Explain Why The Uk Does Not Have A Two Party System

In the UK there are four main types of party systems. The single party system, the dominant party system, the multi-party system and the two party system. In this essay I will be discussing why the UK no longer has a two party system and explaining the other three types of party systems.
The reason why the UK does not have a two party system is because we have other categories the UK falls under. The single party system or also known as the one party system is when a country or state only has one political party. A single party system cannot produce a political system and therefore is a dictatorship. An example of this is remaining communist states such as Cuba, North Korea and China. These countries have banned opposition parties by law.

This is where there are more than two parties involved in the political system. Such as the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal democrats and other minor parties. This can describe the current situation in the UK, in Westminster the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats share a government. This is called a coalition. It can therefore be stated that the current government in the UK is multi-party not a two party system.
Another system which proves that the UK is not a two party system is the dominant party system. This system is when there are many political parties however only one ever gets elected; this party considers victory a formality. An example of this is the conservatives; Margaret Thatcher became prime minister for 18 years from the years 1979 to 1997 this is an example of when there was a dominant part in the UK. Even though the UK does not have a two party system it did used to have a dominant party system when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister of the

Political parties are funded by their member’s .In 2013 it is estimated that the Conservative Party claimed 134,000 members, Labour party 190,000 and the Liberal Democrat Party 43,000. However scandals in the 1990 and 2000 have made people skeptical of becoming a member. The big three parties are currently in a crisis concerning membership figures. On the 3rd of December 2012 less than 1% of the electorate was a member of the three main political parties. However recent figures show that it is now even lower. Membership figures for the big parties since the 1990’s have dramatically declined. However membership for traditional smaller parties since 2000 has risen. In June 2014 membership of the UK Independence Party was around 39,000, December 2013 membership of the Scottish National Party was estimated around 25,000, and in December 2013 membership of the Green Party was around 14,000. Even though the size of these parties is smaller than the Conservatives or Labour in size their rise nevertheless represents a prominent change in the face of the UK’s political landscape. This is one of the reasons why the UK is not a two part