British Political System

[Cyclefrance]

Originally Posted by Brianna

OK so far. Would you say that there are only two really viable parties-Labour and Tories-who can actually win elections? The other parties mentioned---do they have any impact at all?

Generally yes, unless the winning party doesn't have an overall majority (meaning that its total seats exceed those of all the other parties added together), or if the majority is very small. This can make it difficult for the government to pass its proposed laws as there are too many others who can rock the boat (often from inside their own party), so the marginal parties sometimes with maybe only 5-10 seats can acquire a position of power to swing a vote for or against the ruling party. Doesn't happen that often, but it has happened in the distant past.