University of Zadar Department of Tourism and Communication Sciences English Language

Describe what is meant by the two-party system and comment upon its effectiveness Essay

Professor: Zrinka Frleta

Student: Ana Gusi

Zadar, 2013

A two party system is a form of political system were two political parties dominate the voting both in the number of votes and the number of elected offices. Other parties might exist but they have no political importance. Coalition governments rarely occur in two party systems. The two-party system presents the voter with a simple choice and it is believed that the system promotes political moderation as the incumbent party must be able to appeal to the undecided voters within that country.1 The United Kingdom is considered to be a two party system. This is because ever since the end of the war in 1945, only two parties, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, have held power. In the period 19451970, the Conservatives and Labour won a clear majority of votes cast in general elections and secured almost all seats in the House of Commons. The two parties were closely matched in the popular vote, had nationwide support, and held office for equivalent periods. Most electors voted for the party that represented the interests of their social class. The working class voted for Labour and the middle class for the Conservatives and most of them felt a positive attachment to their party. A more complex picture has also been apparent since 1970. Class voting has declined, fewer voters feel a very strong attachment to a party and new issues have emerged: nationalism, European integration and immigration that do not fit the traditional leftright pattern of party competition.2 The number of parties in Parliament is larger than this and it has become difficult to talk about one competitive party system that applies for the whole of the UK. In the 2010 general election, whilst winning a disappointing 57 seats (five fewer than the last Parliament), the Liberal Democrats secured a large percentage of the vote. The Conservatives won 36%, Labour 29% and the Liberal Democrats won 23%.3 Multiparty systems are firmly embedded at local, regional and European levels, with parties other than the Conservatives and Labour enjoying popular support, representation in the legislature and executive power, such as Plaid Cymru in Wales, the Scottish Nationalist Party in Scotland, the unionist Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), republican Sinn Fein and the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland, the Greens, etc. Many have emphasized the advantages of a two-party system over a multi-party system that is based on proportional representation. So - called British model produces stable one-party
1

Hinton, P. Does the UK have a two-party system?, 2010. Available at: http://suite101.com/article/does-theuk-have-a-two-party-system-a295379 (11.3.2013.) 2 Lynch, P. The end of the two party system?, 2011. Available at: http://www.politicscymru.com/en/cat1/article18/ (11.3.2013.) 3 Hinton, P., ibid.

government. For its term in office, the ruling party carries sole political responsibility, while the opposition is left to project itself as a government in waiting and work on new alternative policies and criticize the government. Both opposition and ruling parties are forced to concentrate on the key voters in the political centre. This party system is believed to guarantee moderate politics and prevent radicalization. The voters are able to identify a clear line of responsibility and influence directly the future course of politics in the country. In a parliamentary system, in addition to making the choice easier for voters, the two-party system is considered more democratic because it gives voters an opportunity to choose the government, unlike multiparty systems where government is the result of post-election negotiations among party leaders. Critics say that a two-party system limits representation.4 The two-party systems fail to provide enough options for voters. Britain's two party system depends on electoral law and social and regional distribution of the electorate, as well as on political culture. These characteristics place large barriers in front of third and smaller parties. Today, the Conservative and Labour parties still hold the vast majority of seats in Parliament, even though the Liberal Democrats have more and more voters. With the current First Past the Post voting system, Britain will probably remain dominated by two parties, with many, small parties present. However, if the popularly advocated Alternative Vote system is brought in, Britain will likely become a multi-party system. Under such a system - voters have a wide choice and are more likely to vote for the party and/or candidate that reflect their views. On the other hand, a multi party system also has many disadvantages: tiny extreme parties could join a coalition and have unwarranted power and influence; negotiations after elections can take a long time; a party that does not have majority support could govern almost indefinitely in coalition with others.5

4 5

Fesnic, F. Two party system, Available at: http://florin.eu.pn/subfiles/publications/two_party.pdf (11.3.2013.) Jepson, P. The UK party system, Available at: http://www.peterjepson.com/law/politics/The%20UK%20Party%20System.pdf (11.3.2013.)

Bibliography Fesnic, F. Two party system, Available at: http://florin.eu.pn/subfiles/publications/two_party.pdf (Accessed: 11.3.2013.) Hinton, P. Does the UK have a two-party system?, 2010. Available at: http://suite101.com/article/does-the-uk-have-a-two-party-system-a295379 (Accessed: 11.3.2013.) Jepson, P. The UK party system, Available at: http://www.peterjepson.com/law/politics/The%20UK%20Party%20System.pdf (Accessed: 11.3.2013.) Lynch, P. The end of the two party system?, 2011. Available at: http://www.politicscymru.com/en/cat1/article18/ (Accessed: 11.3.2013.)