Political Parties
Political parties play a very important role in British government and society.The national parties compete against each other in elections for the mandate to govern the country.The two largest parties traditionally constitute the Government and the Opposition in Parliament.Each political party has its own beliefs how the country should be best run for the benefit of the public.If a Party’s ideas are endorsed by most voters，then the party will gain a majority of seats in Parliament and consequently be empowered to form the next Government.The leader of the majority party usually becomes Prime Minister.The government then works with its MPs to translate their party’s political ideas into laws and government policies.Most of these laws and policies have a direct influence upon the welfare of large segments of the population.
Political parties in England originated in the late 17th century when parliament was divided over the issue whether the king or the parliament should have more power in governing the country.The group which believed in a strong parliament and was associated with Protestant reformers was known as the Whig Party，while those who supported the king and the Church of England were known as the Tory Party.The Whig Party later merged with other groups that were interested in reforms to form the Liberal Party.The Tory Party took the name Conservative Party when the 1832 Reform Bill enlarged the electorate.The leader of the party hoped that the name Conservative Party，meaning to“conserve what is best in Great Britain”would be more attractive to newly⁃enfranchised middle⁃class voters.
The United Kingdom has many political parties，but the two major parties that have won all of the elections held since 1945 are the Labor Party and the Conservative Party.
The Labor Party has traditionally drawn the core of its support from trade unions.It traditionally embraced socialist ideas，supported governmental control of important industries and advocated more equal distribution of wealth.
The Labor Party originated around the turn of the 20th century for the purpose of electing to Parliament labor representatives or people who were sympathetic to labor interests.The major components of the party were trade unions，but it also included members of the socialist Fabian Society and the Independent Labor Party.
The party launched a policy known as ClauseⅣLabor’s platform for the next elections called for re⁃nationalization of industries recently privatized by Margaret Thatcher，abolition of the House of Lords，unilateral disarmament，and withdrawal from the European Community.These policies were widely viewed as extreme and caused a split in the party as some of the respected MPs withdrew from the party to form the Social Democratic Party.
Blair had become Labor leader in 1994 and began to move the party away from its socialist policies toward the political center.He eliminated Clause IV of the party’s constitution which called for nationalization of industries，and reduced the Labor Party’s dependence on the trade unions.He also supported continuation of the Conservatives’foreign policy of close ties with the United States.Because of these changes，the Labor Party began to be known as New Labor.After Blair led the New Labor Party to victory in the 1997 election，he went on to win two more elections，remaining in power until 2007.Blair was followed as Prime Minister by Gordon Brown，the former Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Cabinet.New Labor’s support came mainly from the younger generation，trade unions，and the lower middle class.The party lost to the Conservatives in both the 2010 and 2015 parliamentary elections.
The Conservative Party believes in private enterprise，and free market competition，and traditional social values.However，during the periods when it was in government in the first few decades after World WarⅡ，it did not undo the social welfare state legislation and nationalization of industry implemented by the Labor governments of that era.In the 1960s and early 1970s，the Conservative Party adopted a policy of cooperation with the Labor Party.This policy ended after 1975 when Margaret Thatcher was elected as the leader of the Conservative Party.
Thatcher brought to the party a completely new set of goals and strategies.She advocated free enterprise and private ownership.Under her government beginning in 1979，more than two⁃thirds of state⁃owned enterprises were sold to private owners and the number of private individual shareholders tripled.She also adopted policies to curb the power of labor unions because she believed that the unions’strikes posed an obstacle to economic prosperity.In foreign policy，Thatcher promoted strong ties with the United States and maintained distance from the European Union.Thatcher was so resolute in implementing her policies that she was known as the“Iron Lady，”and her policies were termed“Thatcherism.”Even today，the anti⁃trade union legislation，privatisations and general free market approach to government installed by her governments are accepted by most of the major British political parties，and no major political party is committed to reversing her government’s reforms of the economy.
Over the following eight years，the Conservatives went through three different leaders and lost two more general elections.The Conservative Party is supported mainly by the male and elderly part of the population，especially those with higher incomes and middle class workers who tend to be more conservative.
The other national party is the Liberal Democrats，which was formed in 1988.It holds to a centrist position in its policies，advocates market economy and supports civil liberties.It was the third⁃largest party in Parliament with 58 seats after the 2010 election and joined the Conservative Party to form the next government.However，it was reduced to 8 seats in the 2015 election.
Besides the major national parties，there are also several regional political parties.The Scottish National Party（SNP），with 56 seats，became the third⁃largest party in the UK Parliament after the 2015 election.It is now the largest party in Scotland，and its aim is to achieve Scottish independence.The Democratic Unionist Party，whose priority is to maintain the union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain，is the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly.Sinn Fein is a major Irish nationalist party;its objective is to end British rule in Northern Ireland and to establish a republic which unites the whole island of Ireland.The Social Democratic and Labor Party（SDLP）and the Ulster Unionist Party are the other major parties in Northern Ireland.
Although there are many different parties in the United Kingdom that hold a wide variety of beliefs，and pursue a range of goals，British politics ultimately comes down to a contest between the Conservatives and Labor.Among the key issues around which the two parties clash are foreign policy and economic policy.The United Kingdom’s foreign policy is to a large extent shaped by its“special relationship”with the United States.As America’s closest ally in Europe，Britain often plays a role in the region.The special relationship with the United States is thus generally at the center of British foreign policy for both Conservative and Labor governments，though whichever party is in opposition may sometimes accuses the party in power of being too pro⁃American.