Is the UK a two-party system or a multi-party system?

2-party system - GEs (incl electoral systems)

• All post-1945 govts have been led by a L or C PM

• C and L still dominate the votes and even more with seats

  • This is due to a clear adv. in party funding

• FPTP favours a two-party system due to the lack of proportionality

Multi-party system - post-1974 rise of LD, lack of majorities

• ½ of elections between 2010 and 2019 didn’t deliver a majority L or C govt

• 1974-2015 LD have had roughly 20% of the votes and sig seats in the HoC

Multi-party system - new political issues (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿)

• Post-2014 - L support in Scotland fragmented as both L and C campaigned against independence

  • 2010-2015 - L seats in Scotland went from 41 to 1 (SNP got 56/59 that year)

Two-party system - political agenda and the media

• L and C still dominate the media, esp their leaders

• L and C still generate key policy ideas because they’re the only ones that can realistically win power and deliver

Multi-party system - political agenda and the media

• RUK is getting huge amounts of media coverage

  • Ed Davey has complained that media coverage is disproportionate to seats and votes

• RUK has had a huge impact on the political agenda, esp. re. immigration

  • This is because RUK is topping the polls and so is more likely to have the opportunity to deliver on these promises

• Brexit ref and indyref were both catalysed by small parties

Multi-party system - vote-stealing causing policy shifts

• UKIP, BP, RUK have all stolen votes from main parties, causing policy shifts to the right on by both maj parties

Multi-party system - sucking up to large parties

• DUP sucked up to the 2017 Torys and earns additionall annual spending commitments for NI

• SNP voted to introduce tuition fees in return for [CHECK]

Two-party system - Westminster centric

• Westminster is still the key hub of UK political activity, and L and C dominate there

• Westminster ultimately takes the decisions

  • The SNP can push for indyref2 but this won’t go ahead without Westminster’s blessing

Multi-party system - outside of Westminster

• The UK is decidedly a multi-party system outside of Westminster

  • Holyrood has had 4 different types of govt

    • L/LD coalition

    • Minority SNP

    • Majority SNP

    • Green/SNP power share

  • Senedd has 4 different types of govt

    • Maj L

    • Min L

    • L/LD coalition

    • L/PC coalition