Uk Multiparty System

it is often argued that the uk has a 2 and a half party or multiparty system, Parties and Party systems : a framework for analysis - giovanni sartori ‘we have a 2 party format whenever the existence of 3rd parties do not prevent the 2 major parties from governing alone, i.e whenever coalitions are necessary’ (165) this is shown by the uk’s current coalition government furthermore the rising influence of Ukip and the green party potentially shows the uk is more than a two party system. Patrick Dunleavy (2005) argues that Britain has a genuine multiparty system. The share of the vote and number of seats won by the two main parties has fallen. Moreover, voters do not identify with a single party anymore but form opinions about a range of parties,

Between 1945 and 2010, the government was made up of either Labour or Conservative MPs. However; the results of the 2010 general election changed all that, even now when we are left with a Lib-Dem/Conservative coalition government, we still have a conservative prime minister The guardian shows that ‘Only half of people believe the Liberal Democrats have had an influence in the coalition and most people think the Tories have got the best deal’. For example after stating in their manifesto that they aim to ‘Scrap unfair university tuition fees for all students taking their first degree, including those studying part-time’ (http://www.astrid-online.com/Dossier--R3/Documenti/Elezioni-2/libdem_manifesto_2010.pdf) then the tuition fees tripling showed that the liberal democrats are clearly less powerful than the conservatives. ‘Tuition fees were introduced in the first term of Tony Blair’s Labour government, with students who began their courses in Autumn 1998 paying £1,000 a