(6) What are two-party and multi-party systems?

(6) What are two-party and multi-party systems?

1. Two-party system

   • A two-party system, is a system that is dominated by two "major parties" that have a roughly equal prospect of winning government power
     • The advantages are:
       • It creates a strong but accountable government, based on competition between the government and opposition parties
       • It creates a bias in favour of moderation. As they battle for the support of "floating" voters, drawn from the centre ground
   • In its classical form, a two-party can be identified by three features:
     • Although a number of "minor" parties may exist, two parties enjoy sufficient electoral and a parliamentary strength to have a realistic chance of winning government power
     • The larger of the two parties is able to rule alone (usually on the basis of a parliamentary majority); the other party provides the opposition
     • Power alternates regularly between these parties; both are "electable", the oppostion serving as a "government in the wings"
   • Tradtional image of the UK politics is that it is dominated by Two-party system
     • 19th century was characterized by a Conservative-Liberal two-party system
     • The archetype two-party system did exist between Labour-Conservative from 1945-1970
       • The average election gap being only 4%
     • By 1974-97 The UK had become a two-and-a-half-party systems. This occurred as a result of significant shift in voting behaviour associated with class dealignment and partisan dealignment
     • Conservative dominance of the 1980's and 1990's was largely a consequence of the divided nature of the non-conservative vote
       • The labour party in decline, not only losing the support of working class voters, but also being damaged by the shrinkage of the "traditional" working class

2. A multiparty system

   • A multiparty system is a party system in which more than two parties compete for power
   • Multiparty systems can be defined by three factors:
     • No single party enjoys sufficient electoral or parliamentary strength to have a realistic prospect of winning government power alone. This means that the distinction between "major" and "minor" parties oftern become irrelevant
     • Government tend to be either coaltion or minority administraction. This can either create a bias in favour of compromise and consensus-building or it can lead to fractures and unstable government
     • Government power can shift both following elections and between elections as coaltions partnerships break down or are renegotiated
   • Since 1997, two-partyism in the UK gave way to multiple or overlapping party systems
     • Two-partyism continued to operate within the Commons due to the election system
     • Two-partyism neveretheless suffered a major blow with the 2010 GE led to a "hung" Parliament and the formaulaiton of a coalition government
     • In 1974, there were 38 MPs from parties other than Labour and the Conservatives. In 2010 there were 85 MPs
     • This has happened for a number of reasons
       • Devolution has made nationalist parties more prominent, turning them from being "minor" westminster parties into "major" parties in scotland and wales
       • The use of proportional electional systems for newly created bodies since 1997 has improved "third" and minor party representation, also underlining the extent to which two-partyism was maintained by "first-past-the-post" elections
       • New issues have emerged that cut across traditional party-political battle lines, such as Europe, the environment and war. This has given impetus to parties such as UKIP, the Green Party aand especially in 2005, Respect
     • Example of Mutipartyism
       • European Parliament- 10 party elected
       • Welsh assembly currently has a grand coalition bettween Plaid Cymru and Labour
       • Nothern Ireland, power sharing executive control of the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein