Smaller Parties

• SNP

  • won seats in Scotland to form a party
  • 2015 56/59
  • However due to Scottish disillusionment this has decreased to 48 in 2019
  • 2014 Scottish independence referendum
  • John Swinney replaced Humza Yousef
• 2019 General Election


  Conservatives = 365

  Labour=203

  Liberal Democrats = 11

  SNP = 48
• Consensus

  • 2 or more significant political parties agree on fundamental ideas and aims
  • 1950s-1970s - consensus on labour reforms
  • 1997-2015 - consensus over centrist policies
  • coalition government
  • 2019 Conservative majority - public consensus
  • Brexit, Covid
  • Welfare and environment
• Adversary

  • deep divisions between and within political parties
  • 1979-1990 New right v labour (left)
  • disagreements over trade unions, privatization, council homes and reducing the income tax for the rich
  • divided over Brexit
  • nationalization
• Party Systems

  • one party system = authoritarian - china
  • dominant party system = parties flourish only one will win - Scotland
  • two party system = two parties have equal chance = USA/UK
  • three party system = three on equal terms, two major are coalition - Ireland
  • multi party system = three or more parties are significant (Germany)
• UK system

  • FPTP produced two party
  • PR produces multi-party
  • 1979 - seats won by two parties was 96% in 2019 89%
  • Multi party system in UK = local government, devolved regions
• Impacts on party sucsess

  • leadership
  • unity
  • media