Main Characteristics of the Party System in the UK

Since the 1930s, the Conservatives and the Labour Party have been the two major parties who contested to form a national government. Since 1945, it was the Conservative Party who dominated the situation with Labour having only 20 years in power by 2001. From 1979, it appeared that we had a dominant party system under the Conservative government for 18 years. 

 Some would argue that we have a two-party system with government changing between Labour and the Tories, whereas others point to a two-and-a-half or three-party system since the 1970s when the Liberal Democrats had enough influence to become crucial, as for example in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. Another…