UK Political Parties

The main Parties are;-

During the last 60 years, there have been 3 main political parties, The Conservative Party, The Labour Party and the Liberal Democrat Party.  However, some new ones are coming to prominence such as UKIP and the Green Party.  Northern Ireland is a special case since it has a number of parties relatively unknown on the mainland UK.  Here is a link to the Daily Telegraph electoral map relating to the 2015 General Election

Each party follows a particular philosophy;

  • The Conservative party sit on the right of the political spectrum.  They believe in a small state with as few public sector workers as possible.  The want low taxation, because they believe in a meritocracy.  That is a fair days pay for a fair days work.  It is usually the wealthier middle class who follow the Conservative Party.  The Conservative party is stronger in the south of England.
  • The Labour party were borne out of Trade Union movement at a time when workers were exploited more than a century ago.  This is the party of the working class who stand for welfare reform to support the poor.  They are still funded by Trade Unions and sit on the left of the political spectrum.  They want to see a large public sector, do not believe in capitalism and are a party of high taxation.  There are more Labour supporters in the north of England and Wales.
  • The Liberal Democrat Party sit somewhere between the Conservative and Labour Parties.  They believe in fairness and equity for all and being liberal do not want to see too much regulation, they strongly defend the nation’s civil liberties and care about the environment.