The growth of other parties in the UK

Question 1

Define co-option

Answer 1

When the policies of a small party are adopted by one of the major parties

Question 2

How have minor parties shaped and developed political debate in the UK?

Answer 2

• Creation and administration of devolved institutions
• Brexit
• Co-option of environmental ideas by the major parties

Question 3

What is the most important function of minor parties?

Answer 3

They provide the electorate with more choice during elections

Question 4

In what year did the SNP win enough Scottish parliamentary seats to form a government for the first time?

Answer 4

2007 - the party has formed the government of Scotland ever since

Question 5

What was the first year that the SNP really made headway in Westminster?

Answer 5

2015 - winning 56 of the 59 Westminster seats available in Scotland

Question 6

Why did the SNP enjoy so much success in 2015?

Answer 6

• Scottish voters were disillusioned with the main parties
• Many were interested in greater or autonomy or independence for Scotland

Question 7

What have been the two biggest achievemnets of the SNP to date?

Answer 7

• Persuading David Cameron to hold a Scottish indepence referendum in 2014
• Acquiring greater levels of devolved responsibility in the Scotland Act of 2016

Question 8

How many of its seats did the SNP lose in the 2017 general election?

Answer 8

21

Question 9

What was the outcome of the 2019 general election for the SNP?

Answer 9

They captured 48 seats; entrenching themselves as the third main party in Westminster and the largest party in Scotland

Question 10

When and why was UKIP launched?

Answer 10

In 1993 as a response to the development of the EU

Question 11

When did UKIP make its great electoral breakthrough?

Answer 11

At the 2015 general election

Question 12

What proportion of the popular vote was won by UKIP in 2015?

Answer 12

12.6%; however, because this support was so widely dispersed, it only translated to one seat in Westminster

Question 13

How did UKIP make an influence in 2015, despite still being on the fringes of the political system?

Answer 13

By taking votes away from the major parties. The threat of UKIP proved enough to make David Cameron call a Brexit referendum in 2016

Question 14

What happened to UKIP after 2016?

Answer 14

The party lost its purpose

Question 15

What proportion of the popular vote did UKIP receive in 2019?

Answer 15

0.1%

Question 16

When and why was the Brexit party launched?

Answer 16

Launched in 2019 by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage to put pressure on the conservative government to achieve Brexit

Question 17

What proportion of the vote did the Brexit party receive in the 2019 EU elections?

Answer 17

36% - giving it 29 of the UK’s 72 seats

Question 18

What has happened to the Brexit party since Brexit?

Answer 18

It had ceased to have a relevant role in British politics

Question 19

What proportion of the vote did the Greens receive in 2015?

Answer 19

3.8%

Question 20

Which is the one seat held by the Greens?

Answer 20

The Brighton Pavilion; held by Caroline Lucas

Question 21

Why has Northern Ireland developed its own party system?

Answer 21

Due to its unique situation and history

Question 22

Who is the vote split between in Northern Ireland?

Answer 22

• Nationalists who want to join the Republic of Ireland
• Unionists who want to remain a part of the UK

Question 23

How did a party from Northern Ireland have an influence on politics in Westminster in recent years?

Answer 23

The DUP formed a ‘supply and reform’ with the conservatives following the 2017 general election; this meant that they had an influence over Theresa May’s government