The Social Democratic Party

In 1981 a second centre party was created, the Social Democratic Party. It was inspired by Roy Jenkins, a former Labour moderate. Many people, including academics, who had not previously been active in party politics, soon joined the new party.

The Social Democrats and Liberals quickly formed an alliance of the centre, and at the end of 1981 had much more public support, than either the Conservative Government or the Labour Opposition. The two parties prepared an agreed statement of their policy, and each constituency had one Alliance candidate for Parliament, either a Liberal or a Social Democrat. At the 1983 election the Alliance received almost as many votes as Labour. However, the Alliance's support was not concentrated in some areas, but widely spread, its success was frustrated by the electoral system. In the next four years the Alliance had many successes in elections to local councils and in by-elections for Parliament, but failed to make a sustained advance.

The united party, called SLDP (Social and Liberal Democrats), since 1989 known as the Liberal Democrats, now remains as the only serious party of the centre.

The Green Party, who campaigns chiefly on environmental issues, was slower to develop than the Greens in some other European countries but the number of votes it had rapidly increased. By 1989 the Green Party had attracted more people ready to work actively for it, and to give it money. At the election for the European Parliament it had candidates for all the seats in Great Britain.

It had many successes in elections to local councils, and even gained a seat in Parliament at a by-election; in 1992 general election it increased its support up to 17.8% of votes and had 20 seats in Parliament. In 1997 the party got 16.8% of votes and now has 48 seats in the Commons.

There are about half a dozen other parties represented in the House of Commons, mainly regionally based in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Among most prominent are two nationalistic parties: the Scottish National Party (founded in 1934) with 6 MPs now in Parliament and Plaid Cymru or the Welsh National Party (founded in 1925) that has 4 MPs. In Northern Ireland there compete the pro-Catholic nationalistic party of Sinn Fein (a political wing of the IRA) with 2 seats now in the Commons and Ulster Unionist Party, which is strongly Protestant. Their aims are ranging up to the extreme of complete independence.

Summing up

Speak on:

1. The United Kingdom is a Constitutional monarchy.

2. The functions of Parliament.

3. Meeting of Parlament

4. The British government is based on the Cabinet principle.

5. The Queen’s duties.

6. The advantages and disadvantages of the UK electoral system.

7. A two-party system has operated in Britain.

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