UK Political Parties in Context essays Flashcards
To what extent is the UK a multi-party system / To what extent are the minor parties becoming more powerful in the UK? YES 1 - Coalitions
Smaller parties can be the ‘kingmaker’ due to the formation of coalitions and ‘confidence and supply’ deals, such as 2010 Lib Dem and Conservative, and 2017 Conservative and DUP deal. These have increased recently.
To what extent is the UK a multi-party system / To what extent are the minor parties becoming more powerful in the UK? YES 2 -Partisan De-alignment
The growth of partisan dealignment since 1997, due to the two parties being similar in leaders and policy. Devolution in Scotland has led to more people voting for the SNP, with 76% of the total Scottish seats being theirs. Parties such as UKIP and the Green Party have also gained recent support, with issues such as Brexit and the environment becoming ever more important - UKIP one million votes 2010
To what is extent is the UK a multi-party system / To what extent are the minor parties becoming more powerful in the UK? NO 1 - Voting System
The popularity of parties like UKIP have been masked by the voting system. Despite UKIP getting nearly one million votes in 2010, they got no seats. Parties with concentrated support, like the SNP are more likely to perform well than parties with widespread thin support.
To what extent is the UK a multi-party system / To what extent are the minor parties becoming more powerful in the UK? NO 2 - Brexit
The 2019 General Election showed a return to two-party dominance in Westminster - 72% of leave seats voted Conservative in 2019. Voters are willing to vote for a party if a polarizing issue splits them. Divisive figures such as Corbyn and Johnson will encourage/discourage people from voting for a particular party, as most people vote for the leader, not the party. This shows a return to a two-party system. This is an example of the UK party system being dependent on the political environment, so a switch to a multi-party system is unlikely to be permanent.
To what extent is the influence of the media the most important factor in determining the success or failure of political party? YES 1 During elections
Political parties spend vast amounts of money on political campaigns. In the 2015 GE, parties spent £1.7million on Google, Facebook and Twitter. Election broadcasts are becoming more important in determining which party people vote for, 9 million people watched election broadcasts in 2010.
To what extent is the influence of the media the most important factor in determining the success or failure of political party? YES 2 Media Scrutiny and public information
Political Parties are careful to not make any mistakes due to media scrutiny. Party-gate scandal arguably led to a drop in Conservative local council seats in 2022. In addition to this, people get most of their information and news from social media, but also engage in political conversation online - However echo-chamber
To what extent is the influence of the media the most important factor in determining the success or failure of political party? NO 1 Other reasons such as regional and partisan
People tend to vote in different ways across the country, which cannot be explained by media. For example, people in big cities such as London are more likely to vote Labour - 55.6% of London voted Labour. There are still underlying factors, such as how someone’s parents and friends vote, which heavily determine voting behaviour
To what extent is the influence of the media the most important factor in determining the success or failure of political party? NO 2 Other political factors like voting system and leaders
FPTP means that large parties are more likely to do well than parties that have thin widespread support. UKIP got 4m votes in 2015 but only 1 seat. This heavily impacts how successful a political party will be. In addition to this, political leaders. Blair and Hague 2001, only 59.4% turnout because of how similar parties were.
