Evaluate the view that the UK has a two-party system

Definition of a two-party system

This refers to a system where two fairly equally matched parties compete for power at elections, so other parties have little chance of gaining power.

No - it is a dominant party system

-A dominant-party system is one where there are a number of parties but only one holds power, and in Britain this had been true for extended periods of time.

-The Conservatives, for example, held power from 1979 to 1997, meaning they were the governing party over a 18 year period.

-Labour also held power from 1997 to 2010, which is also due to FPTP's bias towards one major party where the system favours one of the two major parties.

Yes - only Labour or Conservative's have a real chance of winning

-However, Labour and the Conservatives are the only party’s that have a realistic chance of forming a government, which suggests that the two-party system is not over in Britain.

-FPTP discriminates against smaller parties due to the psychology of voters not wanting to waste their votes on a party who they think cannot win, or the mechanics of the electoral system not allowing smaller parties to amass many votes.

-Nick Clegg as deputy prime minister was the closest the Lib-Dems have ever come to having a prime minister and it was a coalition.

No - the role of the media has changed the two-party system

the role of the media has made it more accessible for parties other than Labour or the Conservatives to get more votes.

---->A party can campaign through the media, using TV ads, social media, the radio and many other forms.

- For the 2010 coalition between Clegg and Cameron the media was influential in getting the Liberal Democrats votes. During a TV leaders' debate, the phrase ‘I agree with Nick’ was repeated many times by the opposition because they could see that the people favoured him which was evident on social media too.

As a result of Clegg’s win, some would agree that Britain more closely resembles a multi-party system.

Yes - the media often focuses on the main two parties

the media and press does usually focus on one of the two main parties which shows that the two party system in Britain is not over

-unlike television and radio, there is no press regulation in terms of political bias and UK newspapers are highly politicised.

-the two largest circulating tabloids, the Sun and the Daily Mail support the Conservatives and therefore present them positively.

-Despite Rupert Murdoch insisting that the tabloid does not swing votes it likely does

-The Mirror supports Labour. However Corbyn swung 40% of the national vote in 2017 despite only having one paper

No - Labour on the decline

some may argue that Labour is on the decline.

-Under Tony Blair’s leadership the party became known as New Labour, this meant that the party took a more pragmatic approach, favouring social inclusion and a market economy.

-However, since Blair’s tenure as prime minister ended there has been a sharp divide in the Labour Party between New Labour and Old Labour, which new party leader Keir Starmer still has not addressed.

-Labour has since arguably been viewed as a weak opposition, which suggests that only the Conservatives are the current viable choice.

Yes - issue based voting is often split between the two main parties

Voting for candidates based on their positions on specific issues, as opposed to their party or personal characteristics.

--> usually seen as irrational because voting for only one issue may make worse off in many other different ways.

--> it is difficult for a party to predetermine single issues in advance, but parties that can are often successful.

--> e.g main parties adopting more environmental policies to counteract the rise in the support for the Greens.

- lots of support for Bojo in the 2019 election because of Brexit