3 ms·

Because very very few people vote for them, we have a defacto two party system in that voting for any other party feels worthless. ~2010 due to a number of fac

by nannal 10y ago

Because very very few people vote for them, we have a defacto two party system in that voting for any other party feels worthless. ~2010 due to a number of factors a third party (the lib dems) gained a significant increase in votes on campaign promises centred around free university courses for UK citizens. As no party had a majority, a coalition was formed between the conservative party & the liberal democrats. The Lib Dems went back on every single thing they had promised and essentially forced a new generation of voters to either pick conservative of labour.

s0l1dsnak3123 10y ago
This only applies to the UK election system, not the Scottish election system. Also the libdems actually did manage to achieve quite a few of their campaign pledges: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/15/how-much-of-the-liberal-democrats-2010-election-manifesto-was-implemented https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/15/how-much-of...
Super_Jambo 10y ago
The fact that the legislation OP is talking about passed in the majority cons government and not under the Con/Lib coalition suggests that the Lib Dems did not: "Go back on every single thing they had promised." What they did is go back on tuition fees which the press then merrily highlighted at every opportunity. Meanwhile New Labour & now the Cons are free to break promises every day of the week with barely a whisper from their mates in the press.
lumisota 10y ago
The "defacto two party system" results from the first-past-the-post voting system, not the number of voters who cast their ballot for other parties. Other parties got around 30% of the vote at the last General Election, but won only 13% of seats. (It is also worth noting that the Liberal Democrats did not gain a "significant increase in votes" in 2010 (23%) vs. 2005 (22%), and that they won fewer seats in 2010 than in 2005.).
- xorxornop 10y ago
  Yes. Public perception and understanding of voting systems is consistently and distressingly abysmal. FPTP is an awful system that promotes ideologues and those that manufacture, manipulate and profit from them.

by nannal 10y ago

s0l1dsnak3123 10y ago

This only applies to the UK election system, not the Scottish election system. Also the libdems actually did manage to achieve quite a few of their campaign pledges: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/15/how-much-of-the-liberal-democrats-2010-election-manifesto-was-implemented https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/15/how-much-of...

Super_Jambo 10y ago

The fact that the legislation OP is talking about passed in the majority cons government and not under the Con/Lib coalition suggests that the Lib Dems did not: "Go back on every single thing they had promised." What they did is go back on tuition fees which the press then merrily highlighted at every opportunity. Meanwhile New Labour & now the Cons are free to break promises every day of the week with barely a whisper from their mates in the press.

lumisota 10y ago

The "defacto two party system" results from the first-past-the-post voting system, not the number of voters who cast their ballot for other parties. Other parties got around 30% of the vote at the last General Election, but won only 13% of seats. (It is also worth noting that the Liberal Democrats did not gain a "significant increase in votes" in 2010 (23%) vs. 2005 (22%), and that they won fewer seats in 2010 than in 2005.).

xorxornop 10y ago
Yes. Public perception and understanding of voting systems is consistently and distressingly abysmal. FPTP is an awful system that promotes ideologues and those that manufacture, manipulate and profit from them.