PoliticsHome | Three-party system here to stay

Friday 27th November 2009 | 14:00

Three-party system here to stay

Insiders disagree with the assertion that we will "have multi-party Westminster politics in a way we have never had before"

A majority of political insiders believe the three main parties will continue to dominate politics for the foreseeable future, rejecting speculation that we could bew moving towards a multi-party system.

This is despite the increasing popularity of smaller parties such as the Greens, UKIP and BNP, an upturn in support for Welsh and Scottish nationalist parties, as well as speculation independent candidates could fare well at the next election.

It comes after the well-respected academic Anthony King, commenting on the possibility of a hung parliament, said, “We will be in untrodden territory here, because we have multi-party Westminster politics in a way we have never had before.”

However, in the latest PoliticsHome Phi100 survey, 64% of political insiders believe the big three parties will continue to dominate for the foreseeable future, including majorities across party lines. Non-aligned insiders, however, were the most likely to believe Britain will become increasingly fragmented between smaller parties.

The Phi100 panel is comprised of MPs, peers, journalists, think tank leaders, academics and strategists from across all political leanings, giving a daily insight into sentiment at the highest level of British politics.

"The main parties are minority parties"

A Liberal Democrat-aligned journalist said, “King as ever talks nonsense. We were in this situation in February 1974”

A Labour MP said, “King is wrong and should know better - the outcome may well be a consolidation of the two-party system”

A journalist said, “The main parties are minority parties - few people who were entitled to vote actually supported Labour or Conservative.”

A Tory MP said, "Two main parties, please!"

Leave a comment...

Martin

15:14 |
27 Nov 2009
0

Although of course the 'insiders' have a vested interest in things staying the same else they run the risk of becoming outsiders!

Although, unfortunately, i think they may be right

Barbara

18:09 |
01 Dec 2009
0

I really hope we do have a hung parliament, so the three main parties will learn that this nation is fed up with their way of doing things. I don't think anyone can predict what will happen there are far to many who don't really know, and what will the actual turn out be? If we have heavy voting it might make a difference, but I beleive still the smaller parties will have an effect and greater share of the vote. What we really need is a different arrangement and proportional representation for a fairer parliament at present the first passed the post way is not fair at all. The BNP had nearly one million votes and should increase its vote in the election, but will it get a seat, I doubt it, and is that fair in a democracy, like them or not. Bring on the hung parliament and lets see democracy in actiion for once.

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Three-party system here to stay