New Parties in Britain

Abstract

The two-party system is sometimes thought of as being "natural" to Britain. In fact, many new parties have been formed, but few have survived as politically significant independent bodies. New parties in Britain face severe obstacles, of which the elec toral system is the greatest. Despite these difficulties, opportunities favorable for new parties do sometimes arise; new parties may also be founded by minorities that feel there is no longer a place for them in one of the established parties. A distinctive political group has a choice of either starting a new party or of trying to infiltrate one of the older parties and so capturing it from within. The success of a new party may have profound medium-term consequences for the country's political alignment. Major social changes, however, are more likely to have an effect through the existing parties than through the rise of a new party.