devolved administrations several political parties are important in that they exercise real power. e.g. in Holyrood the SNP hold a coalition the Greens.
-2020-22, power in NI was shared by both sinn fein and the DUP
-these examples matter because in both countries, minor parties shape significant areas of law. In
Scotland significant legislation passed on trans rights, whereas Sinn Fein and the DUP determined the
Covid-19 policies of Northern Ireland.
devolved administrations evaluation
-many powers remain ‘reserved’ to Westminster, including the most important constitutional issues
such as the UK’s relationship with the EU
-in Wales, in the six major elections since devolution was established there, Labour have won all six, and have formed the executive on each occasion.
-Equally, all metro mayor elections in England have been won by either Labour or the Conservatives (e.g., Andy Burnham is a two-term Labour mayor of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority)
