Comment on the effectiveness of the “two-party” system in the UK.
Two groups (Whigs and Tories) became dominant in the 17th c when the power of English Parliament against the monarch grew. The Whigs were mainly Cromwellian Protestants and gentry, who did not accept the Catholic James II as successor to Charles II and wanted religious freedom for all Protestants. The Tories generally supported royalist beliefs, and helped Charles II to secure James's right to succeed him (however James tried to rule without the Parliament and ignored laws, so William of Orange arrived → Glorious Revolution and succeeded to the throne as England's first constitutional monarch).
Parliamentary influence grew in the early 18th c., because the Hanoverian George I lacked interest in British politics. He distrusted the Tories with their Catholic sympathies and appointed Whigs like Robert Walpole to his Privy Council. But parliamentary authority was not absolute and later monarchs tried to restore royal power. However, George III lost much of his standing after the loss of the American colonies (1775-83). He was obliged to appoint William Pitt the Younger as his Tory Chief Minister and it was under Pitt that the office of Prime Minister really developed.
Although parliamentary control continued to grow in the late 18th and 19th c., there was still no widespread democracy in Britain. Political authority was in hands of landowners, merchants and aristocrats in Parliament and most people did not possess the vote.
The Tories were against electoral reform, as were the Whigs initially. But the country was rapidly increasing its population and developing industrial and economically. Pressures for political reform became irresistible. The Whigs reformed the parliamentary system and extended voting rights to the growing middle class in the First Reform Act of 1832 so that some 50 per cent of the population had the vote. Later Reform Acts in 1867 and 1884 gave the vote to men with property and a certain income. Working-class males were only gradually given the vote in the late 19th c and gained some limited categories of women over 30 received the vote in 1819. Eventually in 1928 all males and females aged 21 possessed the vote (with some exceptions) and the age limit was further reduced to 18 in 1969.
The 19th c saw the growth of more organized political parties. These were conditioned by changing social and economic factors and reflected the modern struggle between opposing ideologies. The Tories became known as Conservatives in the early 1830s. They believed in
established values and the preservation of traditions; supported business and commerce; had strong links with the Church of England and the professions; and were opposed to radical ideas.
The Whigs, however, were becoming a progressive force and wanted social reform and economic freedom without government restrictions. They developed into Liberal Party, which promoted enlightened policies in the late 19th and early 20th c. But the party declined from 1918 after the emergence of the new Labour Party. Following an alliance with the now-defunct Social Democratic Party in the 1980s, it merged and became the Liberal Democrats. It is the third-largest party in UK politics but lacks substantial representation in the House of Commons.
The Labour Party, created in its present form in 1906, became the main opposition party to the Conservatives after the Liberals' decline and continued the traditional two-party system in British politics. It was supported by the trade unions, the working class and some middle-class voters. The first Labour government was formed in 1924 under Ramsey MacDonald. But it only achieved majority power in 1945 under Clement Attlee, when it embarked on radical programmes of social and economic reform, which laid the foundations for a welfare and nationalized state.
At present, Labour has 221 peers in the House of Lords, the Conservatives have 216 and the Liberal Democrats have 79. But the presence of 192 cross-benchers means that no party has a majority.
British elections at parliamentary, devolved and local levels depend upon the party political system, which has existed since the 17th c. For UK parliamentary general elections, the parties present their policies in the form of manifestoes to the electorate for consideration during the few weeks of campaigning prior to election day. Since 1945 there have been 9 Labour & 8 Conservative UK governments in Britain. Some have had large majorities in the House of Commons, while others have had small ones. Some, such as the Labour government in the late 1970s and the Conservatives in the 1990s, had to rely on the support of smaller parties, such as the Liberals and Ulster Unionists, to remain in power. Most of the MPs in the House of Commons belong to either the Conservative or the Labour Party. This continues the traditional two-party system in British politics, in which power alternates between two major parties.
The Labour Party has historically been left-of-centre party with its own right and left wings (now sometimes referred to as New and Old Labour). It emphasized social justice, equality of opportunity, economic planning and the state ownership of industries and services. It was supported by the trade unions (who had been influential in the party's development), the working class and some middle class. Its electoral strongholds are historically in Scotland, South Wales and the Midland and northern English industrial cities.
But traditional class-based and left-ideological support has changed with more social and job mobility. In the 1990s, the Labour Party tried to appeal to middle-class voters in southern England and to take account of changing economic and social conditions. Its ex-leader, Tony Blair, modernized the party as New Labour by moving to the centre, captured voters from the Conservatives and distanced himself from the trade unions, state ownership and the party's doctrinaire past. As a result, the party had landslide victories in the 1997 and 2001 general elections and gained a significant majority in 2005 election. But there is a still substantial support in the party and this can lead to tension.
The Conservative Party is a right-of-centre party, which also has right and left wing sections. It regards itself as a national party and appeals to people across class barriers. It emphasizes personal, social and economic freedom, individual ownership of property and shares and law order. The Conservatives became more socially and economically radical in their 18 years of government (1979-1997). But policy splits in the party (particularly on Europe) have created tensions. The party's support comes mainly from business interests and the middle and upper classes, but a sizeable number of skilled workers and women vote Conservative. The party's strongholds are in southern England, with scattered support elsewhere in the country. However, at the 1997 and 2001 general elections, it suffered a heavy defeat. It is argued that the party (now led by David Cameron) needs to reorganize, strive for unity, cultivate an image which is more attractive to voters and develop policies which are more in tune with the changing face of British society.
The Liberal Democrats were formed in 1988 when the old Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party merged into one party. Under their present leader Nick Clegg, they see themselves as an alternative political force to the Conservative and Labour Parties, based on the centre-left of British politics. Their strengths are in local government, constitutional reform and civil liberties. They are relatively strong in south-west England, Wales and Scotland and increased their MPs at the 2001 and 2005 general elections to become the biggest third party in Parliament since 1929. But they lack a clearly defined identity and policies which are recognized by the electorate.
Generally, the UK government in London is accused of being too secretive, too centralized, too isolated, too media-reactive, too controlling and insufficiently responsive to the needs of the diverse people of the UK.
(taken from: “British Civilization” John Oakland)
“The system, of course, does have its weak points, especially insofar as it tends to frustrate the innovative elements within both parties. But it is possible that this situation is preferable to what would happen if the more extreme elements within the parties were permitted to engage in unrealistic policies. The risk of immobility is in fact a problem for any party in a modern industrial society, and not just for those in a two-party situation. The problem is related to the difficulties involved in creating new organizations capable of being taken seriously by an important segment of the population and in revitalizing long-standing organizations encumbered by established practices and entrenched interests.” (from encyclopedia Britannica)
PROS:
The Labour and Conservative Parties are the only parties that have a realistic chance of forming a government in the near future or being the senior partner in a coalition. Even in the 2001 general election the Labour and Conservative Parties secured 7 5% of the popular vote and around 90% of the seats in Parliament. Despite making progress the third party( the Liberal Democrats) is still a long way behind the second party (the Conservatives) even when the latter is probably at one of its lowest ebbs. There is a good deal of stability in the 2001 result when compared to that of 1997. The swing from Labour to Conservative was only 1.8% and numbers of seats for each party hardly changed. Less than 30 seats changed hands.
CONS:
The Labour Party won 246 seats more than the Conservative Party in 2001, whereas the Conservative Party only won 114 seats more than the LibDems. Do we really have two parties capable of winning power? Of voters 25% backed a party other than the big two, and the 90% share of seats gained by Labour and the Conservatives remains artificially exaggerated by the electoral system. The rise of the Liberal Democrats as a third party ignores the fact that they are often second to Labour in the North and West and the Conservatives in the South and East. Although there appears to be a good deal of stability in the system the raw figures mask a lot of localized swing( differential swing) as well as a massive fall in turnout. A party that could mobilize the 41% of the population who chose not to vote could clearly break the two-party system.